• Completion of three-year program at Kamay Botany Bay National Park
• More than 130 volunteers engaged in the program
• Final event held with Sydney Airport employees and Endeavour Clontarf Academy students

Sydney Airport and Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) have celebrated the three-year Sydney Airport Kamay Botany Bay Regeneration Project with a final volunteering day for Sydney Airport employees and Endeavour Clontarf Academy students on Thursday, 2 November.

Sydney Airport CEO and Managing Director Kerrie Mather said Sydney Airport is proud to be part of this important local community project since 2014.

“Sydney Airport has strong community investment and staff engagement programs to support the communities in which we live and work,” Ms Mather said.

“Our partnership with CVA has enabled our people to engage directly with our local community to deliver hands-on projects to enhance our local environment.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with CVA in 2018 to deliver more exciting projects in our local community.”

CVA National Partnerships Manager Danielle Johnson said the organisation was thankful for the support it continued to receive from Sydney Airport aimed at improving the health of local ecosystems.

“With the support of Sydney Airport, we have engaged 138 community volunteers in caring for their local national park and the program has achieved some great outcomes.

“More than 250 trees have been planted, over 1,200 square metres of invasive weeds removed, 53kg of rubbish collected and over 440 metres of walking tracks maintained.”

Five Sydney Airport employees and five students from the Endeavour Clontarf Academy participated in the final project day.

Clontarf seeks to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal men, and Academy Director Jeff Hardy noted the value of the experience.

“The Endeavour Clontarf Academy is super excited to combine with our partners from Sydney Airport to participate in Conservation Volunteers Australia’s final day at Kamay Botany Bay National Park in Kurnell. It is a great opportunity for our boys who are attending school to care for their local environment and at the same time socialise with Sydney Airport staff,” Mr Hardy said.

Sydney Airport has partnered with CVA since 2014, delivering six volunteer days a year for Sydney Airport employees and the community to participate in bush regeneration and rehabilitation initiatives. Ranger with National Parks and Wildlife Service Mishy McKensy has overseen the multi-year project.

“This Sydney Airport funded project has seen both Sydney Airport staff and community volunteers engaging with the natural, Aboriginal and European landscapes within Kamay Botany Bay National Park, Kurnell, on the shores of Botany Bay,” Ms McKensy said.

“These volunteers have contributed to valuable cultural and environmental projects such as restoration works in the Burrawang Dune and Captain Cook’s Landing Place.

“CVA’s ability to engage and manage a diverse range of volunteers has assisted National Parks and Wildlife Service to accomplish significant work within endangered ecological communities through bush regeneration activities including weed removal and planting. These areas of significant plant assemblages require ongoing maintenance to keep introduced weed species at bay and this project has greatly assisted in this.”

The Kurnell Peninsula supports a number of endangered species and is also historically significant as the landing spot of the first British explorers to Australian shores, and the first "meeting place" between them and the local Dharawal people in 1770.

In addition to supporting the Kamay Botany Bay Regeneration Program, Sydney Airport also supports a sand dune restoration program at Congwong Beach.

Volunteers can register to participate in the Congwong Beach project by calling the Conservation Volunteers Australia Sydney Office on 02 9331 1610.

Contact:

Laura Stevens Head of Media and Communications Sydney Airport 0437 033 479

Danielle Johnson National Partnerships Manager Conservation Volunteers Australia 0400 230 207