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Writer's pictureCeri Pearce

BirdLife Northern Queensland honoured with the Chair’s Award at the 20th Cassowary Awards

Ceri Pearce | Birds With Altitude Project Leader


Ceri Pearce and Amanda Freeman were extremely honoured to accept the Chair’s Award on behalf of BirdLife Northern Queensland (BLNQ) at this year’s Cassowary Award celebration.


First held in 1999, the Wet Tropics Management Authority’s (WTMA) Cassowary Awards celebrate the efforts of individuals and organisations in conserving, protecting and raising awareness of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.


On arrival at Tjapukai NOW, in Smithfield, participants were welcomed with canapes and refreshments, as we met fellow nominees and old friends, admired the extraordinary venue and indigenous artwork displays, and enjoyed an expert didgeridoo performance. We were then led down to the lake’s edge where we were privileged to participate in a ‘Calling to Country’ Ceremony led by Tjapukai Traditional Owners and Elders.


Returning indoors, we were then entertained with an accomplished Indigenous dance performance by Tjapukai NOW, and interactive storytelling that drew in the crowd and held everyone captivated.


Internationally recognised Tjapukai NOW performers shared their dance and music culture with the crowd.

The Opening Ceremony was next. Ms Chrissy Grant, Chair of the WTMA Board opened the Awards Ceremony, acknowledging Traditional Owners and Elders, as well as giving thanks to the sponsors and the Tjapukai hosts.


Then it was time for the Awards.


BLNQ was one of 45 Award nominees invited to attend – all awe-inspiring individuals and groups who have and continue to significantly contribute to the conservation of country and community of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The breadth of their activities and their collective impact were truly impressive. The night was a celebration for everyone, but there can only be one winner in each category.



BLNQ and our collaborative Birds With Altitude (BWA) Citizen Science Project was nominated in the Education Research Innovation Award, sponsored by Powerlink Queensland.


The Education Research Innovation Award recognises inventive projects and educational activities that improve understanding and management of the Wet Tropics and its World Heritage values. The category celebrates innovative research and technological applications, as well as educators who inspire and impart an appreciation of the World Heritage Area.


Besides BLNQ, there were three other nominees in this Award category.


The Cassowary Award winner was Annette Ryan, of Whitfield State School. Annette is a teacher-librarian and gifted educator. She has cofounded and coordinated innovative education initiatives across Far North Queensland for the past 21 years, including the Gifted Global Green Program. She developed and ran a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program for high-performing First Nations students, and has conducted the Philosophy Café Academy at Whitfield State School for the past five years, where students discuss environmental ethics. Honestly, I wish she was around when I went to school. I think everyone in the room wanted her as their teacher: she was so passionate about teaching our young leaders of tomorrow!


So, with our category announced, we could sit back and relax, enjoy the evening and celebrate the other Award categories.


Our congratulations to the other Award recipients:


  • Climate Change Leadership Award: Cairns and Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC);

  • Industry Excellence Award: Cassowary Conservation Management Plan, Transport and Main Roads Queensland;

  • People Country Culture Country: Madjaybana Rangers, Madjandji Aboriginal Corporation;

  • Peter Hitchcock Community Champion Award: Ingrid Marker, Cassowary Keystone Conservation;

  • Thorsborne Award for Conservation and Rehabilitation: Cathy Retter, Kuranda EnviroCare;

  • World Heritage Presentation Award: Martin Stringer; and

  • Young Cassowary Award: Tyler Smith.







Just as the evening was ending and all Awards had been announced, Ms Grant came to the stage to…. well I thought to close the ceremony and the evening. But there was one more Award... The Chair’s Award, sponsored by WTMA, described as “….a discretionary award that acknowledges and celebrates an exceptional level of commitment to the conservation and presentation of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area”.


Well, you can imagine our stunned surprise when it was announced that we, BirdLife Northern Queensland, had been awarded the Chair’s Award!

Amanda Freeman and Ceri Pearce celebrating the Chair’s Award presented by Ms Chrissy Grant, Chair of the WTMA Board.


Ms Grant stated that:


“the Chair’s Award was given to BirdLife Northern Queensland, who is at the forefront of bird conservation in the Wet Tropics. For over 120 years, BirdLife Australia has been researching and protecting native Australian birds, and through decades of work, the Northern Queensland branch has built on the mounting evidence that Wet Tropics rainforest-dependent bird populations are declining in the upland areas because of climate change. The findings from their collaborative Birds With Altitude citizen science project will help build a basis for effective conservation action planning.”

It took me fully a minute to recover from the surprise, while an initial photo was taken with Ms Grant presenting the Award. Accepting the prestigious Chair’s Award on behalf of BLNQ was such an honour and a privilege.

Ceri Pearce accepting the Award on behalf of BLNQ.

It wasn’t possible to acknowledge everyone who made this Award possible, but we tried to thank as many as possible:


  • Terry Carmichael for nominating our Birds With Altitude (BWA) Project for a prestigious Cassowary Award;

  • Our Queensland Government Community Sustainability Action Grant for Conservation – Community Engagement on Queensland’s National Parks and State Forests;

  • Our project partners at the Queensland Parks and Wildlife service, in particular Resource Ranger Chris Roach, for his ongoing guidance and support;

  • Mamu Tropical Skywalk, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, and Murray Hunt (the Daintree River Boatman) for their generous sponsorship of our Challenge Competitions, that have enabled us to expand BWA by encouraging participation of citizen scientists across the Wet Tropics in our conservation efforts;

  • Our BWA project partners, BirdLife Townsville, who drive the project in the Paluma Key Biodiversity Area;

  • BirdLife Australia;

  • ALL THE INCREDIBLE VOLUNTEERS AND CITIZEN SCIENTISTS, who have contributed their time, effort, and expertise to the BWA project by undertaking bird surveys and entering their results into Birdata.


Together we are helping to advance our understanding of Wet Tropics birds and their responses to climate change.





This Award is about more than our BWA Project. It’s about our broader and sustained contribution to bird conservation and engagement right across the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. That includes the Crane Count; Bowerbird monitoring; the monthly birding events at Hastie’s Swamp, Wondecla, and Warrina Lakes; migratory shorebird monitoring and “Welcome the Waders” and “Wave the Waders Goodbye” events; the Torresian Imperial-Pigeon Counts; all our education and engagement activities; and our conservation and advocacy activities.

Lucy Graham from CAFNEC which won the Cassowary Award for Climate Change Leadership; Councillor Jeff Baines from the Cassowary Coast Regional Council; Ceri Peace and Amanda Freeman for BLNQ.

As Renee Cassels, our Secretary and Communications Coordinator recently said, “We should all be very proud and take a moment to enjoy the recognition. None of us do it for the glory but if you don't celebrate the ups, you can get carried away by the challenges.” This is an Award for our entire northern Queensland BirdLife community. We are very honoured to have this recognition from Ms Chrissy Grant and the Wet Tropics Management Authority and its Board.


All 2024 Cassowary Award winners and Award sponsors and presenters.
The Chair’s Award.

Finally, just in case you were wondering about the new Cassowary Award design: Wayne ‘Liwingu’ McGinness, a proud Kungarakan / Ngadjon / Yidinji man with ties to the Torres Strait, is the designer of the new Cassowary Award trophies.






Read more about our important conservation work in the Wet Tropics:






Photos courtesy of the Wet Tropics Management Authority.

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