Board & Secretariat
The Friends of Parks and Nature Inc. Board meets bi-monthly. Members are most welcome to attend a meeting and should contact the Secretariat to make arrangements. Meetings may be held via Microsoft Teams or in person.
Board Members
Hayley Edwards
President
Hayley is an AILA Registered Landscape Architect practicing on Kaurna Country in South Australia. Raised on a fourth-generation farm in the Southern Mallee, her design philosophy is anchored in a deep respect for environmental stewardship and the integration of science, culture, and nature. A dedicated advocate for the land, Hayley has contributed hundreds of volunteer hours to conservation across South Australia, including her service as a volunteer ranger since 2024 and as the former president of the Friends of Para Wirra Conservation Park. She is committed to protecting and enhancing cultural heritage, fostering ecologically enriched landscapes, and reconnecting communities with the joy and beauty of the natural world.
Andrew Winkler
Committee Member
Andrew has served on board since 2008(Vice-president 2015-2025). He is currently the FoPN delegate to the Conservation Council of SA.
Andrew has helped form many Friends groups such as Patawalonga Creek, Gulf St Vincent, Torrens Island, FAIBS and the Port Adelaide Branch of the National Trust of SA. He is also a member of the Marine Life Society of SA.
Andrew received the Conservation Council of SA’s Unsung Hero award (2012) and Port Adelaide Local Legends Award (2016).
Pam Smith
Secretary
Pam joined the Friends of Parks and Nature Inc. Board in 1993, and is a member of the Friends of Volunteer and Visitor Programs Unit. Her current roles are Secretary to the Board, and Admin Officer for the Volunteer Programs Unit, NPWS, DEW.
Debbie Curnow
Treasurer
Debbie is a Registered BAS Agent who has operated her own bookkeeping business for more than 10 years. A member of Friends of Cobbler Creek, she has served as the Friends of Parks and Nature Inc bookkeeper for the past two years. Debbie is also an active committee member and current Assistant Secretary of her local Dog Obedience Club.
Mandy Carter
Public Officer & Gift Fund Committee Secretary
Mandy Carter has been Public Officer of the Friends of Parks and Nature Inc since 2012 and is currently secretary of the Friends of Parks and Nature Gift Fund. Since 2008 she has been a Member of the Friends of the Nature Foundation and prior to that was a member and treasurer of the Friends of Cleland.
Don Ransom OAM
Committee Member
Don Ransom OAM (2006) has been involved in Reserves management since 1973.
He is a member of Friends Ikara Flinders, Friends of Innamincka Reserves, Friends of Coorong, 4WDSA and Campground Hosts.
Bradley Clarke-Wood
Committee Member
Bradley Clarke-Wood is President of the Friends of Bool and Hacks Lagoons, a Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance, and a Conservation Ecologist for the Limestone Coast with NPWSA. With a background at BirdLife Australia, he focuses on protecting habitat for threatened species, advancing sustainable land management, and working closely with regional communities on collaborative conservation efforts.
Michael Williams
Executive Director, National Parks and Wildlife SA, DEW
Mike has 43 years’ experience in parks management and conservation and started his career in Kosciusko National Park in 1976. He spent 23 years in the NSW Parks and Wildlife service in various roles.
Mitchell Brennan
Director, Digital Communications
Mitch holds two science degrees and has built a career spanning aquaculture, aviation and technology. He began his career in aquaculture, managing the egg-to-juvenile production of abalone, before transitioning to the RPAS industry, where he now delivers drone operations supporting major transmission powerline projects across Australia.
A passionate conservation volunteer, Mitch has been involved with Friends of Deep Creek since 2010. As Director of Digital Communications for Friends of Parks, he is focused on improving accessibility, communication and volunteer engagement across the organisation.
Tricia Curtis
Board Member
Tricia has worked in the conservation and volunteering field for over 30 years. She is the President of the Friends of Brookfield Conservation Park and a Committee Member with the Mid Murray Landcare Group and the Friends of Kingston House.
Secretariat
The Secretariat provides secretarial and administrative services to Friend of Parks and Nature Inc. At present the Volunteer Programs Unit provides this service.
Gill Peacey
Manager, Volunteer Programs Unit
Pam Smith
Admin Officer, Friends of Parks and Nature
Helping to restore native flora and fauna
Become part of a community that works together to sustain the local environment and discover what your local parks have to offer! We have member groups working across South Australia, so you’re sure to find a group close to where you live, or somewhere you like to visit.
Join a group
Read our board role descriptions
Board role descriptions
The Board has endorsed ‘role descriptions’ for Board members. The role of the Board has evolved since the organisation first became an incorporated body, with a constitution and board of management back in 1993. In those early days it was more an informal body that oversaw the grant governance arrangements commensurate with the new constitution.
Fast forward to 2020 and there is a very different operating environment in place. The environmental sector is much more complicated and diverse with lots of competing demands – the market place is more competitive, social/political and economic changes are happening faster and more consistently, legislation and governance requirements continue to evolve.
To ensure that the Friends of Parks organisation maintains its place as one of the peak volunteer organisation in South Australia, providing practical hands on support in parks, the Board has also needed to evolve and adapt to the changing circumstances.
To meet these changes, and in so doing provide more consistent support to member groups, it has developed a business plan consisting of five (5) separate sub-programs, with Board members taking a more primary role in driving business outcomes for the organisation as a whole. As a result the skill requirements needed by Board members has also changed. Board members need to be experienced and savvy in a number of areas, and this is expressed in the role descriptions for Board members – it is just one example of how much things have changed.
So, if you feel that you have something to contribute to the Board, please nominate to be a Committee member at the next AGM.
Read our role descriptions
A Letter from the Board
In 1972 the State Government took over the management of parks after the passing of the National Parks and Wildlife Act. The push for improved representation of bushland in the parks system and preservation of wildlife habitat then expanded rapidly into rural South Australia. Today there are a total of 21,123 000 hectares in the parks network, covering 21.5 per cent of the state’s land surface. These comprise 19 national parks, 217 conservation parks, 13 recreation parks, 10 game reserves, 7 regional (multi-use) reserves, and 51 conservation reserves. The Glenthorne National Park, which over the next few years will incorporate national parks, council and water catchment reserves, was recently established by the South Australian Government to provide a second generation of parklands beyond the city of Adelaide.
The Friends of Parks is a community volunteer organisation that is over 30 years old, and is dedicated solely to assist the Department for Environment and Water’s (DEW) staff in managing the State’s national parks and reserves. There’s currently over 130 Friends of Parks groups statewide involved directly with on-park activities, such as weed eradication, feral animal control, habitat restoration, heritage site conservation, wildlife survey and monitoring – to name just a few of the activities groups are involved in.
Depending on DEW’s business requirements, sometimes the Friends of Parks groups may be requested to provide assistance with quite specific tasks, for example, following the recent bushfire across the State, seed collection, growing seedlings, weed control and planting events become very high regional priorities. DEW works closely with the relevant Friends groups and other community organisations to plan the recovery activities, many of which need careful timing and sequencing. Groups also support special events organised by DEW staff, such as ‘park of the month’ and special community planting weekends.
Working bees are organised by Friends of Parks groups during the week and/or weekends, depending on members availability and the on-park activity they are involved in. Social events are also organised by groups.
To provide additional support to Friends groups, the Friends of Parks organisation has a Board which meets bi-monthly. The Board, comprising of member group representatives, provides sponsorship for member groups applying for external grants, has an important advocacy role on behalf of member groups, and provides training workshops and marketing support to its members.
The Friends of Parks Inc. Board also has a dedicated tax deductible ‘Gift Fund’ to assist park based activities being undertaken. Any Friends of Parks member group can apply for funding support.
So thank you for your interest in the South Australian Friends of Parks organisation. The partnership the Friends of Parks has with DEW and the Government of South Australia is so important in ensuring that the State’s national parks biodiversity is protected for future generations to enjoy.
Regards,
Duncan MacKenzie
President, Friends of Parks SA Inc.
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