Thursday 10 June 2010

Reweavers: the quiet achievers


David Bancroft, editor of The Daily Examiner, pens some well-deserved praise of reweavers on 8 June 2010:

IN about 1900, former US president Theodore Roosevelt wrote how he had been impressed with an African saying: "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

He believed people who followed the adage would go far.

It is an adage that would apply to virtually all the people who attended a modest dinner in Grafton on Friday night.

I was honoured to accept an invitation to attend the annual dinner of the Clarence Valley's reweavers group, a group committed to 'reweaving' the tapestry of society.

Most of those attending were committed environmentalists, people who had dedicated most of their adult lives to improving or at least protecting what remains of the environment of the Clarence Valley and neighbouring regions.

Those up for special mention were Stan Mussared, Carmel Flint and the Koala Protection Society.

These people, and the 70-plus others who attended, gain nothing from their environmental advocacy and hands-on effort apart from making the world what they believe to be a better place.

They are quietly spoken, reserved and non-confrontational but prepared to stand their ground when they believe it necessary.

It can sometimes get them offside with industry and government, but their motivation and commitment should not be questioned.

They offered a valuable lesson to us all.

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