To conserve and protect

Stockland’s Halcyon Landing homeowner John Tucker is doing his part to make the Maroochy Wetlands better place for everyone.

John is the President and Secretary of the Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary Support Group Inc. (MWSSGI), an organisation devoted to protecting and preserving the complex ecosystem that backs on to Halcyon Landing in Bli Bli.

“The Wetlands are an old sanctuary,” John explained.

“It’s about 100 hectares and borders the edge of Halcyon Landing.  It contains an interesting transition from almost rainforest through to mangroves through to other intermediate forest types.”

"A little bit of rainforest, some Teatree, melaleuca forest, casuarina, and then you get down to the mangrove forest.”

"There's not too many places where in a short distance you can see this transition occurring.”

Since joining the group around 10 years ago, John has been an organisational force in the group, using his project management skills to support the environmental work of the volunteers.

"Most of my professional life was spent in geotechnical engineering, which is the ground, soils, materials - close to the earth.  In recent years as a consultant, I’ve also been involved in environmental studies as well,” he said.

John and his wife Heather have been Bli Bli locals for nearly 40 years, moving into Halcyon Landing eight years ago from their house up on the hill.

"Because we know that Bli Bli is an extraordinarily central and accessible area on the Sunshine Coast, we didn’t want to move anywhere else,” John said.

"Halcyon Landing as a site presented the most opportunities for maintaining the network that we already had from over 30 years in Bli Bli.”

John said he and Heather enjoy the sense of community that Halcyon Landing offers, allowing them to enjoy the lifestyle at their own pace.

“We can do whatever we like,” John said.

"Both of us volunteer in various ways within the community.  I still lead an emergency response group; Heather has been active in a social group. We’ve contributed as well as taken advantage of the attractions that are here."