Vale Steve Thompson
Recently, we lost one of the Murray Local Land Services family. Steve Thompson passed away after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a wife and two daughters, as well as an enormous legacy of environmental and community work in the Upper Murray area. He is sadly missed, and our thoughts are with his family.
Steve started with the Murray Catchment Management Authority in 2012, based in the Tumbarumba office. His work in this role was a boon to the local community because of his knowledge of the local environment and its people. This was instrumental in the achievement of significant environmental outcomes in the Upper Murray through his contribution to a wide range of programs and activities, including:
- Landholder incentive programs – controlling threats to the Upper Murray, improving vegetation, site monitoring, and follow-up.
- Delivering events to local schools and communities to raise awareness and coordinate action on environmental programs such as protecting the threatened southern pygmy perch.
- Partnering with key stakeholders to deliver projects, including NSW Forestry, NSW Fisheries, OEH, Local Schools, and Holbrook Landcare
- Often featuring in the Tumbarumba Times and Holbrook Happenings and regularly speaking on local radio about projects he was involved in.
- In recent years Steve was passionate about the protection of montane peatlands from feral horses in the Upper Murray, restoring habitat for Booroolong frogs and southern pygmy perch in Coppabella and Maragle creeks, and recovering Macquarie perch in Mannus Creek.
- Support of the local community in responding to and recovering from the 2019-20 bushfires – this is despite his own property at Lankeys Creek being impacted by the fires.
A quirky and imaginative man, Steve had a love of the outdoors and working with people, and a noted dislike of paperwork. He was passionate about sustainability and the environment including (among other things) fungi, creating an amazing mini fungi ecosystem display of specimens he’d found in the Upper Murray. This was a highlight of our exhibition at the Henty Machinery Field Days and led to many visitors taking a renewed interest in the world of fungi.
Steve often spoke fondly of his home at Lankeys Creek, where he built his home for his wife and two girls. His other great passion was mountain bike riding and he was instrumental in the development of Tumbarumba bike trails and tracks.
Steve leaves a huge gap at Murray Local Land Services and the broader Upper Murray community. We believe Steve's legacy will live on due to his achievements in engaging people and inspiring environmental and social outcomes in the Upper Murray. Our condolences are with his family and the community on Steve’s passing.
Watch the Landscape-scale erosion control video featuring Steve here.
