Urban Forest Strategy Implementation Working Group

Cr Daniel Minson

“If we all take shared ownership of ours verges and local parks and do what we can to keep them clean, inspected and well-maintained, we can all enjoy living in a green and beautiful environment.” 

Dan Minson has been part of the UFS working group since late 2023 as an Elected Member representative, with the goal of representing broad community interest in improving the Town’s tree canopy cover. 

A civil engineer with the Water Corporation, Dan’s professional background helps provide expertise for the delivery of UFS programs and strategies. He particularly enjoys seeing assets such as drainage basins being utilised beyond the scope of their original design. In future, he hopes to see the Town improving tree canopy coverage towards the 30% target. 

Cr Peter Melrosa

“If people spent more time in their gardens, the community feel of our neighbourhoods would become stronger and our gardens and ecosystems would also be strengthened. It’s these small actions adding up that make a difference.” 

Peter has worked in local government in both statutory and strategic planning roles for over half a decade, and holds a degree in Town Planning and a Masters in Urban Design. An Elected Member at the Town of Victoria Park, he is passionate about the connection between green space, community and mental health. 

Peter is a Carlisle local and a keen gardener of over 30 years. His areas of particular interest within Urban Forest Strategy include microparks (green basins), bus stop thank you gardens and Urban Forest at Home. 

Cr Jack Gordon-Manley

Rowena

“The benefits of an urban forest include improved environmental, economic, community and health outcomes. I am so proud of the Town and the Urban Forest Strategy Working Group for committing to and investing in a strategy to increase our tree canopy to 20%.” 

Rowena has been a key driver of the Urban Forest Strategy from the beginning and currently sits on the Working Group as Chair.  

Having spent 18 years as a Councillor and more than three decades as a Vic Park resident, her passion for the community and its environment is evident in numerous roles, including volunteer treasurer and finance officer at Victoria Park Arts Centre, volunteer treasurer for the Victoria Park Community Garden and membership of the Victoria Park Primary School board. In her spare time, she loves gardening, collecting teddy bears and reading great books. 

Emma

“Helping grow and care for our urban forest will benefit you, your community and our local plants and animals. From little things, big things grow.” 

Emma is an urban greening advocate with expertise in water sensitive urban design, river and wetland management, stormwater management, and water and nature-positive solutions. She has been a member of the Urban Forest working group since its inception in 2019. 

Emma’s passion is to turn urban communities into better places for people to live, work and play, and to help community members feel a personal connection with the natural areas in the Town.  She has been active at volunteer community planting days and successfully implemented a Town of Vic Park Urban Forest Strategy grant-funded tree planting project at her local school. 

Jeff

“The Urban Forest strategy is making a positive difference. Together, the Town and the community can affect a noticeable and beneficial outcome.” 

Jeff is an environmentally engaged Vic Park resident and relative newcomer to the Urban Forest Strategy working group. As someone who has participated in local greening projects such as the green basins microparks program, Jeff is well-placed to provide community feedback to the larger working group and promote UFS initiatives to residents.  

He believes that adequate urban greening helps mitigate the effects of climate change, with additional benefits to the mental and physical wellbeing of communities, business traffic and property prices. 

Ria 

Gerard