A semi retired landscape architect, conservationist and Benalla farmer, Sue was awarded her Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to conservation and the environment since the 1960s, in the 2015 Australia Day Honours.
Sue founded her practice Susan Campbell Landscape Architects in 1964. Prior to that, she was the landscape architect for the Victorian Housing Commission from 1962 to 1966. In 1966, Campbell became the inaugural member of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA). From 1974 to 1990, she was chief landscape architect for the Albury-Wodonga Development Corporation.
Sue was a member of the Streetscape Committee for the City of Wangaratta throughout 1990s as well as member of the Steering Committee for the Benalla Rural City Environment Strategy Plan in 2012. Sue has also served on the boards of Conservation Volunteers Australia since 1984 and Greening Australia since 1989
Sue has been quoted as saying that even as a child, she was involved in the environment. “I used to get into endless trouble for picking up spiders and snakes,” she said.
Much later, for about 16 years, she was in charge of replanting and revegetating Albury Wodonga Development Corporation land, which included planting about two million trees.
Her projects have included farm planning, urban design, large-scale landscape projects and urban forestry. She has also been an environmental farmer for 45 years, and is the recipient of the Rural Press Landcare Primary Producer Award and Victorian Sustainable Farm Award. She was president of the Victorian Farm Tree and Landcare Association, 2010–2011.
Sue talked about the important Landcare people she has been involved with. Then, with the Stock and Land group’s prompting, she talked about ripping, blowing up and bull-dozing rabbit warrens on their previously owned rabbit infested farm the other side of Wangaratta, the theme of her previous guest appearance.
A lifetime of Landcare indeed!
David Palmer