June 11, 2018
Well-known Linville environmental advocate and retired farmer Valmai Burnett has died aged 90.
Prior to retiring, Valmai and her late husband Graham raised Angus cattle and organic hay on their 1700-acre property, ‘Rathburnie’, at Avoca Vale, north of Linville.
They were ahead of their time when it came to sustainable land management, recognising the importance of surface mulch to pastures and the damage that regular burning caused to this.
They established the Rathburnie Environmental Estate in, Valmai’s words, to “inspire landholders to rethink land management in this ancient continent and educate city dwellers on the importance of sustainable farming”.
In 1973, Graham donated five acres of land for Lions’ Camp Duckadang.
The same year, ‘Rathburnie’ was declared a fauna sanctuary. This was followed in 1987 by Graham bequeathing ‘Rathburnie’ in trust to the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia (WWF) to make it available for “research, demonstration and education into integrated economic and ecologically sustainable farming practices”.
The property was registered under permanent title as a nature refuge by the State Government in 2008.
Valmai remained living on ‘Rathburnie’ after her husband’s death – he is buried on the property – and in her later years campaigned ardently against a State Government proposal to build a dam near Linville which would have flooded the land.
She died on May 24. The couple had no children.
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington said she was extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Valmai, whom she described as “a woman with true passion and vision for the environment and sustainable land management”.
“Valmai first made contact with me not long after I took on the role as the Local Member in 2012,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“During our first meeting, it was obvious that this was a woman with a wealth of information on the Somerset region, in particular, the headwaters of the Brisbane River. She shared maps, articles and reports on as much as she could, and over the years, kept me updated with her work and environmental commitments.
“The fax machine in my office was frequently busy receiving her lengthy, typewritten letters, and accompanying information, as she was very good at communicating the issues which impacted on the management of our natural resources, especially our water and soil.
“I will greatly miss Valmai.
“She was an incredible woman who had travelled the world, but loved her unique property. Our region is blessed to have been the beneficiary of the passion and vision of Valmai and her late husband Graham. May she rest in peace at ‘Rathburnie’.”
- External link: Target 100 – Valmai Burnett
