15 December 2021
With the end of year fast approaching it is time to reflect on the past 12 months. Yes unprecedented, yes challenging and yes hard work. However landscape architecture has again proven itself as a vital profession within the built environment, weathered the storm and celebrated many wins. The AILA NSW executive along with the Advocacy group, Heritage group and Fresh group worked towards aligning our work with the strategic pillars; a sustainable AILA, membership growth and reconnection with members, education and listening to UNSW, UTS and UC, advocating to State and Local Government on behalf of members and profiling the profession to ensure landscape architecture is understood not just by allied professions but the wider community.
The launch of the new AILA website and Memberscape has also been an excellent tool to bring our community of professionals together.
The AILA NSW Awards for 2021 highlighted a pool of exceptional work within our state. The work undertaken by NSW landscape architects is at the forefront not only within Australian but internationally. It is in this same vein I echo the sentiment of Minister Stokes and say the time for landscape architecture is now. The 2022 Awards Program is starting early next year with Awards entries opening Feb 1st so make the most of the sunny summer days to photograph your projects!
One of the highlights of the end of this year for me as President has been to have had the privilege to meet and spend the morning along with Bruce Mackenzie and his wife Loraine. Bruce kindly gifted his beautiful Design with Landscape book to our new RLAs from 2020/21 and shared some of his experience and best advise with our new members. I invite you to discover it too now. https://youtu.be/XZNUTRh6FRE
I wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and restful holiday period and I look forward to connecting with you in 2022.
Tanya Wood
NSW President