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“That’s how extensive it was – you just couldn’t get a start on it otherwise.”<\/p>\n
Working alongside a small group of locals and with support from council, Pierce gradually helped restore a healthy system in the dunes.<\/p>\n
What began as a slow fight against invasive species has resulted in substantial ecological recovery, with the area now classified as littoral rainforest and threatened plant species regenerating naturally through seed dispersal by birds.<\/p>\n
The vegetation along the dunes was originally planted as an environmental offset during the development of Casuarina, with weed management intended as an ongoing requirement.<\/p>\n
When funding for that work ceased, Pierce continued the effort voluntarily.<\/p>\n
Pierce said his motivation came from a deep appreciation for time spent in the bush and the satisfaction of seeing tangible progress.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Once you start making a bit of progress and you can see what you’re achieving, you don’t like stopping because you lose all the ground you were gaining – it’s as simple as that, really,” he said.<\/p>\n Pierce estimated he once put in around 200 hours a year in the dunes, with that commitment easing as progress was made.<\/p>\n “It just got gradually less and less as we got more control over it, and as I got older,” he said.<\/p>\n Over the years, Tweed Shire Council’s Natural Areas team provided tools, herbicide, equipment, green waste removal and technical support, forming a partnership that underpinned the program’s long-term success.<\/p>\n While some community regeneration work can take on a social element, Pierce said he often preferred to work alone, prioritising efficiency.<\/p>\n “A lot of the groups go out and it’s kind of social for them,” he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “I’d just go out and work a few hours and go home, and that was it.”<\/p>\n After nearly two decades in the dunes, Pierce said it is finally time to wind down.<\/p>\n “My joints are going on me and when you’re walking around with soft sand and boots and all the gear, it just gets too hard,” he said.<\/p>\n Tweed Shire Council manager of sustainability and environment Jane Lofthouse said Pierce’s contribution had been “remarkable”.<\/p>\n “What Ross has done over 17 years is remarkable – not just for the dunes, but for what it shows about the value of one committed person staying the course,” Lofthouse said.<\/p>\n “That kind of long-term stewardship is genuinely hard to replace, and we don’t take it for granted.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Responsibility for the work is now being passed to a new generation of volunteers, including local bush regeneration professional Daniel Persson and fellow volunteer Jan O’Donohue.<\/p>\n “I got bitten by the regen bug – once you start noticing the native plants and the invasive weeds it’s pretty hard to switch that off,” Persson said.<\/p>\n Persson explained the risks of weed infestation in coastal areas.<\/p>\n “In these smaller patches of vegetation, it’s easy for invasive weeds to get in and if left for a number of years they can bring down big 20-year-old trees,” he said.<\/p>\n Persson estimated that the extent of Pierce’s voluntary work over the 17 years is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n “If you were to hire someone like me to do this work, it would have been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years,” he said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/05\/DuneCareVolunteersKi_44782.jpg\")
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