This year the event will be held at the Bega Showground Pavilion on Friday, June 5, and EEC Principal, Doug Reckord, is confident it will once again be a packed house.

“We held the first dinner in 1978, so this is the 38th year that we’ve celebrated in this way. 

It makes the Bournda EEC dinner the longest running World Environment Day event in the world,” Mr Reckord said proudly. 

The United Nations theme for World Environment Day this year is ‘Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.’ 

The focus is climate change, and the EEC is thrilled to confirm that this year’s guest speaker is Professor Lesley Hughes. 

Professor Hughes is an ecologist in the Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University and an expert on the impacts of climate change on species and ecosystems. 

She’s the co-convenor of the Terrestrial Biodiversity Adaptation Research Network, Chair of the Tasmanian Climate Action Council and a member of Climate Scientists Australia and the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and as a Councillor with Climate Council of Australia she provides an independent and reliable source of information on climate change science and impacts to the Australian public. 

Professor Hughes was also a member of the Expert Advisory Group on Climate Change and Biodiversity for the Australian Greenhouse Office and the Department of Climate Change, and was a lead author for the UN’s IPCC Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports. 

“Professor Hughes was also the 2014 Eureka Prize winner, which is one of Australia’s most prestigious science prizes,” Mr Reckord said. 

“And her prize was in the category of communicating the understanding of scientific research, so she’s a great communicator and has been dedicated to climate change science for a long time.” 

Mr Reckord said that the dinners normally attract around 100 people, testimony to the environmentally-minded community of the Bega Valley. 

A highlight of the night is always the question and answer session after the main presentation, when passionate locals can become more informed about what to do on a daily level to lessen their climate change ‘footprint’ and make a difference. 

“World Environment Day is a very important day, to stop and think about what we can do to sustain and protect the global environment,” Mr Reckord said. 

“We are all completely dependent on the environment for our survival, so there’s nothing more important than a community such as ours being dedicated to learning about environmental problems, and doing more to create a sustainable society.” 

But the evening’s not just about speeches and debate, it’s also a fun social event featuring a sumptuous meal and community spirit.  

“The dinner is also a fundraiser for the Tanja Hall, so as well as celebrating the main event, we’re also doing something for our local environment by supporting the future of an important historical building.”

The dinner on Friday June 5 for World Environment Day will be held at the Bega Showground Pavilion, with doors opening at 6pm for a 7pm start. 

Tickets can be purchased, at a cost each of $30, from Candelo Books in Bega with a cash sale or through the Bournda Environmental Education Centre, phone 64 945009. 

For more information please contact Doug Reckord, Principal, Bournda EEC: 64 945009