During her time with the NCC, Fay represented the Council on a number of government committees dealing with issues such as bushfire management, Crown lands, Botany Bay, catchment management and the operations of the Land and Environment Court.

Fay was also active in a wide range of NCC’s internal committees including sustainable agriculture, bushfire management, publications and the Urban Bushland Sub-Committee, of which she was a member from its inception in the early 1980s. In addition, Fay came to exercise "grammatical" control over NCC’s conference publications, annual conference resolutions and Executive minutes, thus providing an important element of quality control.

During the 1990s Fay was the convenor for the NCC’s annual conferences, but her outstanding contribution was her almost single-handed development of the 1999 NCC Conference on the NSW Land and Environment Court. This conference has led to an official review process and Fay was very excited to be convening an NCC workshop on the review at Parliament House. The highly successful workshop was held on 23 June as planned – thank you Fay!

Fay will be remembered for her remorseless commitment to grammatical correctness; her feisty way of dealing with policy conflicts; her scientific rigour in relation to policy development; and for her enduring commitment to the need to drive the search for ecological sustainability. But most of all for her gutsy cheerfulness that covered a strong will to overcome her physical limitations in the cause of conserving nature for both its intrinsic values and for the benefit of present and future generations.

Insurance giant, AMP, has come under fire from Queensland conservation groups. AMP subsidiary, Stanbroke Pastoral Company, has applied to clear more land than any other landowner in Queensland. AMP claims that much of the clearing is simply sound management to remove regrowth which is impeding pasture productivity. Nevertheless, these areas are important for biodiversity, and it does not say much for an insurance company to be a major contributor to global warming through land clearing. The protests against AMP have targeted the company’s role as an Olympic sponsor, and have seen people arrested in Brisbane.

NPA members should consider whether AMP is a suitable company to do business with. It is hard to reconcile their land clearing with an ethical approach to business.

Three NPWS workers were killed and another four seriously injured in June when a hazard reduction burning operation turned horribly wrong. The three dead workers were Claire Deane, Eric Furlan and George Fitzsimmons. Those injured were Jamie Shaw, Mark Cupit, Natalie Saville and Luke McSweeney. NPA expresses its condolences to the families of all seven victims, and hope and support for those recovering from their injuries. NPWS staff often work in hazardous situations and their efforts in protecting our valuable natural areas are recognised by all at NPA.

A thanksgiving memorial service held in recognition of all seven people was attended by NPA President, Roger Lembit, and Vice-Presidents, Anne Reeves and Stephen Lord.