Prue Anderson
Businesswoman and President of the Walpole-Nornalup National Parks Association
Growing up beside the Frankland River, north of Nornalup, I developed a bond with the river, which has continued through my life. My early connection to nature had other sources too. Starting in my toddler years, my mother Hes introduced me to natural areas and national parks in the wider Walpole area during bushwalks organised by the Walpole-Nornalup National Parks Association. Several decades later I am now on the management committee of the National Parks Association!
My primary school was in Walpole and then I boarded at Bunbury Grammar for high school. After six months of overseas travel, I studied Natural Resource Management at the University of WA, including ecology and botany, and completed my Honours year with a project on the effect of dieback on fungi in the jarrah forest. I was fortunate to find mycology work experience with the Walpole Fire Mosaic project.
For ten years I worked in the Pilbara and Kimberley as a botanist, experiencing and learning about other amazing landscapes. In 2016, when my parents wanted to retire, I came home to Che Sara Sara to run the chalet business, here beside the Frankland River. It is such a privilege to be able to engage with people who are just learning about the Walpole area. Most guests come from the city and they don’t realize that there are still places where you can climb a mountain and not see a road.
My volunteer work with the Walpole-Nornalup National Parks Association includes the annual Walpole Wilderness Bioblitz events and supporting research projects in the area, including the 5-year Protecting Peatland Ecosystems and Addressing Threats study. There’s still so much to discover about the ecology and landscapes of the Walpole Wilderness. And we are raising awareness about the impact of current prescribed burning practices in the Walpole Wilderness, especially in this time of a drying, warming climate.
I have enjoyed travelling to many parts of the world but I know how fortunate I am to live here with my daughter. Some of my other loves include trail running, orienteering and rogaining. Permaculture is close to my heart too. I’m trying to weave its three main principles of Earth care, people care and fair share into life here in Walpole, the business and being a parent. And definitely fungi – I go out surveying for fungi any chance I can get.
