Tony Parkes, the banker who replanted a rainforest – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)
The Big Scrub once stretched across roughly 75,000 hectares of fertile basalt soils along the far north coast of New South Wales. This lowland subtropical rainforest supported dense stands of figs, vines and palms along with fruit doves and other wildlife. By the time systematic surveys began, only scattered remnants totaling little more than one percent of the original area survived on farms, roadsides and small reserves. Weeds, grazing and past clearing had reduced the once-continuous forest to isolated patches that required sustained intervention.
The Scale of What Was Lost
Restoring even small sections of the Big Scrub demanded more than planting seedlings. Private landowners had to be persuaded to participate, government agencies needed coordination, and technical expertise from botanists and bush regenerators had to be applied consistently over many years. Early enthusiasm often faded once the repetitive work of weed control and monitoring set in. The remaining fragments faced ongoing pressure from invasive species at their edges.
Without coordinated effort across multiple properties, isolated plantings would have limited long-term value. The task required someone capable of sustaining committees, securing funding and maintaining momentum among diverse stakeholders long after initial publicity subsided. Local knowledge of soils, species and seasonal conditions proved essential alongside administrative persistence.
A Career Shift at Retirement
Tony Parkes grew up near bush and estuary in Hobart before pursuing studies in science and business management. He built a career in investment banking in Sydney and retired at age 56. Rather than settling into a conventional retirement, he and his wife Rowena purchased land in the Northern Rivers region. They studied the history of the Big Scrub and began restoring rainforest on their own property.
What started as a personal project soon expanded into broader involvement. Parkes applied skills developed in finance and management to organize restoration work across the landscape. His background helped bridge gaps between landholders, scientists, nurseries and funding bodies that might otherwise have operated in isolation.
Practical Steps and Stakeholder Coordination
Effective restoration depended on aligning private landholders with public agencies and volunteer networks. Parkes focused on the unglamorous but necessary work of keeping groups aligned after the first wave of interest passed. This included securing seedlings suited to local conditions, arranging follow-up maintenance and documenting progress to attract continued support.
The approach emphasized measurable outcomes over time rather than one-off events. Regular site assessments, weed management schedules and species monitoring became routine. Landholders who joined the effort gained access to technical advice and shared resources that reduced individual costs and risks.
Long-Term Outcomes for the Region
Parkes’ transition from banking to on-ground restoration illustrates how professional experience in one field can support environmental work in another. The Northern Rivers landscape now includes additional areas of regenerating forest that connect previously isolated patches. These efforts have helped stabilize remaining biodiversity and created opportunities for visitors interested in the region’s natural history.
Continued success will depend on sustained participation from the same mix of landowners, agencies and specialists that made early progress possible. The model developed around the Big Scrub offers a practical reference for similar restoration challenges elsewhere in Australia where fragmented habitats require coordinated, long-term management.
