Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee
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Picture
WICC caught up with Menang Elder, Lester Coyne, to talk about sustainability, resolving conflicts and solving problems as a community… 
​

WICC:  Lester, can you tell us a little bit about your family background and your connection to this area?
Lester:  I was born in Katanning and I lived there for about three years. Then we came to Albany. I'm the oldest of six. Two sisters, four brothers.  We lived on an Aboriginal Reserve alongside the highway.  I was very fortunate to go from high school straight into a job down at the golf links.  I did my apprenticeship as a greens keeper.  I loved it, probably the best job I've ever had in my life.  I made five pounds, eight shillings a week.  Didn’t question it, I was a millionaire. Mum got three pounds and I had two pounds in those days. That was a lot of money. You could buy a hell of a lot of things. So I really felt very, very, very rich.  I didn’t realise at the time that the golf club captain, Harry,  was taking money out of my pay each week.  Years later Harry called me up to go to afternoon tea.  So I rode my bicycle down and outside the window there was this magnificent FJ Holden with white sidewall tires.  This car was glistening.  The man who drove it was Jeff, a prominent Perth businessman.  Harry and I knew him from the golf club.  Jeff owned car lots.  Jeff said, “Do you want a lift home?  Will my bike fit in the boot?” I said, “Yeah.”  He said, “Do you want to drive it?”  I said, “Yeah”. So, Jeff and Harry gave me the keys and didn’t get in the car.  They said, “It’s yours, we’ve been saving all this money up.”  I couldn’t believe it.
Listen to the interview with Menang Elder Lester Coyne
  • Home
  • Whats On?
    • RSVP to OKGG 24th Feb 2023
    • WIGG 11 - Ron Watkins
    • Report A Pig
    • Soil Testing Workshop 2023
  • WICC News
    • Newsletter Signup
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • our committee
    • Membership form
    • our catchment
    • our plans >
      • Lindesay Link Conservation Action Plan
      • Wallaby-Report
      • WICC Proteacea Vegetation Survey 2016
      • WICC Strategic Plan 2020 - 30
      • Wilson Inlet Management Strategy
    • Current Projects >
      • Waste to Net Zero
      • Previous Projects
    • Privacy Policy
  • Opportunities
    • New voucher program to help farmers seize carbon opportunities
    • Fencing
    • Revegetation
  • Donate
    • Eungedup Wetlands >
      • Why Eungedup Wetlands needs to be preserved!
      • How your donation will be used
      • How Eungedup Wetlands will be managed
      • Our Donors
    • Biodiversity Initiative
    • Waterways Initiative
    • Sustainable Agriculture Initiative
  • Learning Centre
    • Biodiversity >
      • Weeds
      • Feral Management
      • Seagrass Report
      • Flora Surveys
      • Interview with Elders >
        • Interview with Elder Vernice Gillies
        • Elder Lynette Knapp
        • Interview with Dr Wayne Webb
        • Interview with Aunty Carol Petterson
        • Interview with Uncle Lester Coyne
        • Interview with Menang Elder Aden Eades
    • Sustainable Agriculture >
      • Dung Beetles
      • Collection of Dougie the dung beetle cartoons >
        • Rotational Grazing
        • Stock Health
        • Pasture Diversity
        • Soil Chemistry/Nutrient Efficiency
        • Soil Carbon
        • Soil Biology
      • Interviews with local farmers
    • Waterways >
      • Wilson Inlet Estuary Sandbar Openings
      • Sub catchment reports for Wilson Inlet
    • our data