Bruce Boddington has been a central part of NatureWest since 2015 and serves as both Secretary and Coordinator. His passion for conservation grew from witnessing the loss of biodiversity through urban growth and recognising the importance of protecting what remains.

With a career spanning agronomy and decades of success in software development, Bruce brings strong management experience and systems thinking to conservation work. He is known for breaking complex challenges into achievable steps with clear outcomes. He has a particular appreciation for grasslands, which often go unnoticed despite their ecological richness.

Bruce’s role focuses on supporting Friends groups to remain happy, resilient and independent, yet connected to the local community. His advice to new volunteers is simple: step up, do what you can, and trust that small actions matter.

Outside his work with NatureWest, Bruce enjoys nature and portrait photography. He believes education and understanding are essential to helping people care for nature with confidence.

Susie Gerraty is a Landcare Facilitator at NatureWest, specialising in native plants and grasslands. With a background in education and natural resource management, she supports community groups across Hobsons Bay and Brimbank to care for local land in realistic, achievable ways.

Susie previously worked in grasslands conservation in Whittlesea, with NatureLinks, and at Western Plains Flora, one of Victoria’s leading Indigenous nurseries. Susie is loved for her positive approach; focusing on steady effort, shared learning, and celebrating small wins.

She is passionate about the Victorian volcanic plains grasslands, one of Australia’s most endangered ecosystems, and believes education is key to helping people understand and care for them. As a facilitator, Susie is a great connector between groups, sharing knowledge and helping communities become self-sustaining.

Outside work, Susie is always gardening, building pond habitats, and encouraging neighbours to plant for Australian wildlife. Her vision is for Melbourne’s west to be a place where everyday nature strips, gardens, and creeks support life.

Susie has worked in the conservation field for over 25 years. Initially studying at The Victorian School of Forestry in Creswick; while taking on the first Park Ranger role at Hobsons Bay City Council, with a focus on supporting ‘Friends of’ environment groups; also establishing an education program for schools and the wider community through walks, talks and an annual CoastCare Summer by the Sea Program. After 12 years in this roles Susie moved to Western Melbourne Catchments’ Network (now NatureWest) to become this organisations’ first Landcare facilitator, broadening her experience to included working with Landcare groups in Melbourne’s urban fringe. Through studying early childhood and primary education Susie moved to her current NatureWest role, of Landcare Educator. Susie has developed a school-based program, introducing local primary school students and their teachers to the value of urban biodiversity, through creating habitat gardens in schools. Susie has built a career focused on helping people understand and care for locally native flora and fauna in our urban environments, in accessible and meaningful ways. Susie also shares her knowledge of volunteering and community engagement, with NatureWest’s special interest groups (SIGS); Coastcare Point Cook, Marine Care Point Cooke and NatureWest’s Wildlife Gardeners, to strengthen their agency and support capacity building of NatureWest’s volunteers.

Susie draws strength for her work from a lifelong connection to Nairm (Port Phillip Bay) and surrounding natural landscapes, shaped by a childhood spent swimming, snorkelling and wandering along Altona Beach, along with many childhood camping experiences in Victoria and NSW. Susie has a keen interest in environmental education and enjoys sharing her knowledge about local flora, fauna and their habitats, that she has gained throughout her life. Her work is driven by a passion for the next generation, particularly children growing up in multicultural communities, ensuring they feel a sense of belonging to Australia’s landscapes. Susie sees NatureWest not just as an organisation, but as a way of living that supports people to care for nature while leaving a lighter footprint.

Professional Accountant with deep passion for photography.

Asif is a highly experienced finance and accounting professional with 30+ years of global experience across Australia, the Middle East, and Africa. He is a Fellow of ACCA and IPA, a Registered Tax Agent, and a certified Xero and QuickBooks advisor, with additional qualifications in international auditing and financial reporting. He also holds a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL).