What three colours make up the

The Higgins family recognised for decades of service to forestry

A retiring OneFortyOne employee has been gifted a special surprise this month after 43 years of service – a forestry road named in his family’s honour.

Higgins Lane, north of Nangwarry, has been named after the Higgins family following a collective 55 years of work in the Green Triangle forestry industry by 68-year-old Terry and his late father John.

Terry described the naming of the road in the plantations where his family had lived and worked for decades as ‘a real honour’.

“My family are quite taken by it, after all our history here and we’re looking forward to getting out there and getting a photo with the sign,” he said.

The location of the plantation track holds special significance to the Higgins family as it is situated near the forest reserve Muddy Flats, where the family lived for several years after emigrating from London in the mid-1960s.

Following in the footsteps of his father John, who worked for the department in the forests around Penola and Nangwarry, Terry also began working in his school holidays, clearing firebreaks and hand weeding in the nursery.

During his 43-year career, Terry performed nearly every role imaginable, working his way up from maintenance to machinery operator to geographic information services work and then supervisory roles.

“From hanging around so long, you get to know it all, from handplanting to machinery to hand marking. You name it, I’ve done it,” he said.

In 2016, he was made the Area Foresters and District Manager for the Penola forests – the pinnacle of his career and what he referred to as his ‘spiritual home’.

Terry found his forte in silviculture, saying he found creativity and satisfaction in seeing the growth and development of the plantations.

“It’s about creating a forest that can be the best it can possibly be in 32-years time,” he said. “To see a tree in the ground as a seedling and then watch it grow to its full potential is very satisfying.”

Being able to spend time in the peace and quiet of the forest environment is something Terry will always value as his favourite part of the job and an experience he enjoyed initiating his fellow colleagues in.

“It’s quiet and the enormity of it – when you’re in a 32-yearold plantation, it’s extremely peaceful,” he said. “I think the term is far from the madding crowd’.

During the last twelve months in OneFortyOne’s Transition to Retirement program, Terry helped develop a fire training video series for the company.

Utilising his decades of experience fighting and managing forest fires, Terry interviewed 100-plus workers about their fire experience, wrote scripts and helped direct the series of short films, which will be used to help prepare employees for busy fire seasons.

OneFortyOne Fire Manager Justin Cook said Terry always put his heart into his work and had earned respect from his many colleagues over the years.

“Terry is so proud of the OFO plantations that he and his family have worked on for more than 50 years,” he said. “His dedication and commitment shows through in everything he does.

“Terry has always made a conscious effort to pass on his knowledge to the next generation and to mentor and develop people.”

Terry encouraged anyone considering a career in forestry to take the opportunity, saying the sky was the limit.

“...from hanging around so long, you get to know it all, from handplanting to machinery to hand marking...you name it, I’ve done it...” Terry Higgins

“Honestly, it’s the best job in the world,” he said.

“You can go to university and get a forestry degree but there’s also jobs in harvesting, transport and mechanics. There’s so much you can do. I cannot believe how lucky I’ve been.”

Road funding for Limestone Coast

Residents of the Limestone Coast received a major road safety boost today with the Australian Government announcing it will invest $2,234,991 in two projects under the 2021–22 Federal Black Spot Program.

Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin said community input was critical to identifying key black spots in the electorate of Barker.

“Road crashes place major emotional and economic strains on all affected communities but particularly the families and friends of those involved,” Mr Pasin said.

“I am pleased to see that projects such as Frances Rd (Bordertown - Hynam) and Naracoorte Road (Bordertown - Naracoorte) in the South East will be delivered under the 2021–22 funding round.

“The Federal Government is committed to securing our recovery and keeping our communities safe.

“Motorists living within and visiting South East will be pleased to know these two notorious road safety black spots will be address courtesy of funding from the Federal Government.

“None of these projects would be delivered without the community’s input and I encourage all residents and motorists in the region to nominate projects for future funding rounds.

The Federal Government has committed a record $1.1 billion to the Black Spot Program to 2023–24 to improve road safety across the nation.

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