Bessie Rischbieth Conservation Award Recipient 1994

Len Howard

Len Howard has done outstanding work over many years in raising public awareness and campaigning to protect the Peel-Harvey-Yalgorup estuarine and lake system. 

Len had to fight some of the most powerful and influential developers in our society.  He lost many battles but he won the most important one – the respect and support of the people of Mandurah.

When Len and Doreen settled in Mandurah in 1974 it was a developer’s paradise.  Very few people raised any concerns in those days about waterfront developments or the state of the estuary.  However Len realized that unrestrained development would destroy the beautiful estuary which attracted people to Mandurah and in 1976 he and Brian Devereaux decided to do something about it.  They formed the Peel Preservation Group, which has been at the forefront of environmental activism in the Mandurah area ever since.

Len wrote endless press releases, submissions and letters to the editors of newspapers with the aim of reaching the widest possible audience.  He was always very modest about his work and believed he had achieved very little.  But the record of Len and the Peel Preservation Group is very impressive.  The dedication of the Len Howard Conservation Park is testimony to the high esteem in which he is held.  Len passed away in April 1998.