ABC NEWS  24TH APRIL 2017


Hunter Valley farmer, Wendy Bowman, has won the Goldman Environmental Prize.

A farmer from the Upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales has today been bestowed a significant international environmental award.

Wendy Bowman has received the Goldman Environmental Prize in the United States, and is the first Australian to be honoured in almost 15 years.

Previously won by former Greens leader, Bob Brown, the award recognises unsung individuals who are striving to protect the natural environment in the face of overwhelming odds.

For almost three decades, the tenacious Hunter Valley cattle producer has been fighting to save prime farmland, water, and rural villages from the impacts of open-cut coal mining — inspiring a community movement along the way.

She said receiving the award was an unexpected surprise.

"When I got the phone call, I was in shock, because I really had never heard of this award and I didn't believe it was happening for a long while," she said.

The prize is awarded annually to a grassroots environmental leader from each of the world's six inhabited continental regions, offering financial support to pursue their vision.