This edition of Bridging is about what it might mean and look like if we really want to go far together. 

This edition of Bridging invites readers to explore leadership through the lens of the “Hope Gap”

It’s one thing to check the boxes on a diversity matrix, and quite another thing to actively champion inclusion. 

PCT Principle #5 – Forge New Paths


We are entering ‘uncharted territory’ for our planet, with urgent and creative solutions needed to solve our interconnected biodiversity, climate, and water crises. Our world needs leaders who can be bold to imagine new ways forward, draw on courage, and persevere through challenges.


Peter Cullen recognised the urgency of action needed, and had courage to step up, create, and advocate for new solutions to address our water and environment challenges.

A year of leading together:
This edition of Bridging is a wide-angle reflection on a year shaped by the principle Lead Together—a reminder that Australia’s water and environmental challenges demand not only technical excellence but courageous, relational, and collaborative leadership.

In this edition of Bridging we reflect on the courage it takes to lead through fierce and authentic conversations.

This special edition of Bridging comes with an invitation to slow down and spend some time with the content – read it with head and heart.

As I reviewed the wealth of content in this Bridging I was drawn back to Dorothea Mackellar’s iconic 1906 poem, “My Country”, work I hadn’t read in full for a long time. That famous line ‘of droughts and flooding rains’ sits alongside less-quoted verses that capture her love of country, reminders of our relationship with it and the rewards for knowing, respecting and taking care of country – ‘She pays us back threefold’.

Ethical Leadership. What is it, why does it matter, what does it look like in action and where do we find the courage and the stamina to be ethical leaders in difficult and changing times? These are important and complex challenges that we’ll address in upcoming events and through this Edition of Bridging.

It’s hard to watch the news. Actually, it’s hard to even identify what is “news” and what is just propaganda. At a time in the planet’s history that I suspect we won’t look back on with pride, leaders who show courage and respect, who value truth and who exercise their power with humility and kindness, are the leaders we need, and the leaders we will turn to.

For me, December is a time for reflection – and making lists! I think that, as leaders, reflective practices are so important. And I hope that in sharing this list of impact the Peter Cullen Trust had in 2024, you are encouraged to find a moment to pause and reflect on your own leadership impact.

This edition of Bridging is framed within the broad perspective of what makes good (or bad) policy – at a National, State, local or organisational level. We invited contributions on the role that expert advice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, science and consultation should play in the development of policy – and observations of how these inputs are sought and received in the real world.

This edition of Bridging focuses attention on one of our sector’s big challenges – how can we achieve sensible, collaborative and sustainable integration of land and water management? There seems to be no argument that we should. So what shifts in our leadership are required to break down functional and policy silos and to champion robust collaboration, noticing whose voice is not at the table and bringing them in?

Welcome to our 59th Bridging edition which focuses on our 15 Year Anniversary. Such milestones are important markers in our individual and collective journeys and we recently held two landmark events, the Boat House Dinner and the 2024 Water Symposium, to acknowledge this significant moment in the Trust’s history.

There have been times over the past few months where my brain has hurt as I have been learning so much (and unlearning a fair bit too!). As I listen and distil the wealth of input and insight that this remarkable network of leaders has generously shared, and again as I process the incredible content of Bridging, two important opportunities stand out for me.

This first edition of Bridging for the year has a focus on Wetlands. It has bubbled up some important contributions from Fellows-in-the-field, and I commend their work to your attention.
2024 is the Trust’s 15th Anniversary year, and I’m thrilled to share details of two milestone events we are planning for May in Canberra. Flick to the Diary Dates for these announcements and save those dates in your own calendars.
And what a privilege to share this first month of my time at the Trust with the Chair-elect, Professor Emerita Cynthia Mitchell AO and to showcase her remarkable worklife journey later in this edition of Bridging.