The Great Artesian Basin and Jeff Austin get a gong

The Great Artesian Basin. The envelopes marked in red represent regional clusters of springs called ‘super-groups’. The dark yellow represents the major areas of outcropping sediment where the basin is recharged by rainfall, and the arrows broadly represent the direction of groundwater flow.

From here.

Australia is a big country and it does the out of sight/out of mind trick very well.  The Outback can be a forgotten place, another country in the affairs of State and Commonwealth Governments.  In watching over Australia's precious water (Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth), most of the visibility goes to the Murray-Darling Basin.  Sure, the MDB involves four states but the GAB involves three.

It is therefore pleasing that, in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours List, has received a gong from Her Maj.

Medal of the Order of Australia

Mr Jeffrey John AUSTIN RFD, 

Walgett NSW 2832

For service to water management and conservation, and to the community.

Chairman, Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee, since 2004.

Member and Deputy Chair, Great Artesian Basin Consultative Committee, 1997-2002.

Chairman, NSW Great Artesian Basin Advisory Committee, 1999-2004; Member, since 1997.

Current Deputy Chairman, Namoi Catchment Management Authority; Member, Risk and Audit Committee.

Former Chairman, Groundwater, Regulated and Unregulated Water Committees in the Namoi Valley.

Former Member, North-West Catchment Management Committee.

An Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia representative on the Local Government and Shires Associations Water Resources Committee, for a number of years.

Secretary, Walgett Aero Club, for the past 5 years.

Controller, NSW State Emergency Services and concurrent local government Emergency Management Officer, 1982-1999.

Director, Walgett Special One (Grain) Co-operative, for 8 years.

Chief Engineer, Walgett Shire Council, for approximately 22 years.

Awards/recognition include:

Reserve Force Decoration, long service award presented to officers in the Reserve elements of the Australian Defence Force.

Congratulations, Jeff and all the team 

working to support and care for

The Great Artesian Basin.

I hope you celebrate with a drop of 

Vintage Bore Water.

Related Reading and Viewing:
http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/agriculture/video-great-artesian-basin.html

The Great Australian Artesian Basin and the Source of Its Water
Regions of Australia: Great Artesian Basin, Lake Eyre Basin, Murray-Darling Basin, List of Regions of Australia, Eastern States of Australia

Ranking spring wetlands in the Great Artesian Basin of Australia using endemicity and isolation of plant species [An article from: Biological Conservation]
Geology of Australia: Great Artesian Basin, Geology of Tasmania, Geology of the Australian Capital Territory, Seaham, New South Wales, Gondwana
The hydrology of portion of the Great Artesian Basin near the Peake and Denison Ranges (Geological Survey of South Australia. Report of investigation)
The great Australian artesian basin and the source of its water.

Groundwater: Aquifer, Water pollution, Saltwater intrusion, Groundwater recharge, Water table, Hydrogeology, Artesian aquifer, Watertable control, Surface water, Great Artesian Basin
Gas and oil prospects of the Great Artesian Basin: Paleozoic and Mesozoic possibilities are good over vast areas of east-central Australia