On Wednesday 30th April 2025, a dedicated team of 10 Dolby staff members joined Greater Sydney Landcare for a corporate volunteering day at Nurragingy Reserve in Doonside. Despite cloudy skies, wind, and occasional rain, the enthusiastic volunteers made a significant impact on this important ecological site in the Blacktown City Council area.
Nurragingy Reserve holds special significance as it’s home to critically endangered ecological communities and habitat for numerous native flora and fauna, including threatened species.
Impressive Restoration Efforts: Tackling Harmful Invasive Species
In just five hours, the Dolby team contributed a combined 50 volunteer hours to restore Nurragingy. They worked on 800 square metres of the reserve, to remove an impressive 12 cubic metres of invasive weeds including Balloon Vine, Moth Vine, Privet, African Olive and Paddy’s Lucerne.
The weeds targeted during the day pose serious threats to native ecosystems. Balloon Vine, for instance, can kill trees by smothering them, preventing photosynthesis or causing collapse under its weight. With stems growing up to 10 metres long and with paper-like seed capsules that float downstream, it spreads aggressively.
Similarly destructive, Moth Vine smothers native shrubs and small trees, while African Olive forms dense thickets that crowd out native plants and animals, altering the composition of forest and woodland understory. Paddy’s Lucerne competes for light and nutrients, often excluding native species from grasslands and woodlands.
The removal of invasive weeds will help to protect the valuable biodiversity of Nurragingy Reserve and give native plants a fighting chance to regenerate.
The day’s activities aligned with Dolby’s annual April green initiative month, during which staff volunteer across Sydney and Melbourne.
Connecting with Nature
During a site walk, the Dolby volunteers collected two bags of litter while Laughing Kookaburras watched on. The team enjoyed seeing native wattles in bloom, observing the regeneration of previously burned areas, and discovering clusters of recently sprouted mushrooms.
The group also participated in Greater Sydney Landcare’s Streamwatch program, collecting valuable data on local waterway health that contributes to the Atlas of Living Australia’s publicly accessible dataset used by researchers and authorities.
Positive Experiences All Round
Local Landcare Coordinator – Regional Support Officer Sabina Roe led the day with support from Environmental Field Officer Kylie Burrows. “The group were very enthusiastic, asked lots of questions and listened to instructions well,” said Sabina. “They covered a large area and picked up the ID skills very quickly.”
One volunteer commented, “Pulling out vines was very satisfying. You can see how it gets out of hand easily.” Another appreciated the change of pace: “It’s a nice break from working on the computer all day.” A third volunteer gained practical knowledge: “I enjoyed learning about the native and invasive plants. There are a few at home I need to get.”
After their morning of skirting, cutting, painting, and hand-pulling weeds, the team enjoyed a delicious barbecue lunch prepared by Kylie—perfect for the cooler day.
This work builds upon previous restoration efforts by Greater Sydney Landcare and corporate volunteers at Nurragingy Reserve, an important biodiversity hotspot in Western Sydney, completed in partnership with Blacktown City Council.
Greater Sydney Landcare extends sincere thanks to Blacktown City Council for providing the site and their continued partnership in improving nature in their patch of Greater Sydney, and to the Dolby team for their meaningful contribution to ecological restoration on this site.
Join Blacktown’s Bushcare Program
If you’d like to contribute to environmental efforts in the Blacktown area, you can volunteer to become a Blacktown City Council Bushcare volunteer, and regenerate bushland. No experience is necessary as training is provided.
Thinking of Getting Your Team Involved?
Corporate volunteering with Greater Sydney Landcare is a fantastic way to connect with nature, build team spirit, and make a real difference to local ecosystems. Whether you’re weeding, planting, or learning about the land or waters, you’ll be helping to protect some of Sydney’s most unique and precious environments – like Nurragingy Reserve – for generations to come.
Looking Ahead & Future Opportunities
With such a successful collaboration, Greater Sydney Landcare is excited to build on these efforts in 2025 and beyond. If your organisation is interested in meaningful corporate volunteering opportunities that support conservation in Greater Sydney, we’d love to hear from you! You can also download our Corporate Volunteering Info Pack to find out more.
