Staff Feature: Jacquie Lucas
Jacquie Lucas is one of Wheatbelt NRM’s longest standing team members, having worked across all areas of the organisation except finance since 2010.
Currently Jacquie is a Project Manager with the Sustainable Agriculture team, who she has worked with since 2018.
Jacquie is employed as a Sustainable Agriculture Facilitator and manages both the Corella project and is the Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes Coordinator amongst other things.
She was originally inspired to join the Wheatbelt NRM team because she wanted to contribute to making a difference in the world and saw working in natural resource management as an opportunity to do that.
Her work philosophy is ‘work hard but have fun!’ and ‘Education is the key’.
Jacquie originally started out as a science/mathematics teacher and said throughout her earlier career ended up having to teach all sorts of subjects from agriculture to religion, to health and careers advice, proving her flexibility.
She said her favourite thing about working at Wheatbelt NRM is the dedication everyone has to their work and their passion to improve and heal the environment.
One thing many people might not know about Jacquie’s current role is that being the Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes Coordinator is incredibly rewarding.
“In this role I get to work with an amazing group of volunteers from across the South West region of the State,” Jacquie said.
“I am really proud of the Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes program, it is a community feral management program that run’s across the south west land division, it relies on a network of wonderful volunteers to work in a coordinated effort across the area.”
Feral management control is an extremely important aspect of natural resource management, with the dedication volunteers show to being involved in this necessary process inspiring.
A typical day at work for Jacquie involves an early start to get organised and plan for the day.
“I like to arrive at work early in the morning, and go through emails etc when there is hardly anyone else in the office,” Jacquie said.
“This helps me to focus and plan my day more thoroughly.”
Jacquie said she stay’s motivated and focused at work when things get challenging because she believes in what Wheatbelt NRM do.
“I know that by pushing through I will get to the other side of the difficult patch,” Jacquie said.
She said one thing she has learned at Wheatbelt NRM that has helped her grow professionally is ‘you cannot fix everything or be everything to all people’.
“It is important to do what you can do and not to carry burdens into the future—accept your limitations and those of the people around you,” Jacquie said.
When not working hard Jacquie is a keen Wildflower photographer and enjoys crochet.
One thing on Jacquie’s bucket list she would love to accomplish one day is to go back and study and get her PhD in Botany.
After a big day Jacquie enjoys unwinding by doing some crochet and playing with her two little dogs Misty and Coco.
When asked if she were able to host a dinner party with anyone dead or alive she said it would be David Bowie for his music and stories and her lifelong hero David Attenborough for the work he has done educating the public on the world around us.
Her closing thoughts for her motto or quote to live by are ‘if you can be anything, be kind’.
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Published eNews #404, July 2025