Gecko Organisation Annual Report October 2019-2020

Our History

In 1989, 6 community and conservation group’s local branches; Australian Consevation Foundation, Wilderness Society, Groups Against Sewage Pollution, Wildlife Preservation Society, Friends of Currumbin and Gold Coast Protection League came together to protect and preserve the environment in the southern end of the Gold Coast and give the community access and ownership of it.

A steering committee was formed and on October 29th 1989 that coming together of the groups was formalised in the founding of the Gold Coast Environment Centre based at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.   Later, the name was changed to include the hinterland and it became Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Centre.  the  then Council ‘Gecko’ (coined around 1995) as it is affectionately called, has always been run by management committees of many dedicated people.

Gecko is a volunteer, not-for-profit, non-party political organisation operating on a volunteer base of approximately 80 active volunteers.  The organisation is steered by a Management Committee which is elected once a year at an Annual General Meeting.

There has been a lot of activity at Gecko over the past 30 years.  Apart from campaigning, Gecko educates approximately a thousand children children and students annually through GeckoEd.   Gecko coordinates Clean Up Australia Day on the Gold Coast,  Gold Coast Green Week, Annual environmental Awards, monthly Gecko Talks as well as participate and host numerous one-off events.

Gcko Raises awareness of environmental issues, its own operations and those of its partners through an ever developing program of communications.  This currently includes Gecko’s website, monthly newsletter and social media platforms.

Gecko is also the major shareholder in Regen Australia, a regeneration company on the Gold Coast, and as such is involved in the overseeing of the operations of the business.