The Cape Paterson Ecovillage is the vision of directors Brendan Condon and Mike O’Mullane who both have a long history in environmental and development circles. They have teamed with sustainable design architect Ross Henry, town planner David Gold, and botanist Damien Cook to create this project which they hope will set a benchmark for sustainable design, habitat restoration, water treatment, and the fostering of a cohesive community in a coastal setting.
Brendan Condon,
Director Australian Ecosystems /
Cape Paterson Ecovillage
Brendan has worked in environmental protection for over 20 years, as far back as the Franklin River Campaign in the early 1980’s. During the 1990’s he initiated programmes for young offenders involving environmental restoration of rivers, creeks and waterways throughout Greater Melbourne. He has had a lifelong interest in environmental sustainability and in 1997 alongside botanist Damien Cook started Australian Ecosystems, which is now Victoria’s largest environmental restoration group, employing around 70 skilled staff. See About Australian Ecosystems. Brendan has a long history of working to make housing projects more sustainable through the revegetation of constructed wetlands on housing projects.
Brendan has also helped found a number of not for profit organisations working to protect ecosystems and tackle global warming. Brendan is the CEO of Safe Climate Australia, an organisation launched in July 2009 by the Hon. Al Gore, which is researching a national blueprint for the Australian economy demonstrating how Australia can rapidly transition to a zero carbon economy. Brendan was also the director of the national Run for a Safe Climate, a 6021 kilometer super marathon in November 2009 from Cooktown to Melbourne performed by police and firefighters who were veterans of the Black Saturday bushfires. The run highlighted Australia’s major ecosystems at risk from global warming including the Great Barrier Reef, Wet Tropics Rainforests, Australian Alps and Murray Darling food bowl, as well as the abundant clean energy resources and solutions Australians have available to us to move to a zero carbon economy. Both Safe Climate Australia and the Run for a Safe Climate have the involvement and support of many of Australia’s most respected climate scientists and climate solutions experts.
Brendan and Mike O’Mullane are also co-founders of sailing vessel Pelican, a 60 foot ocean going catamaran that sails Australian waters performing environmental research and working with indigenous communities.
The Cape Paterson Ecovillage will deliver a national benchmark housing project demonstrating how Australian housing projects can be liveable, well designed, comfortable while being operationally zero carbon. The Ecovillage will be benchmarked against international zero carbon housing projects, as there are currently none in Australia. Brendan believes that there is a great deal of improvement to be made in the environmental performance of housing in Victoria, and the Cape Paterson ecovillage is a practical example of how the complementary principles of sustainability, ecorestoration and community development can deliver a very high quality of living for residents and will appeal to a broad cross section of the housing market.
For more information on Brendan, read the following media articles:
Mike O’Mullane,
Project Director
Mike is the Managing Director of Suburban Management one of Victoria’s oldest mortgage origination companies. Suburban Management has been helping people finance their homes for 30 years and started as a Co-operative Housing Society Group in the early 70’s. Co-operative Housing Societies were supported by Federal and State Governments to assist low to middle income earners achieve home ownership. Mike has always been interested in protecting the environment and is an active supporter of The Wilderness Society and has raised his children with a similar philosophy.
Damien Cook,
Project Botanist
Damien has been a keen naturalist for over 15 years and has a sound knowledge of wetland flora and fauna ecology, identification and habitat requirements and of the environmental factors that effect wetlands including hydrology, geomorphology, geology and soil chemistry. He has conducted training sessions and lectures on these and related themes for Monash University , RMIT, TAFE groups, Greening Australia and the Australian Ecosystems staff.
He has been actively involved in wetland fauna surveys with the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria and has worked with many local conservation groups and government agencies to protect, manage and restore remnant wetland vegetation including Jillpanger Springs Flora Reserve west of Horsham and Barnbam Swamp in Lyndhurst.
Damien is a director of Australian Ecosystems and recently completed a study on the native grasslands, grassy woodlands and grassy wetlands of West Gippsland and has established ongoing research and monitoring projects in natural and constructed wetlands across Victoria.
David Gold,
Project Planner, Planned F.X.
Planned F.X. Pty Ltd is a specialist planning and environmental services consultancy. David brings to the Cape Paterson Ecovillage over 20 years’ experience in a wide range of planning, design, and development projects. These have included master plans, environment effects and impact management studies, environmental management plans and procedures, plans for growth areas and new communities, and for major infrastructure works. These projects have been undertaken for private landholders, community groups, government organisations, industries, and businesses.He has a particular interest in finding innovative and workable solutions, with an emphasis on ecological and social sustainability.
Ross Henry,
Project Architect
Ross has over 30 years’ experience in residential and community-based architecture and is a Director of Ross & Cric Henry Pty. Ltd. comprising 7 energetic and enthusiastic staff. He is strongly driven to provide architecture that is inspirational and innovative whilst at the same time ensuring that functionality and efficiency are not compromised.
He is very experienced in all aspects of environmental sustainability in the built form including planning, material selection, building services, building elements which are actively applied to all the Company’s projects.
Ross has resided, and been actively involved in, the Environmental Living Zone in Kangaroo Ground for the past 30 years. This area prides itself on a strong sense of community, set in high quality, indigenous bushland which is actively maintained.