In 1997, Wagga Wagga City Council and the NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation introduced a docent program to raise community awareness about urban salinisation. Volunteers, many of them retired, underwent training in salinity issues and public speaking before communicating salinity information and remedial strategies to community groups. Surveys showed that the docents were highly successful in raising community awareness of salinity processes.
Formerly with the Soil Conservation Service in Wagga Wagga, Jim Phillips joined the docent program. He and his son Andrew created a unique display to convey the complexities of salinisation processes in a visual and theatrical way.
Related Pass the Salt stories: Salinity education display