Peter Shilton grew up in the quiet, semi-rural environment of the Woy Woy Peninsula on the Central Coast of New South Wales, where he acquired a love of the bush and a passion for the preservation and protection of natural areas long before the idea gained widespread appeal.

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He attended Woy Woy High School and went on to acquire a Doctorate in Geography from the University of New England at Armidale and a Postgraduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning at the Queensland University of Technology.

 

Most of his working life has been spent in Queensland. While employed by the Brisbane City Council he worked tirelessly to protect the city’s natural areas including Moreton Island and the Boondall Wetlands.

 

He was a pioneer in the implementation of community-based management of natural areas and has received many accolades and awards for his worki, ncluding the Lord Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Environmental Achievements in 1993 for the development of the Toohey Forest Management Plan and, his most treasured award, a lifetime membership of the Boondall Wetlands Management Committee bestowed on him by the community for his contribution to that area’s protection.

 

Peter has been a part-time lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland and Griffith University and has written many journal articles and has been a speaker at state and national conferences.

 

He is currently working with Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines in Brisbane where he provides advice on the planning of state lands. Peter lives in Brisbane with his wife Hellen and a neurotic and very vocal Chinchilla called Puss.