Attempting to walk the ‘Proper Way’: responsible custodianship at Forest Farm

By Matt Herington

Earlier this year, three generations of the Herington family gathered around a campfire at Forest Farm to reflect on our conservation strategy, and why this work matters so deeply to us. Though we were aligned in our mission – to create a place where nature thrives – we found ourselves searching for the right words. We lacked a deeper language to articulate our purpose.

Here at Forest Farm, we have collectively felt a sense of duty, as landholders of 112 hectares of beautiful Bundjalung Country in northern NSW; to care for Land, our community and the generations yet to come. It is this sense of duty or responsibility that compels us to ground our conservation ethos and practice, into a broader ethical ecology.

Gratefully, here in Australia we are blessed with the world’s oldest continuous living culture – 65,000 years of living on this land – to learn from. And so, it is in Aboriginal Law and Aboriginal ethics, powerfully articulated by Aunty Mary Graham[1], a Kombumerri and Wakka Wakka philosopher whose writings bridge Aboriginal Law and ethical practice, that I have found lessons on what it means to be responsible custodians and some guidance on how to walk the ‘proper way’.

Responsible Custodianship

For some time now, I have been preoccupied with notions of ‘responsibility’, and what this means in the context of Land stewardship and caring for Country. Here, Graham redefines land as not a commodity, but a site of ethical responsibility – where care, meaning and identity converge. Graham’s description of Land resonates acutely:

“Land with the small ‘l’ is the raw material, the soil, dust, plants that grow out of it.

Land with a capital ‘L’ is country, it is someone’s responsibility and obligation.”

(Graham, 2023; pp.18).

For Graham, the Land represents the landscape and all living things within a particular geography; humans, animals, rivers, birds, the stars, spirits and language.

At Forest Farm, we feel our inseparability from the natural world around us; Kevin the koala, the Tawnies (frogmouth owls), Kermi the frog, and Wattle the echidna. Every management decision we make – from preserving critical forest corridors to restoring habitat – is made in service of the broader community who call this place home.

The Custodial ethic: look after country – look after kin.

Importantly, as I have learned from Mary Graham, being responsible custodians is not merely about how we go about our environmental practice, but an ethical guiding principle that grounds our relationship with Land, and with each other. Aboriginal people have understood for thousands of years that the source of morality and meaning starts with the Land. As Graham writes:

“Our notions regarding the world, human beings and knowledge serve to ground

a moral philosophy centred on the relationship with Land and people.” and

“Our relationship with Land defines the core interest and conscience of Aboriginal society.” (Graham. 2023; pp3).

This way of doing – and of being – is grounded in relationships: with Land, with kin, and with Country. This has been at the core of Aboriginal culture and practice for thousands of years, best understood through what Graham refers to as the ‘Custodial Ethic’, and the phrase caring for country and caring for kin.

Our work hasn’t just been good for the Land – it’s been good with the Land. It has connected us to it, with each other, and with our neighbours. As we care for Country, it cares for us. This reciprocity deepens the further we go.

Attempting to walk the ‘proper way’

Western ethics often focus on ideals; what individuals ought to do in particular situations. In contrast, Aboriginal ethics are lived and practiced:

“Ethical behaviour becomes simply a part of everyday actions... It is learned, like

walking and talking.” (Graham, 2023; pp.8)

At Forest Farm, we are learning through doing. Anyone who has done deep conservation work knows; it’s often messy, unglamorous, and rarely goes according to plan. Restoration is a strategic endeavour full of trade-offs; balancing species’ needs, shifting climates, and long-term ecological goals. For example, selecting a species mix for critical koala habitat will sometimes come at the expense of returning a landscape to a pre-industrial subtropical rainforest. Similarly, managing a landscape for a future changing climate adds layers of complexity with both short- and long-term implications.  

Our work is teaching us humility, patience, and reflective practice – acting slowly, listening deeply, and thinking for the long-term.

As Graham writes:

“The Aboriginal view of human nature or of being human is that ethics and

proper behaviour are like any other skill to be learned.” (Graham, 2023; pp.8)

And so, what does it mean to be responsible custodians? For us it means more than just ‘owning’ land or ‘managing’ a farm. It's about a deep, ongoing, relational commitment; to Land, to others (human and non-human), and to the future. It’s this ethic that underpins the integrity of our work, and the credibility of the carbon and biodiversity outcomes that we seek to deliver.

For us at Forest Farm, Responsible Custodianship is an ethical duty to protect and enhance Land and Place, for present and future well-being.

This fills me with profound gratitude and humility to continue learning, doing, to walk together, work together and talk with each other (Graham, 2023; pp.16). This is the walk we’re committed to at Forest Farm. We invite others – fellow custodians, neighbours, and partners - to walk with us.

Cultural burn at Forest Farm

[1] Graham, Mary (2023). 'the law of obligation, aboriginal ethics: australia becoming, australia dreaming'. parrhesia (37) pp 1-21.