Western NSW's water warrior Anne Kennedy, announced today as part of this year's Queens Birthday Honours, is still digesting the news that she has joined the ranks of the extraordinary Australians who are Members of the Order of Australia. 

Anne's AM was awarded for significant service to water conservation and to the community, for her efforts in campaigning for the preservation and protection of the Great Artesian Basin. 

"It's incredible isn't it?" Mrs Kennedy said. "I'm very honoured but there are so many people who are so very deserving." 

"To me this is an award honouring our western communities. It's not me, what can one person do on their own?" 

"This a community award, for their unity, their strength and everything they did," she said. 

Anne Woolcott was born in Melbourne in 1947 and began to visit western NSW in her teen years during holidays with boarding school friends. 

After leaving school she worked in western Queensland as a governess, drover and jillaroo. 

She says she met her future husband Neil Kennedy at a social event in Warren and later 're-met him' at a Coonamble Bachelors & Spinsters (B&S) Ball. 

Their relationship led her to move closer, living with girl friends in Nyngan and taking up a position as a secretary with a local legal firm. 

After six months of travelling back and forth to visit her in Nyngan, Neil lent Anne his ute and the travelling continued until they were married in December 1968. 

"He said that he had to marry me to get his ute back," Anne said. 

In their early marriage they lived at a family property Burrawong with "a derelict little house totally reliant on water from one tiny dam." 

"That's when I really learnt the value of water," Anne said. 

The pair went on to raise four children (Vanessa, Neil junior, Suzanne and Tori) at their property 'Yuma', north of Coonamble, and now have 13 grandchildren. 

Neil and Anne at their property 'Yuma', Coonamble.

As an early member of the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative (GABSI) committee Anne was a significant orchestrator of efforts to reinstate water pressure in the GAB, encouraging landholders to cap and pipe their bores and lobbying government for funding to assist. 

Steve Cheal, former manager of Cap & Pipe the Bores NSW and currently Manager Technical Services, Water Infrastructure NSW from the Department of Planning, Industry and 

Environment said, ”Anne is the most passionate and determined advocate for the GAB that I’ve met in over 20 years. No one should underestimate her contribution and commitment to 

looking after it and the people and landscapes it supports.” 

In 2009, an auction was held in Walgett to sell the rights to the water that government bodies had estimated had been 'saved' through the cap and pipe scheme and this became a turning point for Anne Kennedy. 

"We hadn't saved the water we'd just reduced the amount being wasted," said Anne. "You can't sell off a finite resource. We need to preserve it for the future, not auction it off to whoever wants it." 

"There's plenty of gold, coal, oil and gas but there's not enough water and all over the world that's the most vital resource so that's when I started firing up." 

This fight soon turned into a campaign against other threats to regional Australia's precious groundwater. 

As it turned out Anne had connections with many other people who thought the same way and an army of volunteers – from farmers to First Nations people, environmentalists and city dwellers - have joined her in opposition to coal seam gas mining in the GAB.  

'It's all about the water.' Anne Kennedy's work mobilised whole communities.

Her work has brought her into contact with scientists, hydrogeologists, engineers and economists from all over the world. 

"It always had to be evidence based with me," she said. "I just think you don't get anywhere if you don't tell the truth and if you don't have evidence to back you up." 

“I’m so passionate about saving our water - I think it’s the single greatest priority in the world, certainly in my lifetime. Wars will be fought over water in the future”. 

Anne 's research and collaboration has made her one of the foremost independent community advocates for greater understanding and preservation of GAB water. She is often invited to speak or make submissions on issues relevant to the management of this most precious resource. 

She has mobilised thousands of like-minded citizens, formed and guided community organisations, and represented her community as an unpaid volunteer. 

"The amount of work she did was just unbelievable," said Neil, who has "ridden shotgun" on a shared quest to protect the GAB. 

"A lot of nights she didn't go to bed at all. She'd sit up all night on the telephone talking to people overseas. It was quite amazing what she did, the hours spent. I can't believe anyone could be so dedicated ever." 

Anne Kennedy with actor and activist Michael Caton at the Terminus Hotel Coonamble during the filming of a documentary in 2021. PHOTO Coonamble Times

As a self-educated ‘expert’ on the GAB, Anne’s opinions are often sought by academics, government departments and the media for theses, reports, articles, radio and television programs. 

She has "starred" in multiple documentaries and led rallies involving thousands of people. 

Although she refers to herself as "a bit of a pig dog" and a friend once called her a 'rottweiler', being petite (not quite five feet high compared to husband Neil's 6'2"), super-polite and an "ordinary" grandmother are all part of Anne's super-powers. 

"Anne has a very nice nature," says Neil. "She never fought with anyone, even the Santos people are very fond of her. She treated everyone exactly the same, didn't matter who they were.  

"She was terribly nice to them and even if they disagreed they'd move on. I think she earned a lot of respect from the opposition." 

Anne believes that she is a small part of what she hopes is a major people's movement and that the award doesn't just belong to her. 

"It's not me, it's for our wonderful region," she said. "It's a community award and I am excited because it is a recognition of the vital importance of the Great Artesian Basin." 

"Preserving this water is not just about us, it's about future generations and the future of the country."