Neil will be known to many long term FoE members and supporters. He was part of the first generation of activists in the organisation, and was the State Coordinator of Friends of the Earth in Victoria in 1975-1976.
He recently reflected on those days, saying “we worked 12-14 hour days working on uranium mining. We had energy then. We lived in primitive circumstances around Carlton and were paid $30 a week.” Later, in 1977, he co wrote the significant book Red Light For Yellow Cake - The Case Against Uranium Mining with Peter Hayes and Jim Falk. This was at the height of the anti nuclear campaign which has defined FoE since that decade.
Neil was very active in setting up 'Shareholders for Social Responsibility’ back in the 1970s and, in more recent years, continued this work through supporting FoEA member group Market Forces.
After his time with FoE, with his wife Heather he became involved in producing environmental kits for schools. They ran Environment Audiovisuals for 25 years. It played an important role in educating young people about the environment in a time before easy access to the internet.
They moved to Castlemaine in central Victoria, where they raised three children, continuing to run their business out of old concrete duck sheds on the property that they had fixed up. They were a part of the first wave of urban movement to Castlemaine, and were friendly and welcoming to the generations that followed them.
Later, they helped establish Mt Alexander Sustainability Group, which is still the key NGO working in Castlemaine and in 2002 they bought an old closed-down pub in one of the main streets of town and used it as an office. They spent ages renovating and retrofitting it to create The Hub. In the early 2010s he supported the emerging FoE Yes 2 Renewables campaign as we started to tackle the anti renewables laws imposed by the Coalition when they were in power in Victoria between 2010 – 2014.
In 2015, Neil and Heather started work on creating The Paddock, sustainable housing development that fosters community and connection to nature. Comprising 27 energy efficient homes, ranging in size from two to four bedrooms, The Paddock is close to the centre of Castlemaine.
The Paddock sets a benchmark for compact sustainable living in regional areas and was Neil’s last big ecological project.
Neil passed away on June 2, 2026.
In his own words, he had 'a wonderful life' and he tried through his time to live according to the 3 Cs: 'kindness, courage and curiosity'.
IMAGE: Neil when he was on the FoE bike ride against uranium to Canberra which he helped to organise in the 1970s. Photo: Heather Barrett. (Check here for background on the ride).