Howard JuddPrint Page

The plaque commemorates Howard Judd who was a ranger at Minnamurra Falls from 1945 to 1978.

In 1945, Kiama Council, which controlled the reserve, appointed a ranger/caretaker to the park. This man, Howard Judd, worked for 33 years trying to conserve and protect the rainforest, as well as educate people about it. Development in the park whilst he managed it included the building of a museum, kiosk, picnic shelter and toilets to cope with upwards of 100,000 people a year who were visiting Minnamurra Rainforest. By the time Mr. Judd retired, the huge popularity of the reserve had taken its toll and the ecosystem was severely degraded, with the impact of trampling and vehicles being most prominent. In 1980 attempts were made to facilitate Mr. Judd's vision of education and conservation of the ecosystem, in a way that did not affect the ecosystem quite so severely. A wooden decking was built over parts of the track so that visitors no longer walked on the floor of the rainforest in the worst affected areas, but above it; rangers began to provide firewood for visitors so they didn't take it from the forest, and an education program was started, with talks provided to visitors.

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