Our parks are living treasures of the natural world that provide unique benefits for our health and wellbeing.

Our vision

People enriched by parks, parks valued by people.

Our mission

Improve people’s wellbeing through innovative programs that increase people and park interactions while fostering environmental education and supporting the sustainability of our park system across Australia.

People & Parks Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit, charitable organisation whose purpose is to connect people with parks in order to educate them about the natural environment and to build a stronger relevance of parks in people’s lives.

Founded on the concept that a healthy environment, a healthy community and a healthy lifestyle are inextricably linked, the People & Parks run and support a variety of programs that aspire to enrich people’s lives and enable people to improve their mental and physical health through real interactions with nature.

Click on the link for a copy of the 2009 People and Parks Report to the Community.

All donations of $2 or more to the People and Parks Foundation are tax deductible.

Our Patron

John Landy AC CVO MBE

John Landy was born in Melbourne in 1930. He was educated at Malvern Grammar School, Geelong Grammar and The University of Melbourne, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree in 1954. Working for the National Parks Service, he played a major role in increasing the size and number of Victoria’s National Parks.He retains his passion for Australia’s natural beauty and its conservation and restoration.

For 21 years he worked in agricultural research for I.C.I. Australia Ltd, and for the last 11 years was Research and Development Manager for Rural Industry. He was a Foundation Member of the Land Conservation Council, and Chairman of the Meat Research Corporation and Chairman of the Wool Research and Development Corporation, and has held a variety of other public positions. He is also the author of two books, ‘Close to Nature’ (1985), which won the C.J. Dennis Award for a work on Natural History, and ‘A Coastal Diary’ (1993).

John Landy held the World Record in the mile and the 1500 Metres. He is an Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist, was the second man to run the mile in under four minutes, and read the oath on behalf of the competitors at the 1956 Olympic Games.

He was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for Services to Sport, and in 2001 he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). In 2006 he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) during The Queen's visit to Australia.

On January 1st, 2001, he was appointed as the 26th Governor of Victoria. He retired as Governor on 7 April 2006.

John Landy and his wife Lynne have two children, Matthew and Alison.