Limbo for future of paid conservation chief

The future of funding for a potential chief executive position at Nature Conservation Margaret River remains unknown, with the donors declining to comment. Earlier this year, the Times reported the Wright-Burt Foundation, operated by mining heir and Voyager Estate owner Alexandra Burt and her husband Julian, offered about $110,000 per year to fund the role. At last check, Nature Conservation was yet to determine whether the funding for the role remained secure after inaugural chief Pip Close, an ex-Margaret River-Busselton Tourism Association chief, quit within four months of her appointment, citing cultural resistance to change. The group was without a full-time chief or chair after chairman John Cresswell retired last week.