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We Are The Riverkeepers
What if every river - no matter where you traveled - was clean enough to swim in, drink from, and sustain life?
We Are The Riverkeepers is a powerful new podcast dedicated to protecting and celebrating the world’s waterways. Created with Richmond Riverkeeper Association and hosted by Presenter, Author and Storyteller Mel Bampton, this series dives into the essential role rivers play - not just in our ecosystems, but in our lives, our stories, and our survival.
Through thorough conversations with environmentalists, scientists, Indigenous leaders, artists, and activists, we explore both the beauty and the urgency of river protection. From the tributaries of the Richmond River to the great arteries of the world, we ask:
If the rivers could speak, what would they say?
This podcast goes beyond environmentalism to reveal how the health of our rivers is deeply connected to our emotional, social, physical, and cultural well-being. Clean rivers support biodiversity, secure drinking water, food supply, recreation, and climate resilience. They also offer something more intangible: a sense of place, purpose, and spiritual connection.
In a world facing ecological crisis, We Are The Riverkeepers brings hope, action, and connection. We’re amplifying the voices of those on the front lines of river protection and inviting everyone - you included - to join us in the riverkeeping revolution.
You, me, We Are The Riverkeepers.
Join us:
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This podcast has been made possible with support from the Australian Government through the Emergency Response Fund, administered by NSW Reconstruction Authority's Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program 2022-23. Delivered by North Coast Regional Landcare Network through the Caring for Catchments project.
Let’s work together, to make rivers swimmable, fishable and drinkable, worldwide. You, me, We Are The Riverkeepers
We Are The Riverkeepers
How We Ended Up Here with Adele Wessell
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Associate Professor of History, Adele Wessell approaches the river a little differently. Having lived in the Northern Rivers for 30 years and teaching history at Southern Cross University over that time, she’s developed a multi-layered relationship with the Richmond in Northern NSW on Widjabal Wia-bal Country.
Hers is personal, as well as professional and steeped in stories of the past – Indigenous and Colonial. She is a founding member of Richmond Riverkeeper as well as the Richmond River Historical Society and has completed a number of projects on local history… including the development of the Richmond River Open Access Repository. It's in the storytelling itself that Adele sees a pathway to connection, and the subsequent care for the river that follows, when that connection is made.
In this episode hear the extraordinary story of the Red Cedars - the reasons for their large scale extraction might surprise you - the actions that caused the wounds that the river carries today.
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Follow, Rate and Review We Are The Riverkeepers on Spotify or on Apple Podcasts
This podcast has been made possible with support from the Australian Government through the Emergency Response Fund, administered by NSW Reconstruction Authority's Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program 2022-23. Delivered by North Coast Regional Landcare Network through the Caring for Catchments project. Let’s work together, to make rivers swimmable, fishable and drinkable, worldwide. You, me, We Are The Riverkeepers