
Funeral: Brian’s funeral service will be held at 10 am on Friday, 12 November at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Camp Mountain Road, Samford.
Please send photos and tributes to info@saveourwaterwaysnow.com.au.
From SOWN Patron Geraldine Knapp
Beside the most important project in setting up SOWN which changed the way the community valued our creeks, was his fight in 1988 to stop the development of the land in Whitehead Road which backed onto Mt Coot-tha. He pitched the concept of a bushland levy to buy environmental land to Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson and the rest is history. That block was the first purchased with the levy. The other legacy was the bikeways. I’m so glad that I got the chance while he was still around to name the first bikeway in The Gap after him. Without his vision Twahame Cottage wouldn’t be there as the home for Men of the Trees, SOWN and the Paten Park Native Nursery.
Lastly he was very much a Rotary-Lions man and was responsible for the first Australia Day Citizenship held away from City Hall hosted by Ashgrove-The Gap Rotary.
It was a great joy and privilege to continue his work, particularly SOWN which I consider the most important ongoing community project in The Gap. I consider myself very fortunate to have known Brian.
Geraldine Knapp, Brian Hallinan and Sallyanne Atkinson at the opening of the Brian Hallinan Bikeway in 2012. PHOTO: Mark Crocker
From Life Member Bob Whiteman

Trevor Ozanne, Brian Hallinan and Bob Whiteman at the launch of Save Our Waterways Now: Caring for Enoggera Catchment 1994-2019 in 2019. PHOTO: Mark Crocker
Active SOWN member for 27 years
Brian’s plan was to establish a community-based organisation, which would provide the knowledge, energy and enthusiasm, to carry out the rehabilitation of the creeks and gullies in the Enoggera Catchment. As a member of Men of The Trees, Brian sought their help to set up a catchment organisation. With Men of the Trees as the auspicing body, Brian applied to the Federal Government to fund a project which would kick-start on-ground restoration work in Enoggera Catchment. To his delight his application was successful and the project received $174,000 in funding from the National Heritage Trust to pay for a coordinator, equipment and expenses.
In order to tap into local knowledge of the creek system, Brian invited the existing Enoggera Creek Association to form the nucleus of a steering committee to manage the project which he called Save Our Waterways Now (SOWN).
EXCERPT: Save Our Waterways Now: Caring for Enoggera Catchment 1994-2019
SOWN Patron Brian Hallinan with the 2019 SOWN management committee. PHOTO: Mark Crocker
Colourful Life Story

Visionary Thinker
Brian Hallinan with catchment coordinator Melinda McLean in 2006. PHOTO: Robert Whyte