The Lester Family Wild Places Fund was established by Marc and Samantha Lester and their family to help protect Tasmania's wild places, native wildlife and natural landscapes for generations to come.
Tasmania has always been home for our family, but over time we have come to appreciate more deeply just how extraordinary this island is.
Some of our happiest and most meaningful experiences as a family have been in wild places – walking in the bush, exploring the coast, camping, watching wildlife, swimming in the ocean and simply spending time outdoors together. These places give us perspective, connection and a sense of wonder that is difficult to find anywhere else.
As our children have grown, we have also become increasingly conscious that the landscapes and wildlife we enjoy today cannot simply be taken for granted. Protecting them requires deliberate action, long-term thinking and people willing to leave something behind for those who come after them.
The Lester Family Wild Places Fund is our way of contributing to that future.
We chose to establish the fund with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy because of its practical, enduring approach to conservation. The TLC protects important natural places, manages them for the long term and uses science and on-ground conservation to safeguard Tasmania’s unique ecosystems and wildlife.
Property with purpose
Our family also owns MIX Property Group, a Hobart real estate business working across residential sales and property management.
Property is at the centre of what we do every day. We help people buy and sell homes and investments across southern Tasmania, and our work is fundamentally connected to the places and communities in which we live.
We wanted that connection with property to extend beyond individual homes.
Through our Property with Purpose initiative, MIX Property Group contributes $250 to the Lester Family Wild Places Fund for every property sale we settle.
It means that every time our team successfully sells a property, a small part of that success goes towards protecting Tasmania’s natural places for the future.
For us, this isn’t about offsetting our work or simply attaching a cause to our business. It reflects something we genuinely believe: if we are fortunate enough to build a successful business in Tasmania, some of that success should flow back into protecting the island that makes living here so special.
As MIX grows and more properties change hands through our agency, those individual $250 contributions will accumulate within the Lester Family Wild Places Fund, helping create a permanent conservation legacy beyond our business itself.
Over time, we hope the fund will grow through contributions from our family, MIX Property Group and others who share our belief that Tasmania’s wild places are worth protecting.
Why wild places?
Wild places matter for reasons that are both ecological and deeply human.
They provide habitat for wildlife, protect biodiversity and allow natural systems to continue functioning. But they also give us somewhere to experience awe, solitude, adventure and connection.
They remind us that not everything needs to be developed, improved or owned.
Some places are valuable simply because they remain wild.
Our hope is that the Lester Family Wild Places Fund will become a small, permanent contribution towards keeping more of Tasmania that way.
To give to the TLC Foundation through the Lester Family Wild Places Fund, please click here. To select the Lester Family Wild Places Fund, please click the dropdown arrow beside the TLC Foundation in the ‘Transaction Details’. Your support enables the TLC to continue protecting and managing nature in Tasmania.
