Six Walbunja Rangers have graduated as part of a pioneering program at Batemans Bay Aboriginal Land Council

Jedda White, Braidon Parsons-George, James Thomas, Josiah Brierley, Andrew Stewart and Peter White have spent years working around the Eurobodalla, planting more than 70,000 trees to protect waterways and connect nature corridors, eradicating weeds, defending threatened species and performing cultural burns.

They have spent weeks trudging through wetlands to remove spine rice weed, heading outdoors in any weather to look after the land they love in conjunction with the local council, National Parks, Local Land Services and the RFS.

All their learning was recognised and celebrated when they were presented with their Certificate III's in Indigenous Land Management at a ceremony in Batemans Bay on October 20.

Graduate Peter White was working for BBALC casually for many years, and is excited to now be full time and working outdoors and on his Country every day.

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"It is really good to be where we are now," he said.

The program is the brainchild of ranger coordinator Andrew White, who was teary with pride while he presented the graduates with their certificates.

For Mr White, the celebration was a long time in the making.

He first dreamt up the project 15 years ago when he began at BBALC.

"I realised there was a gap missing in what we needed to do on country," he said.

"There's been a gap in generational knowledge-sharing, but we need to get that done.

"If we don't have our own mob working on our own country, things won't get done the way they should."

He said the program was a pilot for the south coast, and hopes to see more Indigenous youth given the opportunity to work on country in the future.

"Being young Walbunja people, they needed that experience of working on Walbunja country," he said.

"The whole community realises the importance of Walbunja people working on Walbunja country."

The program was supported not-for-profit Country Needs People, who helped BBALC successfully apply for bushfire recovery grants to fund the program.