It was a regular monthly meeting with people who lived along the river including Landcare group members, anglers, the CMA, local council, and me from the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (ARI). We’d spent many months talking about the river – what we loved about it, issues we wanted to address and actions to take.

On this night, a new member came along to advocate for more willows along the river. I went to give my opinion, but then I realised I should just keep quiet. I didn’t need to say a thing. The people who lived along the river knew the story. We’d explored this many times, and shared all the research and our experiences in discussions, at field days and on walks along the river. The river had plenty of advocates that night and I had achieved what I’d intended all along – I’d made myself redundant.

From algae to community
That evening was another turning point in a meandering career journey, in which I’ve progressively moved my attention from the wild things in the world to the people who interact with them. I began my career studying Antarctic algae. I adored absorbing everything I could about Antarctica, and imagining these tiny, resilient plants nestled in sheltered spaces on that distant southern continent.

My work then shifted to studying freshwater fish – in aquaculture, and then ecology. It became clear that I needed to connect with the people who were managing aquaculture systems. It was people who were driving the impacts on our rivers. It is people who have the tools and influence to shape what happens in those systems. And it is people who live in, and also care about, those places.

So over the years I’ve become increasingly interested in connecting people with each other, science and nature. I’ve worked as a researcher, remote expeditioner and lecturer. I’ve developed aquaculture policy, helped farmers improve water efficiency, and volunteered in Tanzania with the Jane Goodall Institute. 

My work coordinating native fish research through the Murray-Darling Basin Authority from 2007 to 2013 was when I first truly realised the power of a widely collaborative approach to research, of sharing science stories, and supporting linked action. We worked with Traditional Owners, Landcare groups, farmers, irrigators, paddlers, recreational fishers, birdwatchers, students, teachers, artists and musicians. We learnt together about our rivers and their fish and worked together to support them. I still see the legacy of that work in ongoing advocacy and strong custodianship.