Euan Ritchie

"Yarra did a good job of letting students play to their strengths.”

Euan Ritchie clearly remembers the year he began his journey at Yarra. He joined Year 7 during the Bicentennial celebrations when he saw the tall ships coming through the heads on the Mornington Peninsula.

“I didn’t know a single person at Yarra when I began but it felt like a welcoming place and I fitted in very quickly.”

Soon after he joined, Euan and his classmates went to Lake Glenmaggie camp in Central Gippsland – a haven for Euan who was a fan of the outdoors. That passion endured and eventually evolved into a career as an environmental scientist.

Euan’s interests at Yarra were diverse. He had an affinity with biology and geography and was good at graphic art and sport. He also performed in a number of eisteddfods, both on stage and behind the scenes.

“I think the arts and science are both creative pursuits. In science, you do experiments, learn things and create information that didn’t previously exist, like an artist who creates a painting that didn’t exist before,” he says.

After graduating, Euan moved to Townsville to study at James Cook University. He took a two-day bus trip to his new hometown because the cost of flying north was then beyond his budget.

Since then, Euan has moved through the ranks of academia. After 26 years of study, research and lecturing, last year he became a Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Deakin University.

“One of the biggest challenges of our time is what is happening to our environment and I spend time making sure my work impacts the real world. I speak to politicians and help brief policy documents and communicate my research through print media and radio.

“The fight is absolutely real and I think COVID provided a window of what the world could be like if we make some different choices. It shows we can do things differently,” he says.

Euan’s research has taken him to fascinating parts of Australia and overseas. He recommends Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park in Queensland and the rainforest of Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park as worth exploring. His work has taken him to the mountain ranges of Papua New Guinea and to Romania’s forests.

“Success for me is about legacy and what I do that has lasting benefit. I supervise and teach students and if I can help them have careers that benefit our environment and conservation, I’m happy. I also have two kids and I want them to be able to enjoy the wonderful times I’ve had in nature,” he says.