Vale John Rumney – Rest in Power
John Rumney at Rainforest Rescue Community Tree Planting 2019
It’s a sad day when you lose a friend. It’s harder when they’re one of your heroes. And it’s even harder when they’re still actively working for the environment and inspiring people to bring them to the cause.
That’s what happened when John Rumney passed on recently.
He will be sorely missed…though his legacy will continue to ensure his presence far into the future.
John Rumney was a pioneer of ecotourism on the Great Barrier Reef and one of the great characters of FNQ. “He worked alongside and featured in many television programs and documentaries including for the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, ZDF, Stern, Channel 10 news, and 60 minutes.” He was awarded the Australian Geographic Lifetime of Conservation Award in 2019 in acknowledgement of his many contributions to the Great Barrier Reef and to oceans around the world. I’m sure he was just steps away from an Order of Australia – not that he would have cared.
He founded Great Barrier Reef Legacy and has brought countless people to appreciate the magic and wonder of the undersea, and in particular, the Great Barrier Reef. He also understood the terrestrial relationship between the Reef and the Rainforest, and John was very enthusiastic about our partnership. It was a delight when he was able to join us on stage at the Rainforest Revival Day in Brunswick, NSW, alongside Tony Parkes and myself, where we talked about the unique values and the true wonder of the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, and their natural collaboration.
Thank you, John. We’ll keep up the good work with GBRL. And we know that it’s in good hands with Dr. Dean Miller at the helm.
Our heartfelt condolences to his wife Linda, his children, Shannon, Jenna and Nikki and his grandchildren.
He sure created a lot of love in this life. We’re all better for his having been here.
I for one will miss him. I know I’m in good company.
You can read more about John here and here.
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