By Romy Stephens
Tributes have flown after the passing of well-known Dandenong Ranges conservationist Darcy Duggan.
Mr Duggan sadly died from leukaemia on 31 October.
He has been remembered for dedicating his life to protecting the unique environment of the Yarra Ranges.
Mr Duggan first moved to the hills in the 1980s, residing in the small town of Selby.
As an environmental scientist his expertise and passion for community connectedness was welcomed at the Selby Community House, on Minak Reserve.
The house, and other places throughout the hills, was used as a base for his important environmental work.
Former Southern Dandenongs Landcare Group president Vicki Boyle recalled some of her memories of Mr Duggan.
“Our paths often crossed in bushland settings where I would invariably be surprised by him emerging organically from the bush, in all weathers dressed in overalls, beanie atop his long hair and coffee scroll crumbs in his beard,” Ms Boyle said.
“He would exclaim delightedly about something he had just discovered on site or rail against some government agency or other for failing in its duty of care for the protection of the natural assets for which they were responsible.”
Ms Boyle described Mr Duggan as an “idealist who was reluctantly forced to work within a system he often found unworkable, a system which moved at a glacial pace.”
“Thus Darcy was always in the local news, advocating for more stringent environmental protections and holding governments at all levels to account for their actions or lack thereof,” Ms Boyle said.
“He even stood for Council at one stage and served on many advisory committees, genuinely walking the talk. But his major work was on-ground across all tenures, on public and private land.”
Some of Mr Duggan’s most notable roles included being a member of the Yarra Ranges Environment Advisory Committee since 2009, and being involved in similar committees from the late 1990s.
He also had a long involvement with the Community Weed Alliance of the Dandenongs and Southern Dandenongs Landcare Network, along with being a representative on the committee of the Peri-Urban Weed Management Initiative.
Yarra Ranges Council’s coordinator of biodiversity conservation, Amanda Smith, said Mr Duggan’s “contributions have had lasting impact on Council, the community, and the natural environment through which his legacy will live on.”
“His dedication to protection, enhancement and restoration of Yarra Ranges unique and valuable environment has been a life’s work, to which he has contributed tirelessly,” she said.
“His particular interest and knowledge in bushland management, weed control and waterway health in the Southern Dandenongs focussed around the Selby area, Minak Reserve and Sassafras Creek Catchment, has provided Council and community with many opportunities to improve management and processes over many years.
“He is well connected and respected for his extensive land management and restoration knowledge in the local area and often sought out for teaching in these fields within Yarra Ranges and beyond.”
The council’s environmental volunteers support officer, Jen Ellison, also paid tribute to Mr Duggan.
“Darcy has been a dedicated environmental volunteer for almost 40 years. His passion for native restoration is well-known throughout the Dandenong Ranges and beyond,” she said.
“He has generously taught multiple generations of volunteers, conservationists and environmental workers about our local flora and fauna, and those lessons will be a part of the hills for many years to come.
“He will be hugely missed by so many of us, but the plants, wildlife and bushland have greatly benefited from his knowledge, advocacy and actions.”
