Dr Tim Ealey, OAM, a pioneer in environmental education died in October 2020, aged 93. There are many stories about Tim’s commitment to, and adventures in, environmental education and activism. He collected many plaudits over his lifetime, including a Robin Boyd Medal for Contributions to the Living Environment, a Victorian Education Award and a Commonwealth Coastal Custodian Order of Australia as well as a UN Association Environmental Day Award. In 2008, he was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) and was also the recipient of an Antarctic Medal from the Australian Antarctic Division after he became the first Australian scientist to circumnavigate Antarctica in winter.

He has been immortalised by having, in descending order of size, a glacier, hill and tiny rodent (Ningaui Timealeyi) named after him.

In 1973 he became the Director of the Graduate School of Environmental Science at Monash University. The Master of Environmental Science Course was the first of its kind in Australia and one of the world’s largest. The School produced 800 graduates between 1973 and 2000 (when it closed) and has had a long-lasting impact on environmental education.

Many of us are the product of that course, and are immensely grateful for Dr Tim’s foresight and persistence in pushing against academic opposition to establish the Graduate School and the Master’s degree. There is a small group who is exploring establishing some form of memorial to Tim Ealey’s life and environmental accomplishments. If you are interested in joining that group, please contact Dr Ian Thomas at ian.thomas@rmit.edu.au.