Vale Jane Goodall, DBE (1934 – 2025)

Jane Goodall – Trailblazing primatologist, conservation icon, and inspiration to generations. (Photo by Hugo Van Lawick/National Geographic Creative)

With profound sadness we mark the passing of Jane Goodall, whose quiet strength and resolute voice changed how the world understands animals—and ourselves. She died on 1 October 2025, aged 91, while on a speaking tour in the United States.

Goodall’s groundbreaking studies of wild chimpanzees at Gombe Stream in Tanzania in the 1960s reshaped science. With patience, empathy, and sharp observation, she revealed their tool use, emotional bonds, personalities and complex societies—challenging long-held scientific assumptions and bridging the divide between humans and other animals. Her approach also blazed a trail for women in science, showing that curiosity, rigour and perseverance could overturn orthodoxies and open new doors.

As her influence grew, Goodall became a tireless advocate for conservation. Through the Jane Goodall Institute and her Roots & Shoots youth program, she inspired global action to protect habitats and wildlife. Her voice remained calm yet authoritative—firm with governments and corporations, but always hopeful and engaging with the public. Many in our own community will have attended her tours and heard her speak over the decades–she had an extraordinary ability to make each person in the room feel directly called to action.

Jane’s life offers a model for conservationists on Bribie Island. Her advocacy was rooted in deep knowledge, personal connection, and unwavering persistence—qualities that can guide our own efforts to protect the island’s nature. By combining good science, heartfelt storytelling, and community mobilisation, as she did, we can achieve lasting change for the places and species we love.

Jane Goodall’s legacy spans two great arcs: transforming science’s understanding of the natural world, and awakening humanity’s responsibility to care for it. Her example continues to light the way.