I was reading the news on Thursday morning when I saw the first article about Jane Goodall’s passing, and within an hour it was everywhere. In news items, emails, social feeds and WhatsApp messages, countless people were grieving the immeasurable loss of the iconic scientist and conservationist who had a unique and incredible impact on the world – and on me.
As a young woman in the 1960s, Jane went off to live alone with the chimpanzees in Gombe (Tanzania) and study them – with her groundbreaking research finding unexpected similarities between primate and human behaviour. When she sent word to her mentor Louis Leakey that the chimps were using tools, his famous reply was that, ‘Now we must redefine tool, redefine Man, or accept chimpanzees as humans.’
In the 1980s, when I was a kid (and still, now), Jane’s life and work seemed incredibly brave and exciting. Since then, I’ve been in awe of her as an adventurer and scientist, and most of all as a calm, compassionate spokesperson for wildlife and the natural world, particularly when it comes to the most threatened and vulnerable.
Her visibility meant that Jane blazed a trail for women and girls who wanted to be scientists, or to lead unconventional lives. In 2010, when I decided to write a book about conservation and environmental science researchers (mostly women), exploring the different relationships and understanding people develop around wild animals, Jane’s work featured heavily in my research. I read her book Through a Window and studied her research efforts through documentaries and archival footage. I was keen to include a quote taken from an interview with CBS, which meant contacting the Jane Goodall Institute, and her Vice-President of Communications asked me to explain the scope of the book and the context for the quote. I jumped around in excitement when they gave their permission for my novel Shallow Breath to include these lines:
Lara Logan: And did it surprise you, that they [the chimpanzees] could be so cruel?
Jane Goodall: It did, I thought they were like us but nicer.
Lara Logan: And they’re not?
Jane Goodall: No, they’re just like us.
When Jane came to Perth a few years ago and asked the audience to submit questions that would be preselected, I was thrilled to get a call from her assistant saying Jane had chosen ours. My young daughter and I got to go to the front of the stage during the event, and our question was a simple one. ‘You have inspired us so much, but who inspires you?’
In response, she talked about her love of Hugh Lofting’s Dr Dolittle books as a child - and how these stories inspired her to want to communicate with animals. In her arms was the mascot she carried everywhere by then, a stuffed monkey called Mr H, given to her by a friend, and we took home a ‘Mr H Junior’, who still lives in our house. I was so grateful that my daughter got to listen to her, to be in her presence and hear her speaking about the planet with deep concern along with her trademark calm wisdom. (I was devastated when I happened to be in another country the last time she came to Australia. I would have loved to have seen her again one more time.)
Jane’s work has also impacted our lives thanks to her Roots and Shoots program for young people, reminding children that everyone makes a difference, and that we don’t need to think global, we need to act local. She has been an inspirational figure for the conservation efforts my kids have been involved in, and her work is peppered through our house in ways that will ensure we keep her messages close to our heart.
There’s no doubt that the immense outpouring of grief right now is only a tiny visible portion of the way that Jane Goodall has changed the world. Not just because of what she did and how she cared for the planet, but also because of the quieter ways in which her work, ideas, ethos and compassion have rippled through so many of our lives. If we could drown out capitalist voices with the wisdom of conservationists like Jane, who deeply understand the beautiful, brutal, tangible world we live in, rather than the consumer-constructed, virtual and egotistically driven one, we would be part of a very different world right now. As it is, the messages she left for us remain vital. I will always treasure her impact on my life, and do my best to champion the values she held so close.
BIG NEWS: When She Was Gone is on the Likewise Choice Awards shortlist in the US and I need your votes!
Just as I was prepping this email I heard the news that When She Was Gone is on the Likewise Choice Awards shortlist in the US - whoo hoo! The awards ask for votes, so if you have a moment please jump online here and give me a click - you’ll see from the incredible list that I’m a minnow in this field, but what a privilege to be on the shortlist!
Upcoming events: come and say hello!
My next events are getting closer, so I’m looking forward to meeting you if any of these are near you and you’re planning to attend! In my next email I’ll give you all the buzz from the Brisbane Writers Festival.
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