By Carolyn Webb
A few years after migrating from Britain in 1993, Charlotte Sterrett came across the Yarra River at Warrandyte and fell in love with the area’s natural beauty.
“I remember thinking, I really would like to live here,” Ms Sterrett says – and now she does.
The new Yarra riverkeeper, Charlotte Sterrett, at Warrandyte.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Ms Sterrett, her partner and nine-year-old daughter live on 0.8 hectares close to the river, 30 kilometres north-east of the CBD.
She often sees kangaroos bounding past, echidnas waddling through her yard and rosellas flitting through trees. She is a keen canoeist.
And from January 17, our famous “upside-down river” will be her workplace. Ms Sterrett has been named the new Yarra riverkeeper – the third person and the first woman in the role.
She said it “ticks all the boxes” of her ideal job – being outdoors, working with people and involving environmental causes.
Most of her career has been spent working with aid charities Oxfam and World Vision on climate change education and community adaptation projects in countries such as Bangladesh, Vanuatu and South Africa. She is a member of a local landcare group and the Warrandyte Climate Action Now group.
Ms Sterrett was disappointed at the pact signed by delegates to the Glasgow climate conference, saying it failed to make enough progress towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
She said it could send small, low-lying Pacific islands “on the road to catastrophe” from rising sea levels.
She says climate change also has implications for the Yarra, such as less water being available from a drying environment and pollution from extreme weather. Other threats to the Yarra include development along the banks and litter.
In her new job, as well as monitoring the river’s health and working with First Nations people, she is keen to take politicians and stakeholders out on the Yarra Riverkeeper Association’s new electric boat. She says people often feel the river’s “wonder and beauty” when they see it from the water rather than the bank.
She said during COVID-19 lockdowns, more people came to see the Yarra as an important part of their identities, which could make them care more about it.
“If you love something you’re more likely to care about it and fight for its future.”
Warwick Leeson, chair of the Yarra Riverkeeper Association, said the board was “really excited about this appointment and note that this is the first time we have had a female riverkeeper”.
Mr Leeson said along with her environmental activism, Ms Sterrett “impressed as being highly articulate and considered, at ease in any setting.
“The fact that she lives within the Yarra catchment, in fact almost right beside the Yarra River, is a strong pointer towards her vision of being able to promote participatory community engagement, given that she is already involved in a number of local environmental organisations.”
In need of some good news? The Greater Good newsletter delivers stories to your inbox to brighten your outlook. Sign up here.