Celebrating Commitment  

Special feature celebrating and recognizing Professor Angela Arthington

By Minal Abhange   

Find something you love to do and you’ll never have to work a day in your life – this expression is a reality embodied by Professor. Angela Arthington.  

Born in Australia and growing up in New Zealand, she enjoyed exploring nature; wild beaches, forests, and fishing and these experiences became instrumental in shaping her career.  

“I grew up in and around Adelaide, South Australia, until I was nearly 5, when my parents decided to move to New Zealand for my father’s work at the Rotorua Forest Research Institute. Here we lived in a small settlement for the families of the foresters, and I attended the nearby Maori primary school with my brothers and sister,” shared Arthington.   

“I was attracted into biology at university by experiences as a child growing up in New Zealand, camping on wild beaches with my family, helping my father in his surveys of tree health in farm forests, and fishing trips with him, my brothers and my sister.”  

The start of her teaching and research career truly began when she enrolled at Canterbury University.  

“I knew that biology was right for me when I first began laboratory sessions in zoology in my second year at Canterbury University, where I spent a good deal of time over three more years getting to know the progression of animal phlya very intimately. Sometimes too intimately, because I had to fish my personal preserved dogfish out of a huge stinking tank of formalin week and after week,” said Arthington, “But I loved it all – dissections, drawing, learning to identify, field excursions, and two weeks a year spent at the university’s field station on the Kaikoura Peninsula.”  

“I was torn between vertebrate ecology (especially birds), marine ecology and entomology.  Strangely enough, freshwater ecology did not come into my life until my first lecturing job in Brisbane, a river city with plenty of opportunities for original work on lakes and wetlands, streams and rivers.”  

 Hynes Lecture 

Each year, Canadian Rivers Institute (CRI) invites recipients to share their knowledge and experiences through the H.B.N Hynes Lecture series which includes a Scientific Lecture and a Public Lecture.   

Guest speaker for this year is Professor Angela Arthington, an inspirational choice for the outstanding professional and personal strength, perseverance, passion and the continuous work she does to publish, review, edit, and supervise postgraduates in relation to river ecology, river health monitoring, environmental flow science and assessment, and aquatic conservation.  

This year's Scientific Lecture discusses the “Progress with Environmental Flows to Maintain Healthy Rivers and Healthy Societies.” While aimed to assist students gain insight and career advice, the Public Lecture will focus on the many opportunities in Freshwater Science.    

Curriculum Vitae 

Currently honored as an Emeritus Professor by the Australian Rivers Institute (Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia) she began her academic career with this institution in 1975 and has since held several positions; Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Professor. She has also spearheaded the establishment of the Centre for Catchment and In-Stream Research (CCSSR) now known as the Australian Rivers Institute.  

“I began my first academic appointment in 1975 in the second year of student intake at this (Griffith University) young university.  I held positions of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Professor, with duties in teaching, research and community service. In 1987, I established the first freshwater research centre in a Queensland University and directed it through its establishment phase under a 5-year grant from the Australian Water Research Advisory Council (AWRAC). I worked to establish CCISR the cutting edge of land-water interactions. Over the last three decades this centre (CCISR) changed name twice to become the Australian Rivers Institute of today,” shared Arthington.    

Early in her research career at CCISR, she was invited and funded to investigate the environmental flow (e-flow) requirements of riverine biota downstream from a new dam, and has followed this theme ever since. Now retired, Dr. Arthington continues to publish, review, edit, supervise postgraduates and provide professional advice related to river ecology, river health monitoring, environmental flow science and assessment, and aquatic conservation. 

Finding the balance 

 She says to stay on track, regardless of life-changing situations, a person needs to constantly push towards their goals.  

“I plan to write a blog every World Rivers Day, reflecting on our progress with the conservation of biodiversity, the recovery of rivers and wetlands globally, and progress towards the vision of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and a world of people living in harmony with nature.”  

Some of her other personal aspirations Arthington shared include, “I want to keep writing and publishing. I want to travel internationally again, and visit some of the world’s grandest rivers, classical gardens and stately homes. I want to be a great grandmother.”