June 2005
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Vicki Harriott - in Memoriam
By Bette Willis (JCU), Peter Harrison (SCU), Helene Marsh (JCU) and Carden Wallace (MTQ) It is with great sadness that we write this tribute for a very special colleague. Dr Vicki Harriott, Associate Professor in the School of Environmental Science at Southern Cross University and previous Program Leader of Education and Communication at CRC Reef, passed away in March this year, to the loss of the marine science community. Her career spanned just 25 years, yet was impressive for the diversity of contributions she made in a range of roles. In particular, she will be remembered as a strong advocate whose work in coral reef research, education and management was internationally recognised and widely respected. Vicki’s career was rich and varied. She gained a BSc (1976) and MSc (1980) from The University of Queensland for her research on holothurian reproduction and ecology. She was awarded a PhD from James Cook University (1984) for her research on coral reproduction and community structure. Even at this early stage in her career, Vicki’s clear-sighted and focused approach to research was an inspiration to her peers. She completed some of the first work on coral reproduction at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) before coral mass spawning was recognised and published one of the first papers on bleaching of corals before bleaching was widely acknowledged as the harbinger of environmental stress it is known to be today. Her postdoctoral work at JCU established foundations for coral reef restoration techniques, spatial and temporal patterns in coral recruitment and the impacts of crown-of-thorns starfish. In 1987, Vicki became the inaugural Assistant Curator at the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium (Reef HQ) in Townsville, and put her knowledge of coral community structure to practical use when she set up the main exhibit – then the largest coral reef tank in the world. Always expanding her horizons, she received a Churchill Fellowship to travel to the US and south-east Asia to research ways of improving conditions in the aquarium. In 1990, Vicki began lecturing at Southern Cross University, where she taught and developed undergraduate courses. Vicki initiated collaborative research programs on impacts to temperate reefs that were very timely in relation to global change and its impact on coral reefs. This represents one of her most important contributions to coral reef science. Her focus on latitudinal patterns in processes controlling coral community structure culminated in the publication of a biophysical model in a recent (2002) paper with Simon Banks in Coral Reefs. Vicki played a key role in the formation of the Southern Cross University Branch of the National Tertiary Education Union. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to Southern Cross University, Vicki was rapidly promoted to Senior Lecturer and then Associate Professor. Next, Vicki turned her considerable skills to managing and promoting education at CRC Reef, returning to Townsville in 2000 for three years as the Program Leader for Education and Communication. In recent years, her efforts have supported a range of postgraduate students studying coral reefs. Her dedication to students was such that she commented on thesis drafts from her hospital bed. She expanded the role at CRC Reef, tackling extension activities, website development and publications, in addition to issues relating to postgraduate scholarships and training. Vicki wrote a seminal report on the Coral Harvesting Industry on the GBR, which led the Prime Minister to overturn a decision by the Environment Minister to ban the industry. Vicki was invited to be a plenary speaker at a workshop to develop international guidelines for the live coral trade, and her work is also used as the basis for managing the industry by the GBRMPA. Vicki returned to Southern Cross University in 2003 to continue her roles in teaching and research, despite her deteriorating health due to a particularly pernicious cancer. Focussed research and prescient insights have been a hallmark of her career, and will contribute to the legacy provided by her more than 45 papers in international refereed journals and conference proceedings, and at least 34 other papers, technical reports, book chapters and consultancy reports and their influence on the next generation of reef researchers and managers. In recognition of Vicki’s lifetime work on coral reefs and reef management, the Australian Coral Reef Society will have a plenary address and a memorial student prize for the best paper in her name at their annual conference. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) New South Wales Division has also announced a substantial contribution to a memorial fund for coral research in recognition of Vicki’s leadership and mentoring of women at university and in the NTEU. Vicki was supremely successful at balancing her professional and personal life, and enjoyed close friendships with many colleagues from around the world. The coral reef community will sadly miss her insights, her vitality, her good will and her friendship.
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PO Box 772 Townsville
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