Volunteer profile

Name: Rory Goodall

Rory Goodall tells us how an early passion for wildlife led to many life-enhancing experiences and a rewarding vocation.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust volunteer
Rory Goodall

There was always an interest in nature in my family; my Mum helped instil a love of wildlife in me from a very young age. We were one of those families to whom people brought injured wildlife, and I still have fond memories of feeding a baby sparrow mashed-up boiled egg.

I grew up in Essex along the banks of the river Thames where there were extensive marshland areas. These areas were full of many birds of different kinds, and my older cousin introduced me to bird watching and... egg collecting! ‘Oh, no!’ I hear you say, but back then in the early 1960s it was still a common hobby amongst young boys. I still remember how overwhelmed I was by the sheer beauty and diversity of the eggs I saw.

The marshes held other wonders too: reptiles and amphibians! I was a member of the herpetological society for a number of years. In those days there were hundreds of snakes, lizards, slow worms, frogs, toads and newts in the area and it was a great passion of mine to catch and handle them. Observe but not disturb is what I believe in now; but strangely enough this skill of handling reptiles was brought back into use this year when I was asked to help relocate reptiles from the area of Gossmoor where the new A30 dual carriageway is about to be built.

At the age of 15 I joined the merchant navy like my father before me. From this grew my passion for the sea and its wildlife, leading to me becoming a licensed boatman in Falmouth in the early 1970s, working on pleasure boats, ferries, and sustainable hand line fishing boats. Following on from this time I crewed on yachts, travelling as far afield as West Africa, South America and the Caribbean, including spending three months exploring the Amazon Basin. My intense love of wildlife was firmly cemented during this time, seeing so many amazing species and ecosystems and learning how fast they were disappearing.

Since then I have worked on an education programme with international school children at an East African Wildlife reserve. This experience brought home to me, yet again, how important it is to foster an understanding of the natural world in young people, and to pass on our role in protecting it.

My connections with Cornwall Wildlife Trust began in 1995 when I reported a dead common dolphin stranded near St. Ives. It was the first time I had spoken to the indefatigable Stella Turk, who would become a big influence. She encouraged me to send in records to ERCCIS and to become a strandings volunteer. Particularly exciting was my discovery of a new colony of rare giant gobies.

It was very important to me to realise what a great network of likeminded people are involved with the Trust, and what interesting and worthwhile work they are all part of. I was honoured when I was asked to join the People and Wildlife Education group; both my children are members and enjoy the events very much. Helping the public learn about wildlife is something Cornwall Wildlife Trust does well, and should, I feel, continue to focus on.

Ever since I was a teenager working on pleasure boats in Falmouth I had a dream of running my own trips. At that time I had the opportunity to swim with a friendly bottlenose dolphin called ‘Beaky’ on various occasions, another activity I no longer advocate due to knowledge I have gained since becoming a stranding volunteer. It was an immensely inspiring event in my life, and I knew somehow I had to find a way of making a living from my interests and passions.

Further encouraged by friends, that’s where I am now, running Elemental Tours, an eco-tourism company offering wildlife watching trips, tours and walks, on both land and sea. It’s still in its infancy but I can see its potential, with the growing interest amongst people for encounters with the natural world. Because of this increase, concerns about sustainability are at the forefront of my thinking. Keeping links with conservation groups like the Trust helps keep me in tune with balancing the needs of both people and wildlife.

With regard to readers who would like to work with wildlife: begin with volunteering and from there, get qualified, listen to your heart and let your passions grow! 

Rory Goodall

Extract from Wild Cornwall No.99 Spring 2006