_So many of us have stories to tell about Stan. Here is just one tribute to him, from Sylvia van der Peet who was our contact ranger until her move to Apollo Bay._
Stan was amazing. His interest and enthusiasm for all things Grampians never waned. He was always more than willing to share his vast knowledge of the area and many a Ranger enjoyed dropping by and having a bit of yarn with Stan. It was not unusual to bump into Stan in some part of the park and he would often bring little gifts into the Parks office. A copy of a magazine or journal article about the Borya Mirabilis or the skeletal remains of something he had found in an Antechinus nest. You never knew what would be next, but it would always be a small treasure that Stan wanted to share.
Stan had his own projects like the annual Ptilotus erubescens count but he was also a very active member of the Threatened Species Group and used to come on every survey. If the terrain was too steep he would often still come along and communicate with the rest of the group by walkie talkie, staying on flatter ground but still helping to search for those illusive threatened species. It was unfortunate that in recent times Stan’s health prevented him from joining the group.
Many of us we aware that Stan had strong ties to the scouting movement but I think few of us knew just how far back those ties went. Almost 50 years is a long time and a testament to Stan’s dedication to the scouting movement. What many didn’t know was that Stan had once studied to become a Presbyterian minister, but the requirement to learn Hebrew and Greek unfortunately meant that was one ambition Stan was not to fulfil. I suspect the church’s loss may have been the scouting movements gain.
I know Stan will be missed by friends and relatives alike, but I suspect he will also be sorely missed by the mob of eastern grey kangaroos and wallabies that visited his place regularly. He had special feed for them and knew them all by name. We’ll all miss you Stan.
Sylvia van der Peet