The Minister for Community Development, Cassy O’Connor today expressed her deep sadness at the passing of Helen Gee, a leading Tasmanian conservationist and role model for women working in their communities to make the world a better place.
“Many, many Tasmanians will be saddened to hear that Helen Gee is no longer with us, no longer fighting her gentle, but determined fight to protect Tasmania’s wild places,” Ms O’Connor said.
“Inducted to the Honour Roll of Tasmanian Women in 2011, Helen Gee is recognised as one of our state’s leading conservationists, who possessed a fine intellect, enormous heart and deep passion for Tasmania and its people.
“Helen will be greatly missed and long remembered for her dedication to and love for Tasmania.
“Ms Gee was an activist from the days of the campaign to save Lake Pedder from 1967 to 1972 to the end.
“Helen was also a campaign officer for the Tasmanian National Parks Association, a Convenor of the South East Forest Protection Group, a Councillor with the Australian Conservation Foundation, and member of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Consultative Committee and an author.
“Involved with many environmental campaigns over the past 40 years, Ms Gee was a crucial contributor to the declaration of the Douglas-Apsley National Park in 1989, and was also one of 20 key Tasmanian activists sued by timber company, Gunns Limited, for voicing opposition to the company’s harvesting in environmentally significant forests.
“My heart goes out to all those who knew and love Helen Gee. Vale a true champion of Tasmania’s wild places,” Ms O’Connor said.
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The planet and its people are the poorer for losing a leading light in the Tasmanian and Australian conservation movement. Amongst many other tings, Helen Gee is a founding member of the Wilderness Society and rightly recognised for service to the environment on the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women. Helen was an avid bushwalker, committed historian and vivid poet and will be sorely missed by all.
In addition to being an active part of conservation campaigns for over 40 years, Helen has been responsible for capturing, editing and publishing stories and human perspectives about Tasmania, its wild places and the work of people to protect it, an invaluable service to the state. Publications such as the South West Book (1978), The Franklin- Tasmania’s last wild river (1978) and For the Forests (2001) all documented the values of Tasmania’s wild places in words and images or gave activists working to protect them the space to tell their story.
Helen had an extraordinary vision and pioneered moves to protect wild country in the State’s south-west as well as on the east coast in areas such as the Douglas-Apsley, Wielangta and the Tasmanian Peninsula.
Helen was a long-term Tasmanian representative on the council of the Australian Conservation Foundation. She has been an inspiration for conservationists across the country and a role model for women working to protect the planet. Tasmania is a better place for Helen’s life.
Thank you Helen.
