Carol-Anne Tucker is a Nyiyaparli/Banjima woman from the East Pilbara area of Western Australia. She grew up in the coastal Pilbara town of Onslow before deciding to move to Tom Price to be closer to Country. She was very close to her Gubarli (Father’s mother) who taught her a lot about Country and her responsibilities to Country and family. 

Carol-Anne says being a young mum was a big challenge, but it made her the person she is today, and it is blessing to have her daughter, Lauren, working beside her today as part of the Nyiyaparli ranger team.

Carol-Anne has been part of the Nyiyaparli ranger program since it started a bit over 2 years ago, from the planning stage with lots of yarning trips out on Country to now starting to pilot projects. She has been involved in fire management, plant and water monitoring surveys, junior ranger trips, and recently became a qualified drone pilot. 

She is also completing her Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. She has also presented on behalf of the Nyiyaparli ranger team at forums and workshops including the Country Needs People Ranger Forum in Canberra in November 2022 and the Biodiversity Conference in Perth in October 2023. 

Carol-Anne says, “2 years ago I never thought I would be giving a speech in front of 400 people and getting interviewed by 7News.”

Carol-Anne is looking forward to seeing the ranger program grow, and getting more kids involved in learning about their Country – “It is all about passing knowledge down to the next generation so that our Country is looked after. You look after Country; Country looks after you.”