Tjaltjraak elder Ron “Doc” Reynolds became an Honorary Doctor of Letters last week.
The UWA conferred the degree on him in recognition of the traditional knowledge he shared for decades with scientific researchers in various fields.
Doctor Reynolds said the news had came unexpectedly.
“It’s a huge honour to get an honorary doctorate from one of the leading learning institutions in Australia,” he said.
“You just keep doing the work, you don’t expect these sorts of things.”
Doctor Reynolds said he continued to help many researchers who needed cultural guidance, but receiving the doctorate would be of a huge benefit when it came to starting future scientific projects.
“Now you have been recognised by a reputable institution it allows you to access grants a normal person cannot do,” he said.
“It augers well to try and inspire young Aboriginal people to look at turning towards research in the academic space.”
Doctor Reynolds said the work gave his rangers access to a lot of Australian and international academics, such as world-renowned UWA botanist Prof. Stephen Hopper.
As a result they had been able to extend Prof. Hopper’s research on their own.
“We located a sub species of a plant he also found which we want recorded, a four-winged mallee,” he said.
“It grows in granite areas out east and we haven’t seen it anywhere else.”
Dr Reynolds said Tjaltjraak rangers had also conducted a lot of underwater research in the past 10 years, from sea sponges to great white sharks.
“We have done a whole lot more in that space ramping up our research into what is underneath the ocean,” he said.
“It’s years and years of working with researchers and academics and undergraduates but more importantly working with our rangers.
“I have been fortunate to be part of that, we made underwater videos to see what is under the ocean, finding various fish species where they’re not normally found.”
At its Albany campus last week the UWA conferred the honour on Dr Reynolds in a graduation ceremony along with Merningar Elder and an Adjunct Research Fellow Lynette Knapp who also received an Honorary Doctor of Science.
