A message from Karin Traeger

Life is like an ultramarathon, and every stage will give you some key learnings, joys, challenges and friendships 💚 Every corner and every trail will give you the opportunities to grow and build your resilience while also enjoying the landscape (and snacks!)

It’s now official that my role as CEO with the Yarra Riverkeeper Association has come to a close.

While it’s a bitter sweet moment, I’m so grateful for all the things we accomplished! Like the 26,000 native plants growing and building habitat! All the amazing people I got the chance to work with, and the incredible team I was able to support. You all make me very proud! And how I would forget the mammoth of a run from source to mouth 🥲

Thank you so much to each of you for gifting me these great three years in my career path. I’m super excited to keep working with causes really close to my heart, such as Clean Up Australia Ltd and For Wild Places 🌿

I’ll miss working directly with the Yarra Birrarung, but I’m sure our paths will cross again. And please make sure you keep supporting the incredible people at Yarra Riverkeeper Association 🙌🏻

Until the next one!
Karin

A message from Warwick Leeson, Board Chair of the Yarra Riverkeeper Association

As the Yarra Riverkeeper Association adjusts to a challenging economic environment, we sadly announce that the position of CEO at YRKA has been made redundant. Be assured that this decision was made after careful consideration and with the organisation’s best interests in mind.

It comes at a time close to the term of the CEO contract, which was aligned with the Environmental Restoration Fund. With the Board’s support, Karin has sought new opportunities in the environment sector, in particular with Clean Up Australia.

The Board wants to express its deep gratitude to Karin for her invaluable contributions to the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. Under her leadership, the organisation achieved significant milestones, including her inspiring run along the whole length of the Yarra Birrarung, contributing to the visual rebranding and developing a new website, securing corporate partnerships with prestigious organisations, delivering the Environmental Restoration Fund, which resulted in the planting of over 26,000 native plants, and launching campaigns such as the Plastic Paddle to raise awareness about issues affecting our local waterways. We are confident that Karin will continue to make a positive impact in her future initiatives, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

As always, we value your continued support and involvement in the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. Together, we can ensure that the Yarra Birrarung River and all her tributaries are healthy, protected, and loved.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Photo of Karin by Ula Majewski.