|
 If there’s one thing that our customers always praise us for, it’s the hard work, leadership and understanding of our naturalist guides. Our guides are willing to help, nothing is too much trouble, and they’ve always got a good story to tell!
Tom Grove
Tom Grove is the managing director and part owner of Coates Wildlife Tours, based in Perth, Western Australia.
Tom was born in Queensland and grew up in England and Australia. Tom’s father worked for the United Nations in West Africa, and he travelled extensively as a child.
When he was eleven years old, Tom was sent to England to be educated under the watchful eye of his aunt - a teacher with a great interest in geology and history. She passed on both her knowledge and enthusiasm to young Tom during many country walks. Inspired, when Tom arrived back in Australia he spent many hours exploring the bush and riverbeds. He was fascinated by the wildlife, and the bird life was of particular interest to him.
After leaving Hale School, Tom joined the Rural & Industries Bank (BankWest) and enjoyed a successful career as a manager. His banking career provided Tom with the tools he needed to successfully build a business, and inspired his drive for superior customer service. These skills proved to be invaluable for his next venture.
In 1996 after 24 years in the banking industry, Tom wanted a change. He decided to focus his interests by taking on Coates Wildlife Tours, founded by well-known naturalist Kevin Coate. During the 1980s, this family owned company pioneered nature-based tours in Western Australia, specialising in birdwatching, wildflowers, wildlife, terrestrial orchids, photography/art, scientific research and expeditions into remote areas.
Tom believes that in addition to offering appealing and unusual tours, it is fundamental that clients are provided with interesting and factually accurate information. To achieve this, he has built a team of naturalist guides to accompany all Coates tours.
Tom is currently a member of the Western Australian Naturalists’ Club, the Bird Observers Club of Australia, the Forum Advocating Cultural & Eco Tourism (FACET), and Wildlife Tourism Australia Inc.
Rick Curtis
Rick’s interest in natural history started in childhood when during outings into the countryside on walks and holidays, his parents would point out flowers and birds that they knew. When he was 13 years old, during the severe winter of 1962 in the UK, many unusual birds survived by visiting the bird feeder in his garden. The 'Observer's Book of Birds' facilitated their identification and Rick’s lifelong interest in birds began. Cycling through the Chiltern Hills of southern England as a teenager identifying the wildflowers in the fields, hedgerows and woodlands stimulated his interest in botany.
Rick has been with Coates Wildlife Tours for 13 years and derives great satisfaction from sharing his knowledge of the natural world, learning from customers who often know more than he does and encouraging them to sometimes go a little beyond their comfort zones in some situations. He finds camping tours particularly pleasant when they’re in remote and beautiful places, with a relaxed and content group and a comforting campfire.
One of Rick’s most memorable moments on tour was on the Birdsville Track in South Australia. The tour group were watching a soaring wedge tailed eagle being harassed by two kestrels. As one kestrel approached from above, the eagle flipped over on its back and snatched the kestrel out of the sky - a dramatic outcome that neither the group nor the kestrel were expecting!
Alan Notley
Alan Notley has spent his working life as a horticulturalist. He has been involved in major landscape projects in Western Australia and Asia and his pioneer work in the propagation and cultivation of native plants is now used in many rehabilitation projects. He still is still engaged as horticultural consultant to a major company of town planners and landscape architects.
Alan has been an active member of the Western Australian Naturalists’ Club for more than thirty years. During this time he led and participated in many field excursions and studies throughout Western Australia. He is a past President and Honorary Life Member of the club.
As a horticulturalist, Alan’s major area of interest is Western Australian flora. Having traveled extensively over many parts of WA he has a wide understanding of the ecology of the state.
Alan has been a volunteer guide at Kings Park and Botanic Garden for eight years and volunteer guide at Rottnest Island for ten years. He is an experienced tour guide and has accompanied tours for Coates Wildlife Tours for over seven years. He is also a member of the Tour Guides Association of WA.
Alan has recently established an online photo album where photographs taken on some of his excursions may be viewed.
Chris Wirrell
After almost 30 years of technical work (mainly indoors) Chris ‘retired’ to work with people and in the outdoors where he’d previously only been able to spend his holidays and weekends camping. Now is his time to enjoy the outdoors and all of nature that has fascinated him for most of his life. Tour guiding provides Chris’s professional opportunity to experience the outdoors and nature while outback touring with his wife fills in the gaps when he’s not working - what a life!
The beauty found in nature fascinates Chris. Travelling in remote areas, observing, photographing and consulting reference books are all means by which he comes to a better understanding of the natural world.
Chris has been a tour guiding since 2001. He most enjoys helping others experience the beauty of our country away from suburbia, and the variety and personal joy of just being out there (closer to nature than his family life often permits).
Chris’s most memorable moment on tour with Coates was enjoying pre-dinner snacks on top of a hill overlooking the Bungle Bungles, while watching the sunset. He says it was one of those “I wonder what the working people are doing?” moments!
Joe Froudist
Joe has had a passion for nature all his life - he is interested in all aspects of nature and conservation, and greatly enjoys educating people about natural history. He trained originally as a Zoologist, and has had lengthy careers in Microbiology and Horticulture.
He has travelled widely all over the world and throughout Australia, with a particular emphasis on wild places. He has a passion for photography, and all living things, and considers himself more of an all-rounder with regard to natural history, rather than a specialist in any particular area. He is the immediate past President of the Western Australian Naturalist’s Club, and has been guiding with Coates for the past three years.
With regard to favourite places, in Australia the Rudall River area, the south-west, northern Australia and particularly the Kimberley rate very highly, although he feels completely at home in all natural areas, as there is always something to enjoy and wonder at, from tiny invertebrates, mosses and fungi to whales, cassowaries, massive trees and sweeping landscapes. The Galapagos Islands, Amazon Rainforest, Christmas Island and Antarctica have been very special destinations he has visited with Coates Wildlife Tours. He has had innumerable memorable moments on Coates Wildlife Tours, as nature always brings him joy and surprises.
Red Morrell
Red was brought up on a farm in Pinjarra where he spent his boyhood wandering through the bush on the escarpment. His family moved to Pingrup where he and his brothers developed it from virgin bush into a viable grain and sheep property. Red has always been interested in birds – first stalking them and shooting them as a boy; keeping Australian parrots in large cages on the farm in Pingrup as an adult; and now shooting them with a camera and seeing them through binoculars now that he is working for Coates. Together with his wife and boys, Red revegetated large areas of his family’s farm to control salinity downstream, surface water flows on the property and to create wildlife corridors for native birds and animals.
Red is interested in birds, animals and plants although he considers himself to be very much an amateur in these areas, learning through his experiences and while on Coates tours. He does not consider himself to be a ‘tour guide’, but a ‘tour driver’ who has an interest in nature. Red likes to ensure that the customers are well looked after and enjoy their experience while on a Coates tour.
Red has enjoyed all of the tours he’s been on with Coates, however Karijini National Park is his favourite place to visit, as the gorges are hidden until you are upon them, and they are all different.
Red’s main role when on tour is to ensure that the customers are enjoying themselves, get well fed and are safe throughout the tour. He has been a tour driver for 8 years and has loved every moment.
|
|