Catriona McBean

1980s

Catriona spend many a university holiday tramping in various National Parks (including Tongariro, Nelson Lakes, Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, Whanganui National Park, Nelson Lakes National Park, Arthur's Pass National Park), garnering an interest in working as a ranger. In 1987 she spent three months in Fiordland National Park as part of Operation Raleigh. Over two summers, Catriona worked at NZ Forest Service HQ and later at Wellington Regional Council working with Bert Youngman to create and deliver the summer holiday programme which still exists today.

1990

In 1990, Catriona commenced a Master's degree at Lincoln University where she studied the history of rangers. Her thesis - Ranger: The Evolution of the Role of a Protected Natural Resource Manager traces the evolution of the rangers in the National Parks, Forest and Wildlife Services from 1874-1987.

During the mid 1990s, she regularly volunteered for the Mountains to Sea, the first multi-sport event in the North Island, which saw competitors race over 3-days from Mt Ruapehu to Whanganui via the Whanganui River. The event was run by Dave Bamford and Les Clarke from Tourism Resource Consultants.

While Catriona's career segued from conservation and outdoors to water safety, sport management and more recently disability sport, she maintains a keen interest in the outdoors and NZ's conservation estate.