RICHARD SWAIN IS A RIVER GUIDE
SUBJECT Richard Swain
OCCUPATION River guide
INTERVIEWER Nathan Scolaro
PHOTOGRAPHER Supplied
LOCATION Snowy Mountains, Australia
DATE August 2021
Richard Swain uses traditional caretaking practices and modern science to heal the land and rivers of his beloved Snowy Mountains. Born and bred in the region, he set off for a period of adventure in his early 20s – mostly four-wheel driving through outback towns across Australia – before returning to raise his family and build a life that was more entwined with the natural world. He found a piece of land next to the cleanest river in the district and built an off-grid home, where he still lives today, and immersed himself in local environment projects, propelling his life-long work to regenerate Country and protect it from invasive species. As a way of sharing his deep love and care for the land, Richard also founded a soft-impact tourism business called Alpine River Adventures, where he gives small groups an opportunity to experience the dramatic peaks and ravines of Kosciuszko National Park by paddle boat.
I’ve been inspired by Richard’s clear, straightforward and detailed understanding of how to care for the Australian landscape. He grew up with two strong influences: his father, who worked in soil conservation, trying to revitalise land that has been eroded due to hundreds of years of stock grazing; and his grandfather, who taught him how to listen to the land, and how Aboriginal people moved through and respected the country over generations. That relationship, he tells me, and sense of responsibility to the world around you, isn’t specific to Indigenous people – it’s innate in all of us. Through his work with schoolkids and tourists, and as ambassador for the Invasive Species Council, Richard asks people to fulfil their responsibility as custodians – “To accept this land as your heritage and accept caring for it, protecting it as your culture.” He is one of the most humble, committed and warm-hearted people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
NATHAN SCOLARO: Tell me about the land you’re on right now.
RICHARD SWAIN: Well I’m on Monaro. High country. So high country is really spiritual
