Meet the team : Catie Gressier

Director

I am a cultural anthropologist based in Fremantle, Western Australia. I am currently researching rare and heritage breed farming across Australia, along with two PhD candidates, Tammi Jonas and Domenico Volpicello. This Australian Research Council funded project aims to raise awareness about the value of livestock breed and genetic diversity, in part through telling the stories of the passionate farmers and breeders engaged in this critical conservation work.

More on the project here: https://www.uwa.edu.au/projects/raising-rare-breeds
 

I grew up in Sydney, but spent many happy school holidays at my uncle’s dairy farm in northern NSW, which kick-started a fascination with farming. Since being awarded my PhD in 2011, my research has spanned environmental issues, tourism, food studies, health and illness. My first book, At Home in the Okavango, examines safari tourism and connections to land among the white citizens of northwest Botswana, while my second book, Illness, Identity and Taboo among Australian Paleo Dieters, explores the industrial food system and contemporary consumption practices via the Paleo diet. I am currently working on my third book on rare and heritage breed farming, and I’m excited to work with farmers, breeders and the RBTA towards the common goal of conserving breed diversity into the future.
 

Photo credit: Catie with one of Caesia Longwool’s English Leicesters, courtesy of Peter and Jo Gelmi

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