What was so special about Dr. Jane Goodall?

This one is hard for me to write.

Every now and then, a name enters households around the world that shapes how we see life. Often, these names bring fear, outrage, or division. But occasionally, someone appears who brings only hope and inspiration.

Jane Goodall was that person for me.

Since I was a young primary school kid scribbling “save the animals” on fallen leaves and trying to sell them to raise money for wildlife, I have followed Jane’s story. I’ve read her books, watched her interviews, followed her advocacy, kept up with the Jane Goodall Institute Australia, witnessed Roots & Shoots grow, and joined her mail lists, masterclasses, and lessons. Always a distant admirer, seeking her wisdom and absorbing her hope. She never knew who I was, yet the impact she had on my life—and on countless others—was profound. Now, with her passing, I reflect on the lives she quietly transformed.

What made her so extraordinary?

For me, it was how often she broke the mold.

I was always introverted, always seeing multiple sides to every issue, never being able to yell my beliefs from a tower . For years, that made me feel like I could never be a meaningful activist or make any positive changes in the issues I’m so passionate about.

How could I protest mining when I understood the miners’ lives and livelihoods?

How could I protest meat-eating when I knew people’s reasons and struggles?

As an adult I was a researcher studying alternatives to animal experiments, but I could never bring myself to fight aggressively against people who used animals in this way—because I only saw humans trying to do their best with the knowledge and resources they had.

I always saw this as a flaw, that I could never create meaningful change unless I was angry, loud, waving flags, unlocking cages and being aggressive to the ‘other side’.

But I would quietly follow along with whatever Jane was up to next.

Her convictions were deep. Her passions were intense. Her empathy was immeasurable—but unlike most, her empathy extended to everyone. Farmers in Borneo clearing orangutan habitat for palm oil? Most would villainise them. Not Jane. She listened to their stories, understood the complexity, and worked with them to find solutions that protected both orangutans and people.

The story that always stuck with me, from her book In the Shadow of Man, was how she entered the world of research. As a young woman in a time when women were expected to be mothers or secretaries, she chased her dream to explore the world, starting in Africa. She overcame every barrier—chaperone rules, visas, societal expectation—and embarked on solo treks deep into the Tanzanian wilderness.

Each day, she observed chimp societies with nothing but a notebook and binoculars, documenting tool use, social structures, bonding, grief, and mother-infant connections.

Her work changed everything. Chimps were sentient! They had rich emotional and social lives! They showed behaviours previously thought impossible in animals!

This discovery opened doors for animal welfare, sentience studies, and protection laws worldwide. And earned her a PhD in ethnology, without even having an undergraduate degree, an incredibly rare achievement.

I remember reading her books years ago and feeling immediate awe. That awe never left me.

What struck me most was that she never sought fame, never boasted, never needed to be loud to make waves. She was formidable in the quietest, humblest, most compassionate way—and she never wavered from doing what was right.

Meeting her has long been a dream of mine—volunteering in her sanctuaries in Tanzania or the Republic of Congo. Life delayed this, but I will still make it happen one-day, even though she won’t be there.

Until then, the least I can do for the person who influenced my thinking, my choices, my life’s path more than anyone else in the spotlight, is write this tribute. To spread her message. To honor her legacy: it is never too late for hope, and kindness can change the world.

Goodbye, Jane. From the deepest parts of my soul—thank you.

“So, let us move forward with faith in ourselves, in our intelligence, in our indomitable spirit. Let us develop respect for all living things. Let us try to replace violence and intolerance with understanding and compassion and love.”
― Jane Goodall