Your Family Species

The Ranalli family are long term supporters of the Foundation for the WA Museum.

In an auction benefiting the Discovery Endowment Fund, the Ranalli family won the opportunity to have a never before discovered species named after them! We asked Robert Ranalli some questions about why they choose to support the Foundation for the WA Museum and the philanthropic rewards they reap as a result.

 

 

1. Why did you first choose to support the Foundation for the WA Museum?
   As a family, we love museums and all have great memories of the WA Museum – Mel and I from our childhood in Perth with the Blue Whale skeleton and animal collections; and Nate and Kit in more recent times with the dinosaurs and minerals sections. Having visited museums across the world, we are excited for the opportunity to have a world-class museum on our doorstep in Perth and were thrilled to be a part of that.
2. Why is it that the species naming appealed to you?
   Naming a species is such a unique and special experience.  It’s like being a small part of history and something that future generations of our families can enjoy.  It is also a connection to Western Australia and the great work that our scientists are doing here. Nate and Kit love all kinds of insects and the Kimberley is one of their favourite places.So Garypus ranalliorum is a perfect fit!
   It has been interesting to follow the process and see the enormous amount of work that goes into the identification of new species.
3. What has your favourite part of the species naming process been?
   Following from the excitement of being the winning bid on the night, the best part of the experience has been reading the final journal publication that explains and has all the details about Garypus ranalliorum. It’s amazing to think that there are never-before catalogued species right near in WA, and in all places under a piece of bark in a car park!
4. What do you hope that your donations are helping to achieve for the future of the WA Museum?
   We hope that our support for the WA Museum will ensure a strong future for museums in Western Australia and provide support to the hard working museum staff behind the scenes, both in terms of shining a spotlight on the incredible job they are doing and help have world class facilities. The WA Museum will be a place of pride for all West Australians and it has been our pleasure to be able to support such a great organisation.
5. What are you most looking forward to at the new WA Museum Boola Bardip?
   It will be great to see the Blue Whale skeleton hanging again in the WA Museum. Nate and Kite are really looking forward to seeing the new dinosaurs (and some of the old ones, the noisy Carnotaurus) and the rocks/minerals exhibition. We all can’t wait to visit the new museum when it opens and see all the amazing new exhibitions.

 

If you would like to support the future of the WA Museum sites, please reach out to find out how to donate and become involved with the Foundation for the WA Museum.