From Ranger to Project Coordinator: Zynal Cox Steps into a new Leadership Role

Zynal Cox and Kija Ranger Noel Daylight

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

The Kimberley Land Council is proud to celebrate the career pathway of Zynal Cox, who has recently been promoted from Nyul Nyul Ranger to Monsoon Vine Thicket Project Coordinator.

Zynal is a Bardi and Nimanburr man who grew up in Beagle Bay Community on the Dampier Peninsula. He began his career 14 years ago, joining the Nyul Nyul Ranger team at 19 years old.

“I became a ranger because it was a good job to be on Country,” Zynal says. “Learning from the old people, developing different skills, meeting new people - it all helped build my confidence in talking about Country and caring for it.”

During his ranger career Zynal grew his passion for native flora and fauna in the area – particularly Monsoon Vine Thickets and threatened species like bilbies and the Gouldian finch. In his spare time in the Nyul Nyul office he studied both the local names from Nyul Nyul language and the scientific terminology.

Zynal’s interest in threatened species, monsoon vine thickets and fire management grew as he worked alongside senior rangers, scientists and visiting experts. These collaborations strengthened both his technical skills and his leadership abilities.

“Watching other rangers, like Azton Howard when he moved into the KLC Fire Officer role, encouraged me,” he reflects. “It pushed me to build my skills and step into senior ranger roles, and to keep learning new things along the way.”

Zynal’s transition into the Monsoon Vine Thicket Project Coordinator role has also given him a new perspective on the work of the KLC across the Kimberley.

“It’s been really good to be part of the staff at the KLC,” he says. “I’ve learned how the organisation supports language groups and native title groups across the region. It’s given me a great insight into the amount of work being done for Kimberley people.”

As the Monsoon Vine Thicket Project Coordinator, Zynal will be leading work on one of the Kimberley’s most significant and threatened ecological communities. He sees this step as part of a longer path toward supporting more ranger groups across the region.

“In the future, I’d love to take on a coordinator role for up-and-coming ranger groups,” he says. “Nimanburr would be an ideal one for me, as it’s my native title group. It would be amazing to coordinate a ranger team on my own language group.”

Zynal hopes his pathway shows young people from the Peninsula and across the Kimberley that opportunities within ranger programs are wide-ranging and full of possibility.

“I’d tell a young person thinking about getting involved: give it a go,” he says. “It’s an amazing job to be working in the Kimberley and staying connected to your language group. Over time, you become someone the next generation looks up to. The training through TAFE and the skills you build can take you where you want to go.”

Zynal’s journey, from Nyul Nyul Ranger to Project Coordinator, shows the powerful role ranger work plays in building leaders for the future.

Zynal Cox teaching students about native plants through the Nyul Nyul Two-Way Science Program