Didymo Dave is such a local legend. 

So often anglers ask the obvious questions:

Where does he get all the energy from?

Why don’t DOC employ him?

Where does he find the dedication and inspiration to look after our fishy environment so well?

How does he keep on going on a voluntary basis?

Why aren’t there more like him from local or regional Councils or DOC or Government Departments who are paid to do what he does?

But most of all they ask – who pays him? 

Just a couple of days ago I caught him tidying up around the Tongariro Bridge Pool, removing noxious weeds, picking up rubbish, encouraging anglers re Check, Clean, Dry message, etc.  I was with a visiting tourist angler from Brisbane who had been reading about Didymo’s accomplishments for many years and was so thrilled to meet the real man. 

DOC (Department of Conservation) should be employing him! 

Dave was buzzing he had discovered a heap of old ferret traps that had been discarded and was arranging to restore them and get them back out on the job.

So I took the image above to illustrate them. 

The Ministry of Primary Industries should be employing him!

Some other TRM inmates were wandering around the river wondering where to go when they came across Didymo Dave on pest and weed eradication duties. 

In no time they report they had the best fishing guide they could have imagined. 

NZ Tourism should be employing him!

The local kids think he is Superman – an absolute role model teaching them all about the importance of protecting the environment in such an entertaining yet instructive manner. 

The Education Department should be employing him!

In this weeks local newspaper is a photo of Dave receiving a cheque from the proceeds of an annual fly fishing festival in Taupo – that indicates what local anglers think of him. 

But he should not be relying on charitable fund or hand outs from events like that. 

The local Taupo Council tourist office aka Destination Great Lake Taupo (DGLT) should be employing him!

Didymo has done more to raise awareness of the dangers of invasive species introduced to NZ waterways, more voluntary conservation work, more on monitoring and running trap lines for stoats, weasels, possums, rats, wild cats, etc. than any other single individual in any other Government funded agency.

The Regional Council should be employing him!

All anglers and others involved with conservation in the Taupo region salute and applaud him.  It is time the Council and/or DOC created a Didymo Dave award for conservation contribution to society. 

But they can’t of course.  Why? 

Dave would keep on winning it.

Thanks Dave.  You are a true Champion.

Below is a short video of Dave when he was operating the fish trap at Lake Otamangakau…