It is interesting to look back over one’s professional career and reflect on the twists and turns that lead to where one ended up.

In this Lungfish Chapter lecture, I will spend some time in such a reflection of my career, and will seek to bring out some of the experiences that underpinned my appointment (as a scientist) in 2009 to the Board of the new Murray Darling Basin Authority.  I will discuss the importance of keeping flexible your horizons, making the most of opportunities that will arise from time to time, recognising that there will be (difficult) career choices presented along the way (forks), and that fate will also be in the mix.

Additionally, I will use my experience in the development of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan to discuss the role of science (particularly ecology and limnology) in the decision-making process involved in this major policy reform. 

Finally, I will make some personal reflection on key aspects of the four-year journey to develop the Basin Plan, and seek to draw out a number of key lessons.