Thursday, 4 June 2026

 Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (10:43): I was saddened to hear of the passing of Australian Deer Association life member Mike Harrison last month. Mike was one of the most respected deer hunters and bushmen Victoria has produced. But more importantly, he was a man who dedicated decades of his life to protecting and improving the future of legitimate deer hunting in this state. Hunters across Victoria today benefit from the work that Mike undertook long before many realised those freedoms and opportunities could be lost. Mike played a central role in the growth of the Australian Deer Association, served as its national president, helped pioneer hunter education in Victoria and was instrumental in major campaigns to retain hunting access – to overturn the Sunday hunting prohibition and defend hunting with hounds during difficult political periods. His work through the Bunyip sambar project also fundamentally improved our understanding of sambar deer behaviour and ecology.

I had the privilege of getting to know Mike about a decade ago, when we worked together on issues surrounding illegal deer hunting and trespass around the Tonimbuk and Bunyip area. At the time there was understandable tension between sections of the local community and hunters. Mike’s honesty, credibility and practical approach helped bridge that divide. He was trusted because people knew exactly where they stood with him and because he genuinely cared about the bush and doing things properly. Mike embodied the best of Victoria’s hunting community: knowledgeable, measured, ethical and deeply committed to passing on knowledge to future generations. Home is the hunter, home from the hill.