Chad Crittle (class of 2008) - a career driven by curiosity

To get to the point in life where you’re being asked to write Alumni articles is always a wake-up call to the speed of time! But the speed is due to how fun it’s been, my name is Chad Crittle and I’m proud to be an old boy of Pittwater House. I graduated from Pittwater House in 2008 and went on to pursue a career in the Zoo profession.

What are some of your favourite memories from Pittwater House?

My time with great teachers helped guide this career. I was at school on a music scholarship, and so the guidance and teaching of Mr Jim Coyle was ever present in my school life. Jim taught us not only about the subject matter of the lesson, but also how to learn, how to be curious and how to tell a cracker dad joke. I always had a love of science and biology, Mrs Joanne O’Sullivan was a masterful teacher, creating engaging lessons but also key skills like how to have a discussion to solve disagreements. Most importantly though, Mrs O’Sullivan guided me to the books by Gerald Durrell and Stephan Jay Gould, authors always in my library to this day, these books inspired my interest in the natural world as well as the potential paths to help conserve it. 

What have you done since finishing at Pittwater House? 

I departed Pittwater House with two goals, to present the bird and seal shows at Taronga Zoo. As a theatre kid turned animal nerd this was a great combination of my passions and knowing that was my goal, I commenced volunteering at Taronga Zoo in Year 8. Luckily for me this led to casual employment as a keeper as soon as I left high school, and I was allocated to the free flight bird show! 

What followed has been a whirlwind, releasing trained birds from a Ferris Wheel at the Texas State Fair to releasing critically endangered, Orange-bellied parrots into the wild on the southern coast of Victoria and everything in between has been a true joy. I have worked in three Australian states, the United States and by 22 had achieved my initial goals on my return to Taronga to be apart of the marine mammal team. 

So, my goals have shifted and changed over time but 10 years ago the job led me to Adelaide Zoo. Adelaide Zoo opened its gates 143 years ago and has been a cornerstone of the community since then. I fell in love with its small size but huge ambition and have been honoured to call it my place of work for so many years. 

In my time at Adalaide Zoo, I’ve enjoyed trying so many different things. As a Nature Theatre Presenter, I was part of the team that revitalised the bird show and as Senior Keeper of Birds and Herpetofauna I helped import and quarantine seven Komodo Dragons out of Europe to support the regional breeding program. As Senior Keeper of Birds and Free Flight, I chaired a national recovery team and co-convened the regional Bird Taxon advisory group, and as Assistant Curator of Carnivores and Ungulates I was a key driver in the return of our original pair of Giant Pandas, and import of our new pair who arrived in December of 2024, Yi Lan and Xing Qiu. 

How did your time at Pittwater House prepare you for your career?

I write this article the day after I’ve been publicly announced as the ongoing Director of Adelaide Zoo, a post I could only have ever dreamed of. The privilege of being at the helm of Australia’s second oldest zoo is such a special one, but one I’ve been prepared for by lessons travelling with me from my Pittwater House days. Being curious and always learning helps me stay fresh and nimble in an ever-changing profession and makes every-day exciting. Being inspired to read, even with authors I don’t agree with, empowers me to build my knowledge but more importantly, build empathy and understanding with others, a key need when tackling big challenges. Thanks to my teachers and a great school for helping me in a career journey, that so far has been one dream come true after another.