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Scholarship named in honour of MH17 victim

MH17 disaster victim Arjen Ryder will be honoured with a university scholarship in his name, aimed at encouraging other West Australians in the field of sustainability.

Mr Ryder, 55, and his 54-year-old wife, Yvonne, were among those who lost their lives in the Malaysia Airlines plane disaster on July 17.

The Albany local of 25 years and Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) employee is being honoured with a scholarship in his name at the University of WA's Albany campus.

Mr Ryder's brother, Drew, said the scholarship would support a student studying at the Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management.

The scholarship will reflect Mr Ryder's expertise, especially in the fields of land evaluation, soil science and natural resource management.

Mr Ryder had a 30-year career serving agricultural and rural communities in WA, and co-authored several books and research papers on salinity.

"He worked tirelessly with individual farmers to help make their land more productive over time, but he also saw the entire Great Southern as 'one great big farm', which could be remediated through long-term collaborative efforts," Mr Ryder's brother said.

"It was Arjen's leadership in this area that we want to memorialise.

"His important work must continue and we are hoping this new scholarship will inspire others to follow in his footsteps."

Ms Ryder was a special-needs teacher at the John Calvin School in Albany for many years.

Both were strong Christians and members of the Free Reformed Church.

Three teams from DAFWA and at least one team from the Ryder family will compete in the 2014 Blackwood Marathon in Bridgetown on October 25 to raise funds for the scholarship.

Mr Ryder was an avid cyclist and had competed in the event for many years.