WA govt dept mourns MH17 colleague

West Australian public servants are mourning the loss of their long-term colleague Arjen Ryder and his wife Yvonne who died in the Malaysia Airlines plane disaster.

Mr Ryder spent more than 30 years working for the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) and was well respected in his field.

"Arjen was a highly regarded senior technical officer in the area of soil, land and water resources," a statement said on Saturday.

"We will miss a great friend and colleague."

"Our thoughts are with the Ryder family and our many colleagues who worked closely with Arjen."