NPA Bulletin - National Parks Association of the ACT 50 No 1 Mar 2013.pdf · NPA Bulletin Volume 50 number 1 March 2013 ... to the NPA ACT’s committee or contribute to the debate

NPA Bulletin Volume 50 number 1 March 2013

CONTENTS

From the President ...................................................................2

Rod Griffiths

A single conservation agency ...................................................3

Judge says no to cows ..............................................................3

The Tarkine opened for mining ................................................3

Max Lawrence

NSW: the hunt is on in national parks......................................4

Judy Kelly

Glenburn/Burbong: a quiet time before the cooler weather.....5

Colin McAlister

Bushfire recovery work parties — ten years on.......................6

Martin Chalk

After the fires — hope springs eternal. ....................................7

Brett McNamara

Honours to Tom Uren and Bill Wood.......................................9

Gininderra Falls: Chief Minister asked to reconsider

park decision ...................................................................10

Graeme Barrow

Farewell Jack..........................................................................10

Elizabeth Smart

Articles by contributors may not necessarily reflect association opinion or objectives.

Welcome to the NPA ACT’s first Bulletin for 2013.During the Christmas holidays, I heard the federal minister

responsible for the environment being interviewed on theradio. When asked about what were his priorities for 2013,Minister Burke stated that national parks would receiveconsiderable attention by him in the coming year. He identifiedthat some actions by the states and territories were eroding theconservation values of the national park system and that therewas a need to emphasise the ‘national’ in national parks. Icould only agree, as for too long parochial state and territoryinterests have sought to influence the management ofAustralia’s conservation reserves. In Australia, national parksare created on the basis of environmental considerations, and astrong conservation reserve system forms a foundation for ahealthy national environment.

As part of this interview, Mr Burke indicated that he wasyet to be convinced about the implications of accommodationin national parks. This has been a contentious issue for theenvironment movement for many years. The movement hasconsistently said that tourism and recreation in conservationreserves are secondary objectives, which should beimplemented only where they do not compromise theenvironmental values for which the reserve was created.

Accommodation covers a wide spectrum of activities, frombasic camping to wilderness resorts. Many supporters of theenvironment movement had their first taste of nature throughcamping in a national park. A wider range of the communitymay now be accessing Australia’s natural environment throughmore up-market accommodation options. In deciding whether

such developments areappropriate, we mustalways assess impact onthe environment over theentire life cycle of thedevelopment. Both NSWand Victoria are nowpaying the long-term costsof developments at JenolanCaves and Mt Buffalo,respectively.

In addition, new accommodationproposals in national parks should be assessed for their impacton existing options outside of the parks. And the costs ofduplicating infrastructure already in place beyond the park’sborders must also be considered.

In the ACT, I feel it would be difficult to mount a businesscase for resort-style accommodation in Namadgi given therelative proximity of good accommodation options in Canberra.In Tidbinbilla, the plan of management includes an action toinvestigate low-key accommodation options. The NPA ACTwill continue to monitor any future proposals to ensure that theenvironment is always the winner.

Readers’ opinions on this issue are always welcome, so writeto the NPA ACT’s committee or contribute to the debate byjoining the NPA ACT’s environment sub-committee.

All the best.

Rod Griffiths

Myanmar, admired ...................................................................11

Rupert Barnett

Kosciuszko National Park — is it a lost cause? ......................12

Mike Smith

Mt Kelly: a tough day walk .....................................................14

Rod Griffiths

Abbott Peak bushwalk .............................................................15

Brian Slee

Chopper to the rescue ..............................................................16

Annette Smith

Tim’s PLB really does work ....................................................18

Tim Walsh

PARKWATCH ...........................................................................19

Compiled by Hazel Rath

NPA notices..............................................................................22

Meetings and speaker information...........................................23

NPA information and contacts .................................................23

2 NPA BULLETIN − MARCH 2013

From the President

NPA BULLETIN − MARCH 2013 3

A single conservation agencyLast November our President Rod wroteon behalf of the NPA to Chief MinisterKaty Gallagher congratulating her on there-election of her government, andexpressing support for a singleconservation agency instead of havingthe Parks Service and the policy andscientific research functions devolved totwo separate agencies as is currently thecase.

In early January Rod received a replyfrom Andrew Barr MLA, who at the time

was Acting Chief Minister. Mr Barr’sletter contained the following veryencouraging words:

“ …. The ACT Government considersthe ongoing protection of the Territory’sbiodiversity values to be of fundamentalimportance. I agree with you that a moveto a single conservation agency will betterserve the Territory’s interests by bringingtogether all elements of biodiversity andprotected areas management under thesame administrative unit.

“The NPA ACT has a long and proudhistory of working with the ACTGovernment for the betterment of theTerritory’s natural values and I welcomeits members’ ongoing advocacy andpassion for the local environment. TheACT Government looks forward toworking with the NPA ACT with a viewto ensuring that policies and programsdelivered across Government serve tomake our natural environment astronger and more resilient one.”

The Tarkine opened for miningEnvironmental and conservation groupshave campaigned for years forTasmania’s wonderful Tarkine wildernessto be protected from intrusions by loggersand miners. Currently around 80 per centof the Tarkine is protected from logging,but only 5 per cent is protected frommining. The large open cut Savage Riveriron ore mine is the main mine currentlyoperating within the Tarkine.

Following a period of EmergencyNational Heritage Listing a few yearsago, and after extensive study, theAustralian Heritage Council advised theFederal Government that an area of433 000 hectares should be permanentlyheritage listed. On 8 February 2013Environment Minister Tony Burkerejected this advice, deciding that only astrip of 21 000 hectares along the westcoast would be listed. This area waschosen because of the importantindigenous sites therein. The listingcontains none of the rain forest for whichthe Tarkine is so famous.

This decision has been welcomed bymining interests and a State Governmentanxious to boost employment andincomes in its flagging economy. Butconservation interests are aghast.

On 11 February the Hobart Mercury,in an article headed ‘Tarkine entersgolden period’, quoted the TasmanianEnergy and Resources Minister as sayinghe expected a burst of new mining andexploration activity.

The chief executive of the TasmanianMinerals Council stated that the mostdramatic difference, in the short tomedium term, would be in the Tarkine’smineral exploration levels. He said that inaddition to already announcedproposals — such as Venture Minerals’Mt Lindsay tin, tungsten and magnetiteand Shree Minerals’ Nelson Bay Riveriron ore projects — there were a couple ofother iron ore projects in the area thatcould be started quickly.

Scott Jordan, of the conservationgroup The Tarkine National Coalition, isreported in the Mercury as having vowedto succeed, where Mr Burke had failed, to

protect the Tarkine. The campaigncontinues. Go Scott!!

Max Lawrence

Footnote: NPA ACT’s Tim Walshwrote an impassioned plea for theTarkine in the June 2008 edition ofthis Bulletin. Tim’s article can beaccessed via our website

http://www.npaact.org.au

and following the leadsOur Publications, TheBulletin, Back Issues.

Arthur River rainforest,Ted Mead

On 3 January Federal Court judge SusanKenny dismissed the BaillieuGovernment’s bid to return cattle toVictoria’s Alpine National Park. TheCourt said Tony Burke’s decision to orderthe removal of the cattle was madeaccording to law. Mr Burke said the cattlewould have an unacceptable impact on

the National Heritage value of the park,but lawyers for the Victorian governmenttold the court the minister had consideredinvalid information while coming to hisdecision.

If ever there was a good example ofwhy the powers of the EnvironmentalProtection and Biodiversity Conservation

(EPBC) Act should be firmly kept inCommonwealth hands, this would haveto be it!

Judge says no to cows


NSW: the hunt is on in national parksThe NSW deal with recreationalhunters

Recreational hunting is due to startwithin the next month in 79 NSWnational parks and nature reserves, thenumber possibly rising after the trialperiod. The targets will supposedly beferal animals. The activities of wildlife,and the enjoyment of nature lovers andbushwalkers, will be threatened. TheGame and Feral Animal ControlAmendment Act 2012 is incompatiblewith the primary objective of nationalparks and reserves, which is conservationof the natural environment and protectionof biodiversity.

In 2012, NSW Premier BarryO’Farrell struck a deal with the Shootersand Fishers party to allow them access tocertain national parks and reserves,including Kosciuszko, Brindabella andMorton, in exchange for their supportenabling the privatisation of electricity inNSW. The Shooters and Fishers areassociated with the NSW Game Council,which has the support of the verypowerful and influential National RifleAssociation of the United States.

Between 2002 and 2009, thepredominantly pro-hunting Councilreceived more than $11 million ingovernment funding ‘despite promisesfrom Mr Macdonald it would end upbeing self-funded’(1) During 2010–11 theCouncil received $2.5 million ingrants (2).

Professional shooters and ascientifically based program

Professional shooters of feral pests areappropriate in national parks when theywork in conjunction with national parksand wildlife authorities, followingscientifically based and humaneprograms with auditing, monitoring andstrict protocols. Victorian and SouthAustralian national parks have suchprograms in place.

So far there is no evidence of similarcontrols for NSW. The initiative isbizarrely and frighteningly open-endedwith few if any conditions, parameters,checks or balances. Who will check tosee what wildlife is being shot, howmany, and whether it is done humanely?Who will dispose of the carcasses? Howmany native animals and birds will bemistakenly or wantonly shot?

The Invasive Species CouncilAustralia has concluded that recreationalhunting is ineffective in controlling orreducing feral animal populationsbecause it is not part of a professional

and appropriately designed program withspecific targets for the number of animalsto be killed(3).

No guarantee of safety for publicor parks staff

How will the safety of visitors and staff innational parks be ensured, especiallywhen the number of Parks and Wildlifestaff in NSW has been reduced? How willtourism revenue be affected in areassurrounding national parks?

NPA of NSW has distributed a flyerfor bushwalking leaders that advises:‘Given the level of risk, communitygroups are warning people not to use anypark or reserve where recreationalhunting will take place’. The flyer reflectsa grim irony by quoting the NSWGovernment’s own risk assessment:‘Most projectile injuries to people arelikely to cause serious injury or death …for this risk, it is not possible to reducethe consequence below major …’

The International Hunter EducationAssociation estimates that 1 000 peopleare shot in hunting accidents in the USAand Canada each year, just under 100being fatalities. Most victims are huntersbut non-hunters are sometimes killed orinjured(4).

In Australia, fatalities between fellowhunters have occurred. In New Zealand, anearby hunter accidentally shot a youngwoman who was staying at a Departmentof Conservation campground nearTurangi, late one night in October2010(5).

In fatal hunting accidents, hunterssometimes mistake a companion for aquarry. Although hunters are supposed tocarefully identify and focus on theirtarget, the proviso is negated by a legalloophole in NSW which allows the

visually impaired to own a licensed gunand to hunt(6). The news item continues:‘The Government was not aware of theissue until 7News started investigatingand they have not confirmed whetherthey are looking into it’.

Cross-border issues with the ACT

Of concern for the ACT is the likelihoodof hunters encroaching on Namadgifrom Kosciuszko and Brindabellanational parks, both of which adjoin theACT border. Welcome news from theACT Government was that recreationalhunters would not operate in the ACT,but a problem now arises with themarkedly different management of feralanimals in nearby NSW. Withinadequate staff and resources, who willstop hunters or their quarry fromcrossing the border?

Professional hunters have expressedconcern that amateur hunters maydisperse feral animals, and drive themfrom one area to another; will Namadgisee an increase in feral horses, pigs andother vermin?

Rangers are aware that illegalhunters deliberately introduce game intonational parks to maintain their numbers(pers. comm.). Will that trend intensifyunder recreational hunting?

Illegal and inhumane shootingof wildlife

Two recent incidents of illegal andinhumane shooting of native and feralanimals have been reported:• In August 2012, during school

holidays, a family ‘were confronted bya group of hunters’ driving into aremote but popular camping ground ina south-east national park, “randomly

(continued next page)


We have been basically resting on ourlaurels since the last work party inNovember.

It has been too hot to work in thefield, and the Parks Service has beenvery busy because of fire and fire threatsand the influx of fisherfolk and othervisitors to the Googong foreshores.

But there are a few items of news.First, the very large tree at the site of

Coppin’s ruins has been formallyidentified by the National BotanicGardens. It is a male Osage-orange(Maclura pomifera), which is native tothe south-eastern United States ofAmerica.

There are several mature female treesin the Canberra region and they bearvery large inedible fruit. Brian Slee tooka photo of a female tree and its fruit onone of his walks last year.

Second, I have prepared the draft textof a possible interpretive sign that couldbe placed inside Glenburn homestead.The draft covers the history of thehomestead and its people, and protectionand conservation issues — past andfuture. The Parks Service has agreed tothe preparation of text and photos for thesign.

Third, guided walks of the historicsites at Glenburn/Burbong will beconducted by the Friends of Glenburn onSunday 14 April during the ACT

Heritage Festivaland as part of theNPA OutingsProgram on Sunday5 May. All arewelcome.

Fourth, RhondaBoxall and myselfhave lodgednominations to theACT HeritageRegister for theseparate Coppinshomestead sites inYarrolumla (nowwithin MolongloStage 2) andBurbong. Note thatthis spelling ofYarrolumla accordswith nineteenth century spelling of theParish, and is different from that used forGovernment House and the suburb, bothof which are some kilometres fromCoppins homestead site.

Finally, the Friends of Glenburn metfor a planning session with staff from theACT Parks and Conservation Service on14 February. It was a most successfulmeeting. The Parks Service has agreed toget contractors to repair the pisé portionof Glenburn homestead this financial yearand to seek quotes for the stabilisation ofCoppins chimney and separate fireplace

and for the capping of the walls ofColliers ruins. The work on Coppins andColliers might not get done thisfinancial year. The Parks Service alsoagreed to the construction of two furtherinterpretive signs — at Coppinshomestead site and inside Glenburnhomestead. The tasks for the 2 Marchwork party were also agreed.

Colin McAlister

Glenburn/Burbong: a quiet time beforethe cooler weather

Work party at the recently erected interpretive sign at Glenburn

Homestead, September 2012. Photo Max Lawrence.

NSW: the hunt is on in national parks (continued)

shooting kangaroos” … then loading“some onto a vehicle before drivingoff, leaving dead and maimed animalsbehind’(7).

• The acting chief executive of the NSWGame Council was suspended after twomen in a NSW Game Council vehiclewere allegedly caught trespassing on aprivate property near Cobar, in pursuitof a goat with ‘trophy horns’(8).

• Protection of native water birds isthreatened after the NSW Governmentenacted legislation in November 2012to transfer the responsibility for issuingduck-hunting licences from theNational Parks and Wildlife Service tothe Game Council(9).

What can you do?

Write a letter to NSW Premier, the Hon.Barry O’Farrell MP, GPO Box 5341,Sydney NSW 2001 or [email protected] asking for

(2) Heath Aston, The Observer, January24, 2013

(3) ‘Is recreational hunting effective forferal animal control?’http://www.invasives.org.au/

documents/file/reports/

EssayProject_RecHunting_FeralCo

ntrol.pdf

(4) http://animalrights.about.com/od/

wildlife/f/HuntingAccident.htm

(5) http://www.3news.co.nz/Fun-loving-

teacher-shot-in-hunting-accident

(6) http://au.news.yahoo.com/video/

nsw/watch/d26ae2e4-746f-3e0c-

bdff-43cd52f28c6c/legal-loophole-in-

shooting-licence/

(7) http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/

2012/08/15

(8) Heath Aston, Sydney MorningHerald, Jan 27, 2013

(9) http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/

2012/s3638901.htm.

the recreational hunting decision to bereversed.

For further information:• NPA of NSW:

http://www.npansw.org.au/ or http://nohunting.wildwalks.com

• The NSW Game Council’s view on‘conservation hunting’:http://www.gamecouncil.nsw.gov.au/

docs/Report-ConHunting-Vol1-Ch1-

3; 4-5.pdf

• NSW Government:http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/pestweeds/spc.htm

Judy Kelly

References

(1) http://www.smh.com.au/

environment/conservation/

macdonalds-game-council-thrill-

killer-20090720-

dqui.html#ixzz2KYHBvmib


Bushfire recovery work parties —ten years on

the practical issuesthat rangers have todeal with. Thismutual respect is avaluable commoditythat previously had,perhaps, a moreephemeral nature.

Highlights and

successes from

the past 10 years

In 2007, the NPA wasapproached by PCL to undertake wildingpine control in the Lower CotterCatchment as a ‘project’. The area wasformerly a pine forest but the fires killedthe standing pines and offered anopportunity for the regeneration of nativevegetation. However, the pine seed bankin the ground also had designs on thenutritious ash bed. Six years on, thenumber of pines in the area aroundBlundell’s Flat has reduced to the pointwhere only maintenance is required.

English broom occurs widely in thearea between Brayshaw’s Hut and GrassyCreek. In 2006 some 1 500 plants wereremoved. This number jumped to over3 000 in 2008. In 2011 the number hadreduced substantially to 770 and last yearit had fallen further to 62. We hope this isa genuine reduction rather than atemporary change.

Stockyard Arboretum, located belowthe upper reaches of Stockyard Spur, wasbadly damaged by the fires, with manyexotic conifers destroyed. The decisionwas taken by PCL to return thearboretum to native vegetation. The NPAfirst visited the area on a work party in2007, when it removed 85 conifers. The2008 work party was cancelled due tobad weather but, in 2009, a further 82conifers were removed. In 2011 thenumber had reduced to 36, with all butsix located in a small area just outsidethe boundary of the original arboretum.Two magnificent, mature fir treessurvived the fires and have been retained.But the recurrence of conifer regrowthwithin the arboretum seems now to havebeen reduced.

Links with NPWS

The NPA work parties have alsoestablished links with the NPWS acrossthe border. We have undertaken manualweed removal from sensitive areas of the

In February 2003, the Namadgi NationalPark management asked the NPA forassistance in the recovery program thatfollowed the previous month’sdevastating fires. The assistance took theform of monthly work parties to performtasks where and when requested.

In February 2013 these work partiesare still a regular part of the NPA‘outings’ program. Indeed, the regularparticipants have also clocked-up10 year’s of involvement — a matter thatis increasingly assuming greaterimportance!

Some quick statistics to set the scene:• We have conducted some 100 work

parties.• We have worked in some 17 different

locations, from the Grassy Creek areaof Namadgi National Park, to theSherwood Homestead site in the northand to the east in Tinderry NatureReserve.

• We have removed a few weed plants:for example, 25 400 wilding pines(Pinus radiata) (11 228 from theLower Cotter Catchment alone), 5 500English broom, 3 047 sweet briar and384 willow.

• We have also removed 110 eucalyptand 480 acacia plants from BendoraArboretum to preserve its character as aconifer arboretum.

• We have removed disused fencing fromthe former Honeysuckle Creek trackingstation site and installed ember-prooffencing around Frank and Jack’s Hutand Demandering Hut.

• We have driven over 11 000 km to andfrom work sites.

Apart from the raw statistics outlinedabove, the past 10 years have enabled aclose working relationship between theNPA and Parks, Conservation and Land(PCL) rangers. Also, it has allowed theNPA to develop a better understanding of

Queanbeyan Nature Reserve and studyplots for the rare Swainsona recta alongthe Queanbeyan–Royalla railwayeasement. We have also worked with theQueanbeyan Area office to undertake pigtransects in the Blue Bell Swamp area ofTinderry Nature Reserve.

Perhaps one of the more frustratingaspects of the past 10 years is theubiquitous briar. One hundred and thirtyyears of grazing have facilitated a robustand resilient plant. Despite removingover 3 000 plants, the task ahead seemsdaunting. But there is hope. In twosuccessive work parties around CotterHut, the briar population seems to havediminished. As I write this on ChristmasEve, I hang on to that positive note.

Thanks to the old, and a call for

the new

The work parties would be nothingwithout the continuing support of ourmembers. We have fourteen whoparticipate, with a smaller numberhelping regularly. Age is our enemy, soany members who would like to putsomething back into the park system atthe grassroots level are most welcome tocome along and try this variety of‘outing’.

I would like to thank those who haveparticipated over the past decade. Irealise the results are difficult to see attimes but I believe the trend is a positiveone.

Martin Chalk

Work Party Coordinator

Photographs by Martin ChalkTop. Demandering Hut work party,

July 2010Left. Mike Bremers and Brian Slee

working on the Australian AlpsWalking Track, October2005


After the fires — hope springs eternalThis article was written by BrettMcNamara in 2005 on the occasionof the second anniversary of ourdisastrous fire storm. Brett was thenManager of Namadgi National Park,and the wounds were still raw. InJanuary 2013 we commemorated thetenth anniversary, and Brett hasmoved up the ACT Parks andConservation Service ladder to beManager Regional Operations.Nevertheless, the effects of the fireare still with us, and Brett’s 2005personal recollections serve as apowerful reminder to all of us of thetask confronted by our park staff notonly in managing and protecting ourwonderful national park, but inlooking after themselves and theirfamilies as well.

As the years roll by the events ofSaturday 18 January 2003 form anarrative that underscores our collectivefire history. For what did occur is nowhistory. Lives have been altered, blamehas been levelled and lessons have beenlearnt. Importantly, as a community wehave moved on.

As we look to the future, we shouldnot lose sight of the foundations uponwhich we rebuild that were once theashes of the January 2003 firestorm. Inparticular, the horrific events thattranspired on that fateful day atTidbinbilla Nature Reserve.

My current role is that of a SeniorManager with the ACT Parks andConservation Service, withresponsibilities for the management ofthe natural, cultural and recreationalvalues of Namadgi National Park,Murrumbidgee River Corridor andGoogong Foreshores. Working with ateam of dedicated professionals wedeliver a range of resource managementprograms across a vast area of the ACT.

I commenced my career with theACT Parks Service back in October 1990as a temporary ranger on a 6-monthcontract, prior to which I workedthroughout the Northern Territory forclose to 8 years.

Throughout my career with the ACTParks and Conservation Service I havebeen fortunate enough to have lived onthe ‘estate’ as it were, residing at uniqueand beautiful work locations, namelyBendora Dam within Namadgi NationalPark and then at Tidbinbilla NatureReserve.

For nearly five years I lived in aspecial part of the world, high up in theBrindabella Range of Namadgi National

Park, at a place known as Bendora Dam. Iwas the resident area ranger. It was atBendora that Jordan and Gemma tooktheir first steps and called the BrindabellaRange home. To work and live with ayoung family in such a special part of theworld with its sense of isolation yet withthe nation’s capital on its doorstep wasindeed a special experience. As a youngfamily we were privileged to have hadthe opportunity.

At Tidbinbilla we had pretty much the‘perfect’ rural lifestyle …

With Jordan and Gemma starting to yearnfor an education we moved from theidyllic world of Bendora to another littlepiece of heaven — Tidbinbilla NatureReserve.

At Tidbinbilla we had pretty much the‘perfect’ rural lifestyle — all on the urbanfringe of Canberra. The childrencommenced their pathway into theeducation system via Tharwa PrimarySchool, which was your typical smallcountry school with 30 kids in the wholeschool not the one class! I had levitatedthrough the ranks from being ‘simply asimple ranger’ to Manager of NamadgiNational Park.

However, most importantly as afamily we were part of the local ruralcommunity. We had a real sense ofbelonging against a backdrop oftranquillity in tune with nature. Life wasgood.

To give you an example of how ‘intune’ our lifestyle was at Tidbinbilla, Ican recall many starry nights sittingoutside watching shooting stars over themountains while enjoying a glass of redwine or two with the kangaroos in ourbackyard swaying to the sounds of themusic resonating across the valleyfloor!

Or at least I thought they wereswaying.

As a family we were privileged tolive in harmony with our surrounds.Then on one hot and catastrophicsummer afternoon in January 2003 it allended.

For me personally the fires didn’tarrive on our doorstep unannounced on18 January. I had received a calling cardsome 10 days beforehand. On theafternoon of Wednesday 8 January2003, a massive dry thunderstorm sweptacross the Australian Alps NationalParks registering over 165 separatelightning strikes from the AlpineNational Park in Victoria through to theBrindabella Range of Namadgi NationalPark.

Of the lightning strikes in Namadgi,three had started fires with one — tobecome known as the infamousMcIntyre’s Hut fire — just outside theACT. Little did we know that soon theywould become one massive firestorm —a conflagration of epic destructiveproportions with deadly consequences.

… there are many sights, sounds andincidences that are literally ‘burnt’ intomy memory

As a deputy fire captain with the ParksBrigade I spent the next 10 daysworking 12-hour, or sometimes 22-hourshifts fighting the fires in theBrindabellas — a place I knew verywell. Over those 10 long days andnights there are many sights, sounds andincidences that are literally ‘burnt’ intomy memory, but one clear recollection Ihave is that of the professionalism anddedication of the crews I workedalongside, volunteers and parks servicefire-fighters alike. I look back on ourcombined effort with a sense of pridethat, given the circumstances andresources at the time, we fought thegood fight.

To my mind it is nothing short of amiracle that somehow we all managedto walk away from the experience. Thecollective professional effort of the firecrew and incident management teamreinforced the need to keep the safety

A ceramic cherub still playing celestial music

amongst the devastation that was a family home;

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve January 2003



After the fires — hope springs eternal (continued)

and welfare of the firefighters uppermostin our minds. While ultimately we maynot have suppressed and contained thefire given the conditions, we did keepour crews alive — a fact which shouldnot be lost. Be it good management orsimply good luck we did just that; notone firefighter was killed in thefirestorm.

[I witnessed] the fire crowning over thetop of the Tidbinbilla Range at FishingGap

After working a gruelling 14-hour nightshift as sector commander, I returned toTidbinbilla as the sun rose on Saturday18 January 2003 only to find that thefires had followed me home. I have avivid recollection of standing in ourbackyard in the soft morning lightwitnessing the fire crowning over the topof the Tidbinbilla Range at FishingGap — a sight few if any had witnessedbefore.

This was not going to be a good day.The predicated weather conditions wereextreme. As it transpired they werecatastrophic.

It was at that point we decided thatTidbinbilla was no place for a youngfamily.

After evacuating Jordan and Gemmato the relative safety of a friend’s housein Canberra I returned to Tidbinbilla toagain fight the good fight, or at least thatwas the plan.

As the saying goes the ‘best laidplans of mice and men ...’

Before evacuating our home we hadprepared the house. The gutters wereoverflowing with water as the drainpipes had been blocked; the yard wasclear of flammable material and the lawnwas lush green. Utilising a grader, a bareearth mineral containment line had beenestablished around our home. We had afire break. The valley had little or nograss thanks to the kangaroos. We wereprepared.

Upon returning to Tidbinbilla Itasked a firefighting light unit to assistme with asset protection of our familyhome. Pulling into the driveway I recallseeing water everywhere, overflowingfrom the roof over the house. I briefedthe crew and we waited.

We did not have long to wait.I will undoubtedly take to my grave

the terrifying sights and sounds of beingengulfed within an all-consumingcataclysmic firestorm. The ferocity ofthe cyclonic winds, the deafening soundof the roar of the fire, the burningsensation of heat upon my face as myface cloth caught alight and literallyburnt on my face. The pure strength and

been burnt by the fire. We sat there andsimply watched my home burn to theground.

Undeniably, our personal protectionclothing, fire jacket and pants saved ourlives. Without such clothing we wouldhave been burnt to death.

It is the feeling of absolutehelplessness; helplessness as you watchyour family home burn — burn with awealth of cherished familypossessions — that leaves you feelingnumb and shocked to the core. It was atthat moment I felt absolute despairbeyond words. An experience I wouldnot recommend to anyone.

On reflection, it wasn’t a good day.The events of Saturday 18 January

2003 had an impact on so many differentlevels. For us, not only had we lost everyaspect of our personal lives, but also wewere soon to learn that we had lost somuch at a professional level.

Over 95 per cent of NamadgiNational Park was now burnt — a park Iknew so very well. The children’s firsthome at Bendora was totally destroyed;the Cotter was destroyed. Despite thedemanding and gruelling effort we hadput into fighting the fires, we lost somuch in that January firestorm.

What of the future?The days after the fire were filled

with mixed emotions — shock, sadness,anger and distress. The sense of where tobegin, where do we start — as a familywe were off on an emotional roller-coaster ride with many low points andgut-wrenching turns. Its funny how kidshave such a wonderful way of summingup the situation and seeing things forwhat they really are. Young Jordan, withhis whole seven years of life experiencesaid to me one day, ‘Daddy it doesn’treally matter that the fire took away ourhome, we still have our memories …’

In so many ways Jordan was right.Memories of the good times — the funtimes at Tidbinbilla. The kids’ birthdayparties in the backyard, Christmas Daylunches with the obligatory walk toGibraltar Peak in the afternoon, thedinner parties watching the shootingstars over the Tidbinbilla Range. Suchmemories will always stay with me.

It’s a funny thing to one day wake tofind that all you have are the clothes onyour back, being a fire jacket, and thento realise that you don’t even have a coathanger to hang it on. To lose yourmaterial possessions is to lose your senseof identity. You don’t have your driver’slicence, a passport, your bank accountdetails — you no longer exist in terms ofyour ability to identify yourself.

intensity of the ember attack wasunimaginable. I have vividrecollections of being pelted with red-hot flying embers with such force thatI was knocked to the ground.Crawling on my hands and knees,desperate to find refuge I recallpeeling off my burning face cloththinking that I was going to die.

Mere simple words are totallyinadequate for describing the sightsand sounds of being consumed by aninferno. It was terrifying.

Miraculously, I crawled across thelawn while being engulfed by fire tothe spa, which was well alight; yet Ifound enough water. I recall lookingup and seeing flames licking at thehouse, dancing as if they wanted tooverwhelm and consume everything intheir path. My thoughts turned to thecrew who were with me. I scrambledinside to the relative safety of thehouse, away from the ember attackand flames. It was there that I foundmy crew standing in the study pouringmilk over their faces in an attempt tosooth their smoke filled eyes. It’sfunny the things you think about in themiddle of a crisis; to this day I canrecall thinking how I was going toexplain the milk all over the computerand onto the carpet!

… the house was now fully alight;the excruciating sound of thecorrugated iron being peeled off theroof still resonates with me.

Meanwhile, the house was now fullyalight; the excruciating sound of thecorrugated iron being peeled off theroof still resonates with me — anunimaginable sound. It was if thehouse was groaning — crying out as itwas being consumed by fire. I walkeddown to the kitchen which had a largewindow facing the north-west; as Istood there peering out into the ragingfirestorm the window exploded underthe force of the cyclonic wind; flamesonce again licked at my face.

With the burning sensation of heaton the back of my neck, I ran pastGemma’s bedroom only to see her bedwell alight, her beautiful toys burningas they sat upon her bed. I canhonestly recall thinking that I wasabout to meet my maker, I sincerelyfeared for my life and that of my crew.

We sat there and simply watched myhome burn to the ground.

At that point the roof collapsed. It wastime to get out of the house. Wecrawled from the house and foundrefuge in the ‘black’; an area that had (continued next page)


After the fires — hope springs eternal (continued)

However, we were soon to learn thatwe were not alone. Following the fire theoutpouring of community support wasremarkable on so many different levels.

As a family, I recall us beingoverwhelmed by donations, gifts and,most importantly, support. I remembercommenting to a number of people thatif I had to experience a natural disaster Iwould much rather experience one in acountry called Australia and in a citycalled Canberra than in any other placein the world. We also experiencedcompassion and empathy that merewords cannot adequately describe.

One day walking through the OldKingston Bus Depot markets astallholder recognising our plight, pausedand gave us a little wooden bowl, sayingthat she could relate to our loss and griefhaving lost her sister in the Bali terroristbombing. The loss of a house simplydoes not compare to the loss of a lovedone; yet this total stranger felt suchempathy to our plight, that she wanted tohelp.

Words cannot describe our reaction tothat simple gesture. That wooden bowl isnow a priceless and treasured item. Itwas one of the first things we acquiredafter the fires.

Returning to work, I found a nationalpark almost completely burnt, with manylosses in terms of intrinsic natural andcultural heritage values of the park. Over80 per cent of the internationallysignificant Ginini Wetlands had beencompletely burnt, a critical habitat of the

with that intensity is a landscape-building event.

Bearing witness to such an event,suffering the personal losses and, moreimportantly, surviving, provides youwith an opportunity to glean an insightinto what is truly important. Materialpossessions are just that, merepossessions. They are soon replaced. It isa deeper understanding that we aremerely passing through this place, at thispoint in time, that resonates with me.

The time scale on which we conductour daily lives is dwarfed by nature.

However, the human spirit, likenature, has an amazing way of bouncingback after adversity. As the years roll onand with each anniversary I growstronger, wiser and with a greater senseof purpose to ensure that those who willwalk in our footsteps as land custodiansare spared similar experiences of thatfateful day.

That is our legacy, to ensure thathistory does not repeat itself — nottoday, not tomorrow, nor in 20 yearstime.

That is the experience I take from thesummer of 2003.

Brett McNamara

Namadgi National Park

18 January 2005

endangered Corroboree Frog. Theoldest club-built ski chalet which hadstood proudly at Mt Franklin for over65 years now lay in a pile of ashes.Ranger staff living at Glendale,Bendora and the Cotter had also losttheir homes in the firestorm.

The natural and cultural landscapeof the park had been significantlyaltered beyond initial comprehension.

However, as land managers wefocused both personally andprofessionally on nature’srehabilitation strategy, to gainknowledge and to glean an insight intonature’s overall recovery plan. Wecoined a new phrase, the ‘green fur’look, to describe the extensiveepicormic regrowth of the eucalyptsand witnessed tonnes of new topsoildeposited from the mountains onto thealluvial plains of the valley floor.

Nature has an amazing way ofrecovering from such a fire event.

We witnessed nature at work as shecrafted and moulded the iconic graniteboulders of Namadgi as sheets ofgranite literally ‘peeled off’ before ourvery eyes! Nature has an amazing wayof recovering from such a fire event.For millennia she has seen fire in thelandscape and will undoubtedly seefire again across the mountains. Aspark managers we were witnessing anevent on a scale not seen before by ourpredecessors. Fire on that scale and

Two former politicians very well knownto NPA ACT featured in the 2013Australia Day Honours List.

The Honourable Tom Uren AO hasbeen elevated to Companion (AC) in theGeneral Division of the Order ofAustralia, our top gong. His award wasfor eminent service to the community,particularly through contributions to thewelfare of veterans, improved medicaleducation in Vietnam and thepreservation of sites of heritage andenvironmental significance.

In 1983, as FederalMinister responsiblefor the ACT in thethen new HawkeGovernment (selfgovernment for theACT only came in1989) Tom Urenmade Namadgi Nat-

ional Park a reality. The following noteappears in the 40th Anniversary NPABulletin (March 2000):

On the crisp sunny morning of 31August 1983, NPA members escortedthe Federal Minister for Territoriesand Local Government, Tom Uren,and a contingent of his office anddepartmental staff on a tour of whatwas then Gudgenby Nature Reserve.

On a map spread over the bonnet ofa truck at Glendale ranger station,NPA President Neville Esaupassionately explained theAssociation’s national park proposal.

Tom Uren followed the detailclosely.

Then he turned to his departmentalhead, John Enfield, and said ”John,can you arrange that?”

Namadgi National Park wasgazetted on 3 October 1984!

Mr Bill Wood was made a Member(AM) in the General Division of theOrder of Australia. His award was forsignificant service to the community andthe Legislative Assembly of the ACT.Bill Wood was Environment Minister inthe second Follett Government (1991 –1994), and held a number of portfoliosin the first Stanhope Government,retiring in 2004. NPA found him to bean interested and cooperative ministerwith a keen interest in mattersenvironmental.

Our warmcongratulationsgo to them both.

Honours to Tom Uren and Bill Wood

Farewell JackIn the December NPA Bulletin we noted the passing of life member JackSmart, and that a picnic would be held to spread Jack’s ashes in Namadgi.That function was held on Orroral Ridge above Honeysuckle on the eveningof Friday 4 January. It was attended by around thirty or more of Jack’s NPAfriends, and at least as many more of Jack’s family and ANU friends andcolleagues.

Following the picnic Jack’s wife Elizabeth wrote the following note forpublication in our Bulletin.

The family and I want to thank members of the NPA for their continued warm

friendship for my husband Jack Smart.

Bushwalking with NPA was one of Jack’s greatest pleasures for the 23 years

that we lived in Canberra.

When we arrived in 1976 he was still playing hockey and became

increasingly frustrated as matches played on a Saturday interfered with what he

really wanted to do at the week-ends. Eventually I persuaded him to give up

hockey, so, 3 days before his 60th birthday, he played his last match, and was at

last free to join the NPA walks and other programs.

He came home with many tales of adventures and of the kindness (and

forbearance!) of his fellow walkers, so it was good to meet some of you whom I

had previously only known by name, when you joined us to scatter Jack’s ashes.

It was a wonderful evening at an unforgettable spot.

Thank you all for coming and thanks to Max Lawrence for overseeing the

proceedings so efficiently and well.

All of us who were there will remember that very special evening.

Elizabeth Smart


The Ginninderra Falls Association(GFA) is advocating that a working partyfrom the ACT and NSW governmentsand the Yass Valley Council beestablished to look at all theramifications of a national park centredon Ginninderra Falls.

In December 2012, a letter was sentto ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher,suggesting such a working party. Theletter asked if she would write to NSWPremier Barry O’Farrell, putting forwardthe idea for his consideration.

The GFA, while appreciative of what

an open forum in early February. TheAssociation sought the opportunitybecause of council changes followingelections last year.

There were to be two speakers at theGFA’s first public meeting for 2013, inthe Belconnen Public Library onTuesday, 26 February, at 7.30 pm:Christine Goonrey, President of theNational Parks Australia Council, andKevin Evans, CEO of the National ParksAssociation of NSW.

Graeme Barrow

she has already done on the nationalpark issue, was disappointed inMs Gallagher’s reply indicating shewould not agree to the request. TheAssociation decided to write again tothe Chief Minister asking her toreconsider. It believes that, for thenational park proposal to makeprogress, there needs to be the activeinvolvement of both governments andthe Yass Council.

Meanwhile, the GFA was to makea presentation about the national parkbid to a meeting of the Yass Council at

Gininderra Falls: Chief Ministerasked to reconsider park decision

Speckled light

wash in a poolstand on a bouldersmell of the Earth ...all those rainforestmornings long ago

speckled lighton leaf litterthe soundof running waterwashes right through me

overgrown trackand fallen trees ...the mindseeks all problems ...climb over or duck under?

I am the tick ...the leech that lopestowards warm blood ...I am a creatureof the forest floor

flickering flamesand mopoke callingvoices of frogsand cicadas ...above us the starry night

Gerry Jacobson


September 2012 proved to be a goodtime to join a tour in Myanmar, firstbecause the in-flight entertainmentoffered the film The Lady, so itsportrayal of the life and role of Aung SanSuu Kyi was a timely reminder of thecountry’s troubled past. Then, in thatsame week she and the country’sPresident addressed the UN; we canhope this action confirms thesigns of new directions for itsfuture.

In the Yangon airport, thoughit was with hesitation, I asked asecurity guard if it was okay tophotograph a sign — airports are‘strategic locations’ after all. Helooked up surprised, then repliedwith a big grin. ‘Yes, please!’.The sign read, ‘Welcome toMyanmar’.

That was the first of athousand pictures that portray alittle of a people for whom Iquickly developed a realadmiration. So what can belearnt from a short trip?

A mix of old and new

The drive from the airport was alongmanicured avenues, past neat and lushparklands, but past buildings mostlyolder and sometimes dilapidated, thoughwith new ones going up too. Smallbusinesses were common, as were thelines of washing on balconies. Thestreets, some buildings, the frequentbilingual hoardings and later, the 2-footrail gauge, reminded that much remainsfrom the century this land had been aBritish colony.

It was clearly also a ‘developing’country, yet in the mix of often old and‘wrong-drive’ cars, trucks, vans andbuses, a woman on a motor scootermanoeuvres adroitly without once takingthe mobile phone from her ear. Or was ita mobile? — their availability and usehas been tightly controlled until now.

Religion pervasive

The West’s sanctions have been oftencriticised for causing much ofMyanmar’s poverty, but I wonder if thathas been greatly outweighed by internalfactors. There is a fairly inclusiveeducation system (in which Australia hasa $80 million program) to primary leveland one felt the people had goodorganisational skills. Yet, one third of afamily’s income traditionally must bedirected to religious purposes (and somestatues must be inches deep in gold leaf);

there have been no street beggars, noguards at the village gold-leaf factory, noone sleeping in the streets — but perhapswe were in the wrong places?

The tour touched a couple of nationalparks; their number has gone from 3 to 9in the last decade, and includessubstantial areas of habitat of tigers andwild elephants. Other reserves number

some dozens, though my onlywildlife ‘spectacular’ is a butterfly.We were told that guided walkingtours can be arranged in much of thecountry. Much about a different people canonly be learned by reading orlistening, of course. One story Ifound telling: a key event thathelped move the junta towards moreliberal policies came from an earlyvisit by UN Secretary General BanKi-moon: walking from his aircrafttowards the dignitaries waiting inthe grand reception tent he stopped,then moved off the carpet to talkfirst with the people behind thedistant barricades.

What’s in a name?

As for names, it seems Burma was apoor transliteration of the informal namefor the main ethnic group (better isBamar); their formal name is Myanmarand we noted that name is universallyused in the country. There are many non-Myanmar, as we know from the long-running conflicts involving groupswe’ve heard about — Mon, Hmong,Karen, Palaung, Shan to name a few ofthe 150-odd ethnicities which are(nominally) recognised. That list doesnot include the Moslem peoples on thenorth-west border who are currentlyinvolved in civil conflict. The country’sofficial name, The Republic of the Unionof Myanmar, is perhaps an attempt torecognise that diversity. But if thecountry is trying to ‘come out’, it seemsto me outsiders should try to respecttheir name, especially our politicians andthe media.

My visit was brief, but opened up amuch richer appreciation of this countryonce labelled ‘Axis of Evil’. For me ithas generated a lot of questions I haven’tan answer for yet; if you’ve got any,there’s lots of good information aboutMyanmar in tour guides and other booksand, I’m finding, on the internet.

If you’re interested, it is probablyalso an ideal time to vote for ‘change inMyanmar’ with your feet too.

Rupert Barnett

as well, a significant proportion of itspeople become monks and hence aburden and a loss to economicactivity, and I see on the internet thatin just a decade enough of a new andgrandiose capital (Nay Pyi Taw) hasbeen built that it already is home toover a million people — mostlygovernment employees.

In Yangon (Rangoon) the mostphotographed subject (by visitors) issurely the immense gold-covered spireof the Shwedagon Pagoda; it and athousand others gleam with the deepfaith of these people. Their primarycreed is a form of Buddhism, but theirpractice can include elements ofancestor worship, animism, Hinduismand perhaps Islam. Also complex arethe region’s ethnic and politicalhistories; the visitor can see a little ofit in the thousands of millennium-oldpagodas scattered over the plains ofBagan, Hindu figures on a Mandalaypalace, temples for the worship ofancestors and spirit gods on Mt Popa,ethnic dress in a hill-country market,the ‘new’ capital on the AyerwadyRiver floodplain destroyed twocenturies ago by an earthquake, andperhaps that current new capitalproject.

Village industries and

national parks

Day-to-day living is still largely basedon the cottage or village industry —weaving silk, casting brass Buddhas,hammering gold leaf, smithingtraditional knives, schooling (thealphabet is complex!), temple rituals,rural activities, and by the bullockchewing patiently by the wagon thathas ‘Taxi 1’ carefully printed across itscanopy. Much is implied aboutcommunity values when one realises

Myanmar, admired


Kosciuszko National Park — is it a lostcause?In the beginning there were mountains,

valleys and pristine rivers; a wholly

natural landscape unaffected by humans.

There was an environment of trees,

scrubs and animals in harmony with their

mountainous surrounds. There was snow

in winter and occasional wildfires in

summer, both of which create the

environment; snow slowly releases water

and fire is needed for regeneration. The

few humans that had lived in or traversed

the landscape were Aboriginal people

and maybe a few explorers and they had

little impact on the environment.

Then came white settlers on the

Monaro, Riverina and other areas

surrounding the Snowy Mountains!

Grazing

In the 1830s, the settlers saw well-

watered grassy meadows in the high

country, so they built fences and huts,

and moved their sheep and cattle in for

summer grazing. However, the grassy

areas were often sphagnum/heath

swamps and the hard-hoofed domestic

animals soon turned them into bogs,

destroyed the sphagnum, polluted the

watercourses and generally caused the

meadows to dry out. But the settlers still

only saw grass, water and profits. This

was also probably the start of the decline

of High Country aquatic life such as the

Corroboree frog. Summer grazing in the

High Country above 1350 m was

eventually banned in 1958 essentially to

stop soil erosion in the river catchments

that were vital to the Snowy Mountains

Scheme and phased out completely from

the Kosciuszko National Park in 1969.

Dam building

In the early 1950s, the constructorscame, the builders of the SnowyMountain Scheme. They built roads,more huts, dams, tunnels, aqueducts,towns and much more. With theconstruction came exotic flora and lotsof altered landscapes. There was littleregard for the environment in those days;people needed electricity and theMurrumbidgee Irrigation Area neededwater so they got on with the job anddiverted water from the Snowy River tothe Murray River catchment, leaving thelower Snowy River bereft of water. Onlyrecently have works been undertaken toincrease flow in the Snowy River.

environment suffered, native animalssuffered and the values of national parkswere compromised if not lost.Introduced plants such as OrangeHawkweed, blackberries etc. out-competed the natural grasses and othervegetation. Vermin or feral animalsarrived and made life difficult for nativeanimals.

Wild dogs

Wild dogs (adjoining landowners alsoput dingos in this category), foxes andcats found haven in the Park and theylived off smaller native animals, whichhad limited defences against suchpredators. Some of the feral animals alsoventured out of the Park and attackedlocal farmed animals such as sheep,lambs and new-born cattle. This gave thePark the reputation amongst locals as ahaven for killers. The problem wastackled by the Park by trapping anderadicating where possible these feralanimals. But is this being maintained at asufficient level in the face of decreasedfunding? I wonder!

Rabbits

Rabbits have been in Australia since theywere introduced with the First Fleet in1788 but didn’t become a real problemtill they were released on a property inVictoria for hunting in 1859. However,the CSIRO’s myxomatosis and calici-virus now appear to have controlledthem to a degree. Although present inKosciuszko National Park rabbits don’tappear to be a real problem, particularlyin the country above the snowline.

Skiing

At around the same period, skiingtook off in Australia. Ski resorts weredeveloped, which included clearedand modified slopes, andinfrastructure in the form of ski lifts,chalets, and lots of bitumen-surfacedroads and car parks. The small, nativeanimals that lived in these areas musthave been severely affected but thenthey were probably expected to moveand maybe they did. The saving gracewith the ski fields was that they wereof limited extent, a very smallproportion of the high country.

Park establishment

Finally, when the landscape hadadjusted to accommodate thesechanges and come to some sort ofequilibrium, it was gazetted in 1967 asa national park — the KosciuszkoNational Park — a park to protect theremaining environmental assets of theSnowy Mountains and surroundingareas. There were still large areas ofgenerally unmodified landscape andby removing activities such as thegrazing much more of the landscapereverted to a more natural state.Native grasses and other flora grewand proliferated, rivers were generallyclean and unpolluted and the nativeanimal life probably thrived.

Feral plants and animals

But in subsequent years this was all tochange; weeds and feral animalsarrived and they proliferated. The (continued next page)


Pigs

Pigs have been the bane of the Australianenvironment since their release,deliberately or accidentally, aroundCooktown in Queensland by CaptainCook in the 1770s. They are or wereprobably present in all national parks butbetter controlled or even eradicated insome. In Kosciuszko, pigs are anincreasing problem as the landscape inplaces attests. They root up large areas ofgrasslands, killing the grasses andcausing erosion. They are trapped,poisoned or shot in most parks, withvarying degrees of success. It hasprobably been the same in Kosciuszko.But is it continuing at a sufficient pace toreduce the number of pigs? I think not!Funding cuts have probably also affectedthis. Recently, an unused pig trap wasobserved in an area of old and new pig-damaged landscape along the ToomaRiver.

Deer

Deer are a relatively recent addition tothe list of feral animals in KosciuszkoNational Park. They are probably as yetin small numbers but if left uncheckedcould multiply and become a problemsimilar to that of feral horses. They dothe same type of damage.

Horses

Feral horses are the really big problem.They damage watercourses and wetlandscausing erosion; they pollute water withtheir waste; and they leave large piles offaeces along roads, tracks and other openareas. They are now virtually in plagueproportions in the lower areas ofnorthern and southern Kosciuszko andthey breed prolifically. Due to the publicperception that these feral horses are thedescendants of the brumbies of The Manfrom Snowy River fame they are virtuallyimmune from realistic methods oferadication. Instead, they have to betrapped and removed from the Park, acostly method which is unlikely to keeppace with their rapid breeding and thusunlikely to dramatically reduce theirnumbers in the Park. Again, due to thefunding pressures, is even this method offeral horse control being seriouslyadvanced by the Park service at a levellikely to reduce feral horse numbers?I doubt it!

As an interesting aside it appears thatthe southern feral horses are scruffy andinterbred but they live in a generallyweed-free environment, whereas thenorthern feral horses appear to be muchmore thoroughbred in appearance butlive in a very weedy environment. It just

national parks with much heralding ofthe achievement but did it increase thefunding to maintain these new parks? Ithink not!

Commercialisation

Commercialisation of the Park isoccurring. Politicians are consideringallowing all sorts of commercialactivities in the Park; the horse riderswant access to wilderness areas; theShooters Party, which holds a balance ofpower over the NSW Government, hasgained access to shoot selected feralanimals (but feral horses are excluded);various commercial interests includingthe shooters want vehicle tracks and firetrails opened to them; and the cattlemenwant grazing back in the Park. What anightmare! The concept of wildernesswas developed to allow only minimalimpact activities and generally keepcommercial interests out. Horse riding infragile environments could hardly beconsidered minimal impact; horse ridersalready damage and spread weeds in theexisting areas they are allowed into. ThePark needs shooters to control feralanimals, but they need to be professionalshooters who know what they are doing,how to do it correctly and have anunderstanding of where the ferals maybe. The members of the amateurShooters Party may want to shoot feralanimals, but feral animals such as pigsare good at keeping a low profile, at leastduring the day. I pity the poor wildkangaroos; I can already hear theamateur shooters saying that they are notdomesticated so are really only feralanimals anyway. I won’t get into thedangers to national parks of cigarettesand pit-bull terriers (or similar), which

happens that the commercial horse-riding activities occur in the northernregion. Could this just be acoincidence?

Politics and politicians

The greatest threat to KosciuszkoNational Park and all other NSWnational parks is man in the form ofpoliticians. They have cut funding andreduced ranger numbers to the extentthat NSW parks must be close tounsustainable, if not already so. Theonly part of parks that hasn’t sufferedis the part responsible for collectingpark entry fees and other monies forthe government treasury. That sayslots about government priorities. It’spretty much a truism that theenvironment doesn’t vote and itshows. All recent governments, bothLiberal and Labor, have increasedincome from, and cut funding to,national parks, on the premise of them‘paying for themselves’ (user paysprinciple) but this doesn’t take intoaccount the environmental andbiodiversity values of national parksand forces commercialisation. It hasbeen said that the current LiberalNSW Minister for the Environmentdoesn’t know the meaning ofenvironment. That’s probably unfair,as she is almost certainly tasked by theNSW Government to increase incomefrom the environment and decreaseexpenditure on the environment. Thisdoesn’t get her many friends in theenvironmental movement. It is alsoprobably unfair to single out thecurrent NSW Government as beinganti-environment. A Labor gov-ernment in NSW not so long backdramatically increased the number of

Kosciuszko National Park — is it a lost cause? (continued)

(continued on page 14)


fee of course), to show them the lovelybrumbies of The man from Snowy Riverfame, but will not show them thedamaged landscapes or pollutedwatercourses; they will take them backto their luxury accommodation and feedthem bottled water when they are notdrinking chardonnay. Rangers, blesstheir hearts, will continue to fight thethreats (probably in ‘hi-vis’ flak jackets)but with little success (no resources, nofunding) and wonder why they arebanging their heads against a brick walland that there must be more satisfyingways to make a living. Ecologists andenvironmentalists will continue to voicetheir concerns but no one listens; in theAustralian vernacular it’s called ‘pissinginto the wind’. Bushwalkers will wringtheir hands in horror, continue to get sickfrom drinking the water but graduallydrift away to less damaged landscapesand national parks. But will the problemsfollow them?

are generally associated with amateurshooters. I wonder where greenies andbushwalkers fit into the feral categories.Apparently the Shooters Party hassuggested that bushwalkers should wear‘hi-vis’ clothing but is this for visibilityor as a target! Maybe bushwalkersshould be wearing ‘hi-vis’ flak-jackets.And cattle back in the High Countrywould be a return to the bad old days.

Prospects

Is Kosciuszko National Park a lostcause? Probably! Politicians willcontinue to increase their income fromnational parks, and Kosciuszko inparticular, and while reducingexpenditure. Feral plants and animalswill flourish and proliferate as, due to thelack of funding, they are not beingtackled. Business will continue to takepeople into the Park on horse treks or byvehicle, if allowed by government (for a

Is there any hope? Probably not!Funding is the answer, but governmentsonly react to public pressure and thepublic at present is most concerned withhospitals, schools and policing. Gettingthe environment off the bottom of thepile is a must. But can it be done?

However, it’s not all doom andgloom, there are still areas ofKosciuszko, particularly in the real HighCountry, generally above the snowline,that are relatively pristine and thus lovelyareas to walk, view and contemplate. Butwill it last; there are already mutteringsthat High Country summer grazingleases could be a ‘nice-little-earner’ forthe NSW Government?

God-help-us!

Mike Smith

(Photos by Sabine Friedrich)

Kosciuszko National Park — is it a lost cause? (continued from page 13)

going to be done, then the route takenshould be to the left of the southernbranch of Middle Creek and high enoughout of the creek to avoid the thick scrubnotorious along many of Namadgi’swatercourses.

So, armed with this sage advice, Alexand I set off past the many kangaroosdotting the sides of the Yankee Hatwalking trail. It was a cool Novembermorning in 2012 with a promise of ahotter day ahead. The walking trail led usquickly to the lowest slopes of YankeeHat, where we left the track to skirtacross the open grasslands towardsMiddle Creek. Just on the edge of thetree line to our left, three dingoessurveyed our progress.

Reaching the edges of Middle Creek,the vegetation slowly started to thickenas we worked our way along animalpads. We passed a dozing copperhead …cautiously. Max had also advised me toavoid ascending the spur leading up toMount Burbidge, so we continued west-ward. We crossed a couple of minortributaries and from there we began torise quickly up a north-west spur.

… the vegetation closed in on us, andthe ascent steepened.

At the two-hour mark we checked ourposition and congratulated ourselves onour progress. A dangerous move for, sureenough, in the next section, the vege-tation closed in on us, and the ascentsteepened. As we started to get distantglimpses of Mt Burbidge, we found our-

I’m tired, bloodied and have a dull achein my left ankle. It’s always amazinghow the last kilometres can drag on.

Another walker appears to our left,striding purposely across the open land-scape to the north of Yankee Hat. She’lleasily beat us back to the Yankee Hat carpark, still another 20 minutes away.

Alex Holland and I are in NamadgiNational Park, in the final stages of a daywalk to Mt Kelly and back. We hadstarted out at 7:30 this morning, nearly11 hours ago.

When I first joined the NPA, as partof my welcome package I received acopy of the NPA’s 40th anniversarysupplement. Amongst its wealth ofinformation was a photo of Julie Henrystanding on top of Mt Kelly. Julie wenton to become an NPA Life Member, andMt Kelly gathered iconic status as itbecame the focus of the NPA’s push for anational park for the national capital.

After 10 years with the NPA it wastime for me to honour the past and visitMt Kelly.

Could it be done in a day?

NPA walk leaders have regularly takengroups on two- or three-day walks to MtKelly, but over the years, I had heardstories of walkers doing the trip in a day.Was it possible? I asked Max Lawrence,an NPA stalwart. The reply was notaltogether positive. ‘There’s been heavyregrowth since the 2003 fires whichwould make a hard walk even harder’.However, Max did say that if it was

selves locked in a struggle with theundergrowth and the steep slopes.Although I had donned gloves and hadeye protection from my sunglasses, mylegs were still slightly exposed, and thevegetation slashed away at the fleshabove my gaiters.

Alex and I had slowed significantlyas we worked our way towards BogongGap. In thickly vegetated, untrackedbush, the walker in front works harderthan the rest of the group, as ways ofleast resistance are sought through thebush. We swapped positions regularly,working as a team through these stages,as the leader became tired.

… we found ourselves in an area ofsignificant eucalyptus regrowth.

We were able to track our progressagainst Mt Burbidge’s stunning rockyridge line and, after four and a halfhours, we were pleased to find ourselveson the edge of the marshy open area infront of Bogong Gap. This stretches forabout a kilometre and, while the slope ofthe land had eased, we found ourselvesin an area of significant eucalyptusregrowth. These tough plants ensured aslower progress, so that it was oneo’clock by the time we finally got to thelower slopes of Mt Kelly.

… time running short

Alex and I were both worried at thisstage about whether there was sufficienttime to climb Mt Kelly itself. But, after

Mt Kelly: a tough day walk

(continued on page 15)


agreeing to assess the situation in anotherhalf hour, we pushed on. The under-growth fortunately thinned to woodland,and the passage up Mt Kelly was helpedby expanses of granite boulders andfaces.

… simply magnificent views

After passing a false summit, the route tothe top was very speedy and, within 20minutes of starting the final climb, wewere being buffeted by strong winds onthe top of Mt Kelly. It was too short avisit as the views are simply magnificent.Mt Jagungal reared in its isolation on thesouthern horizon, while to the west thepeaks of the Bogong Range stood out.The beauty of Namadgi was also spreadout below us. In the distance, to the east,a clearing, marking the Yankee Hat carpark, showed how far we had come.

… few visitors

The weather-worn visitors book showedthat only six other groups had been theresince the start of 2012. But there was noshelter on the summit from the gale thatwas blowing, and a reading of theaccounts of other walkers would have toawait a return visit, when the elementswere a bit friendlier.

We descended slightly and, in the leeof some rocks, again took in the viewswhile quickly dispatching our lunches.Just to the north, a cricket-pitch-like

shape showed up on Rotten Swamp, inplace for some remote scientificresearch.

… many traps for feet and ankles

Setting out again, we knew that downhillthe return trip should be quicker, but wewere already well into the afternoon andthere was a chance of a moonlight strollacross the grassy plains, many kilometresaway. I gauged the rate of our return tripagainst the rocky outcrops of theBurbidge Ridge and we were makinggood time. But as the granite tors andflanks faded from view we again foundourselves in steep country, well coveredin vegetation that resisted our passing.Scratches upon scratches demanded thatwe pick our way gently through thescrub. It is hard to concentrate when youare tired, but this sort of country hidesmany traps for feet and ankles.

Another copperhead required a slightdetour from our intended path. It wouldbe interesting to know how many wedidn’t see.

We reached the gentler and moreopen slopes near Yankee Hat after foursolid hours. As Alex pushed on, I leaptdown from a fallen forest giant, only toroll my left ankle in an unseen hole.After ten hours of walking, this lapse inconcentration brought me down in apainful way. The next few steps were not

pleasurable, but we were not going tohave to activate the PLB.

As the pain dulled, we emerged fromthe forest and picked our way across thethistled grassland, sending rabbitsscattering in our wake as the day drew toa close.

… a hard, long day but worth it …

Back at the car park we turned andlooked to the west. Mts Namadgi,Burbidge and Kelly dominated the sky-line, a view that had spurred the creationof a fantastic national park. It had been ahard, long day but worth it to share thevista that inspired Julie Henry and othersso many years ago.

Rod Griffiths

Chairlift $32! Better than climbing,so all aboard Kosciuszko Express at9:15 am. The forecast wind met us atEagles Nest but it proved beneficial incooling us down as the day wore on.Only a few walkers on the steel track;welders repairing a section. The sunraysat Cootapatamba Lookout had faded togrey. By 10:30 am we were at RawsonPass and stopped for morning tea at thestart of Main Range Track. No flies, nowind (Kosciuszko acting as shield),layered clouds for entertainment.

We left the track and descendedscrubby rocks to Wilkinsons Creek. Afew eyebrights and trigger plants were inflower but billy buttons had gone toseed. Oreobolus studded the claypans aswe headed west to the base of Abbottand started to climb. It got rocky towardthe first peak — the glorious leader wasflagging and cursed when the mobsurged to the furthest peak. However, itwas a good move as it was the intendeddestination (2145 m). Impressive placeto see Kosciuszko’s full height, theRamsheads, Geehi and everything formiles around. Bushfire near Jagungal.

Walk: Abbott Peak, 10 February 2013Participants (6): Brian Slee (Leader),

Margaret Power, Peter Anderson-Smith, Max Smith, JennyMcGrath, David Dedenczuk

Weather: Cool to warm, windy,clouding over about 2 pm, no rain.

Leader’s Comments: Townsend is thecustomary destination for NPAwalks NW of Kosciuszko butAbbott Peak was a goodalternative as most participantshad not climbed it before. Thiswas a walk with edge, providingthe opportunity to celebrate, orotherwise, a candidate for PM.The leader suggested a way ofmarking the occasion but detailsare sketchy.

As is the way, we again loaded ourselvesinto a pair of Subarus before glidingaway from the Calwell Club at 6:30 am.High cloud accompanied us to Jindabynebut skies were clear over the mountains.Thredbo was replete with mountain bikecompetitors yet we found parking100 metres beyond the footbridge.

The wind was easily avoided justbelow the summit but lunch had to bebrief and we were away at 1:00 pm.Peter found a lovely grassy descent backto the creek from where we climbed theold road to Muellers Pass. A fledglingpipit huddled in its grassy nest whilemother fluttered around. Mobs of ravensin the area.

Dark clouds were rolling in from thewest. The drop to Rawsons Creek andclimb to Seamans Hut on a foot pad wasrelatively easy. (Don't stop for anything,the ants are ferocious.) From there wewalked south, keeping east of craggyEtheridge Ridge: at first, grassy meadow,then tufts, then low mint bush, before werejoined the grid near Snowy River. Wewere at the chairlift at 4:05 pm andJindabyne at 5:00.

After coffee at Sundance (seriousshortage of pies), we were back atCalwell at 7:15 pm. An expensive,extensive (18 km) effort but a great day.Worth repeating in January when theflowers are blooming.

Brian Slee

Abbott Peak bushwalk

Mt Kelly: a tough day walk (continued from page 14)


How often have you found that yourday has not gone to plan: insteadevents led to a situation that youcould not have predicted in yourwildest imagination?

A walk to the Pretty Plain Hut

Nearly ten years after it was destroyed inthe 2003 fires, in November 2012 Mikeand I had the opportunity to return to seethe reconstructed Pretty Plain Hut on afive-day pack walk organised byDi Thompson for the NPA. Alsoaccompanying Di were Gary Thompson,Helen Stevens, Kathy Saw, EstherGallant, Meg McKone, Tim Walsh andDavid Large. We spent two nights at thePretty Plain Hut, all new and clean-cut,hoping for a long fire-free life. The finalnight of our trip was at Wheelers Hut butwithout the Gang-gangs that had sofrequently nested there. Our last daydawned fine, and, eager to beat the heat,we set out early. We negotiated a badlandslide along the way that made thefire trail impassable for vehicles. We bidfarewell to the mighty Jagungal, foreverrampant. We sat over morning teawatching strange cloud formations. Apartfrom the continuous ups and downs, thewalking was deceptively easy. With norisk of taking a wrong turn along theSnakey Plain fire trail, we spread out;walking and talking at our own pace;stopping awhile to photograph flowers,admire views and watch birds as theinclination took us. The main incentiveto keep moving was the thought of a latehamburger lunch at Cabramurra, togetherwith real coffee.

News of a mishap

Around 11 am, thecall echoed up anddown the fire trailthat Helen hadfallen. We wereonly 3 km fromthe cars. She hadskidded on theloose gravel on asteep section ofthe fire trail, andhurt her ankle. Asa precaution, shedid not attempt tostand and, to ourrelief, we wereable to gentlymove Helen a fewmetres uphill to aflatter section ofthe fire trail. Wetoo had been

skidding as we stood beside her whereshe had fallen.

A brief examination convinced usthat Helen shouldn’t walk any further.Without any phone coverage from any ofthe various services members of theparty subscribed to, the only option wasto set off the personal locator beacon(PLB), something we carry in the hopethat is all the insurance we need not toneed it.

Waiting for rescue

For the next few hours we sat around,wandered around, chatted, speculated,boiled the billy and waited. All sorts ofquestions arose: should we give Helenwater, food, painkillers? How muchwarmth? Once we’d settled some foammats under Helen and she swapped herdamp shirt for thermals, she wasresigned to wait patiently. For the rest ofus, the waiting became tenser as timedrew on. We strained our eyes scanningthe sky, as though that would make ahelicopter materialise. Occasionally, weheard the throb of a vehicle on the roador a high-flying jet, but each time thenoise faded.

There was no way to communicatewith the rescuers. That brings a feelingof powerlessness. In the meantime, wekept a record of Helen’s vital signs,which were reassuring. The only timeher pulse became elevated was whenfinally we heard, then sighted, theSnowy Hydro SouthCare Rescuehelicopter. Then we had anxious minuteswhen the helicopter circled us four orfive times, each circuit radiating furtherfrom us. It was looking for, but couldn’tfind, a convenient landing place.

A difficult retrieval

The accident happened on a steep firetrail under Snow gums with a few smallareas of low scrub nearby. Just as wewere fearing the helicopter might leaveto send in a land rescue, it dropped anorange smoke flare a hundred metresaway, and descended low enough toallow two medics to slip out onto theground to an area almost out of sightfrom us, before ascending again. Thenoise was immense, and the air wasfilled with flying litter. Our efforts tostay calm and in control were well andtruly sabotaged.

The rescue team consisted of a doctorand a paramedic who immediately tookover managing Helen. The doctorquickly examined Helen and the messagewas relayed to the helicopter that anevacuation was indeed needed.

Fortunately, we had a couple ofbrawny, gym-trained blokes in the groupwho were able to carry Helen up the firetrail to where there was a bit of aclearing between the trees and thehelicopter could hover for a winchrescue. We were asked not to doanything to distract the helicopter pilot,who would need to fully concentrate onpositioning the heli-copter.

A superb pilot

For me, impressive though the doctorand paramedic were, the prize forprofessionalism went to the unseenhelicopter pilot who held his machine sosteady as it hovered as low as possiblebut out of reach of the trees. Theconsolation prize for bravery goes toHelen. The medics were fitted with

helmets and earmuffsbut Helen had to waiton the fire traildirectly under thehelicopter as thedoctor was winchedup before she washarnessed andwinched up with theparamedic. Althoughher head was huddledunder the collar of herjacket, the noise, themini-tornado of dustand stones from theroad and plant debrisflying around musthave been reallyuncomfortable. Once the helicopterleft, a pall descendedover us, and we were

Chopper to the rescue



Helen was on crutcheseight weeks later on13 January 2013, just afew days over ten yearssince the Kosciuszkofires began, when theirproperty Chitty, close tothe WarrumbungleNational Park nearCoonabarabran wassuddenly burnt afterlightning strikes. Theirmud-brick house andHelen’s studio that they’dbuilt, and other sheds andvehicles were utterlydestroyed. Manymembers of the NationalParks Association as wellas other walking groupshave enjoyed thegenerous hospitality ofHelen and Jimmy overthe years. Who couldever forget coming backfrom a walk guided byHelen and/or Jimmy,showering in the outdoor‘visitor’ shower withwater heated in Jimmy’singenious arrangement,

and sitting around the camp fire of anevening. Helen’s studio comprised oneroom for her pottery and another for her24 years of ornithological surveys,library and computer. Fortunately, thecomputer with all the bird records wassaved, as it was elsewhere at the time.Not so lucky Jimmy’s garage andworkshop.

Life is a pattern of give and take. Thistime Helen had to accept assistance from

left to walk the remaining hour back toour cars and head for home. Never havewe walked more carefully down thesteep and loose gravelly fire trail, andsomehow admiring our surroundingsbecame secondary to arriving at the carssafely.

Now for that hamburger with the lotand coffee at Cabramurra; but guesswhat? The café had just closed for theday.

Helen was X-rayed in Canberrahospital and the initial diagnosis of abadly broken leg was confirmed. Thatevening they encased her foot, but shecouldn’t have a shower and wash sixdays of dirty hair until the followingmorning. That adage from grandmaabout clean underwear, could also applyto hair.

More disaster follows

As if the traumas of a broken legweren’t enough at a time when Helenand Jimmy were celebrating significantbirthdays with the extended family,

others. On the first day of an NPA stay atChitty in 2000, Adrienne Nicholsoncracked her kneecap and spent the weekthere on crutches, with Helen lookingafter her.

The message: be well equipped andprepared.

Broken legs and ankles are notuncommon amongst experiencedbushwalkers. I know of around a dozenbreaks, mostly ankles/legs, in the lastdecade. Knowing that it can happen toany of us, and being prepared, will assistthe rescue and recovery. We were luckyon this trip that all members of the groupwere well-equipped, well-experiencedwalkers.

Our experience with this helicopterrescue brought back memories of amemorable walk that Mike and I wereon in January 2003. We arrived at PrettyPlain Hut on the day that lightningstrikes started numerous fires inKosciuszko National Park. Judy Kellygave a firsthand account of that event inwhich we were helicoptered out to ourcars thanks to the vigilant and proactivePark service personnel (NPA Bulletin,March 2003). For us it is particularlypoignant that firstly Helen washelicoptered out nearly ten years later,then suffered the devastating loss of herand Jimmy’s home in 2013 as a result oflightning.

Our thoughts are with Helen andJimmy. We thank them for the memoriesthat they have shared with so many of usand wish them well for their future.

Annette Smith

Chopper to the rescue (continued)

Photos. Facing page and above.

Helicopter rescue photos by Dianne

Thompson.

Right. NPA memories from Chitty:Helen

and Jimmy at home, by Max Lawrence;

Inset. Up the Chitty hill, koala with a

Siding Spring telescope dome on the

skyline, by Annette Smith.

Tim Walsh was a member of DiThompson’s NPA packwalking groupfeaturing in the previous article byAnnette Smith. It was Tim’sPersonal Locator Beacon (PLB)which, through the AustralianMaritime Safety Authority (AMSA),brought SouthCare to the rescue. Inthis article Tim provides a briefaccount of the rescue with emphasison the role played by the PLB andhelicopter rescue team. He does notintend it to be a first-aid primer.

A PLB is an electronic device that usesthe global COSPAS–SARSA search-and-rescue system to send out aninternationally recognised distresssignal. The message sent out is cross-referenced to a database of registeredbeacons. This means thatAMSA is able to tell whohas set off the alarm, andwhere they are.

This is the first time Ihave used a PLB in anemergency so I wasinterested to note thesequence of events and tosee if I could make anyimprovements to my ownpreparation for a bush-walking trip.

The initial thing Irealised was that my basicand remote area first-aidcertificates are out of dateand need renewing as soonas possible. I found I washazy on such basic pointsas how to treat a personwho could be in shock,other than to keep themwarm and givereassurance. What about ahot drink for instance?Our group designated oneperson to record details ofthe accident for themedical crew: name ofpatient and contact details of next of kin;when and how the accident happened;what first aid had been given; theongoing condition of the patient; andwhether any food, water or drugs hadbeen administered. The patient carriedher Medicare card with her.

This information was appreciated bythe rescue doctor. Although obvious afterthe event, it is one of the things that caneasily be overlooked in the tension of anaccident.

The rescue team took about twohours to arrive. I found out later that the

homing-in pattern. On landing, theparamedic appeared to use both her owncommunications device and my PLB tokeep in touch with the pilot.

When we set off the beacon we alsolaid out bright groundsheets. This wassupplemented by one of the group, who,on hearing the helicopter, stood in aprominent position on the fire trail in ared top. She believes that this was thefirst visual sighting of the group the pilothad. Obviously, common sense isrequired to take action appropriate forthe individual circumstances of theincident.

Generally, mobile phones do notwork in Kosciuszko National Park andone that might have worked (Telstrabeing the carrier) was not taken on thistrip. Only Telstra-network phones seem

to be worth taking.Ironically, the accidenthappened about3 kilometres from whereour cars were parked on amain access road and aTelstra phone may haveworked from one of thenearby peaks. It is probablyworthwhile for groups tocarry a phone, even whenthere are doubts aboutreception. When home again Icontacted the manufacturerof the PLB to find out theprocess for exchanging thebattery and securing theseal. To my surprise I wasasked to return the PLBand that a new one wouldbe issued, free of charge.This I did of course and anew device arrived byexpress post. I am not sureif all manufacturers havethe same policy. It has been necessary torevise my PLB registrationwith AMSA as its serial

number and something called the IUNare different.

Timothy Walsh

December 2012

AMSA duty officer had not at first beenable to pinpoint our position from thebeacon’s alarm. He called all three of myregistered contacts to try to see if ourposition was known. Later he was able tolocate our exact position from the PLBand notify the rescue team. Therefore, itseems one cannot assume automaticallythat by setting off a PLB the exactlocation will be known immediately.

PLBs have to be registered withAMSA. In doing so a personal web pageis created. An important facility on thispage is a section where one isencouraged to record forthcoming tripswith the salient facts of the trip. I hadrecorded a brief summary of ourintended route. However, some mapreferences and size of the party may havebeen of some use. It is probably worth

telling the contacts nominated withAMSA that one is off on a trip and theapproximate area being visited.

This particular rescue was tricky inthat the helicopter pilot, because of theslope of the hillside, was able to makeonly a very brief “landing” to off-loadthe doctor and paramedic before havingto take off again. He was not able to landagain to load the patient — this had to bedone via winch. It was interesting to notethat as the approaching helicopter gotclose to the site the PLB let off a morerapid beeping noise, presumably a direct


Tim’s PLB really does work

This rescue helicopter had to hover to allow the doctor and paramedic

to jump out with their rescue and medical gear.

Photo by Dianne Thompson.


another resource. Conservationists mustwork smarter, not harder, if we are toreinstate bipartisan support for nature-focused reserve management andadequate protection of the public’snational parks.

Nature NSW, Vol. 56, No. 4(summer 2012)

Kattang Nature Reserve

Situated on the mid north coast of NSW,just 25 km south of Port Macquarie, is atiny jewel in the national park estate. It iseasy enough to overlook. After all, at58 hectares, it is just a tiny dot amid aseries of delightful national parks andnature reserves on this coastal strip. Butit would be a shame if you did overlookit, since it has many hidden delights.

Kattang Nature Reserve was firstsuggested as a potential addition to thenational park estate in 1977. A group oflocals, under the banner of ‘Save theHeadland Action Group’, prepared asubmission for its dedication, and inNovember 1983 the land was convertedfrom Crown land to become a reserve. Itcomprises the spectacular PerpendicularPoint, accessible by an easy walkingtrack, that juts out into the ocean and thatpromises so much for whale watchingand pelagic birding. From there you getglimpses of the sharp, vertical cliffs tothe south-east and sweeping views backalong the coast to the north, taking in theentire North Haven beach front.

The reserve is based on Triassicsediments. The sediments form bands ofconglomerates, shales and sandstone andthis was then overlain by sand during thelast glacial period (Pleistocene Periodapprox. 1 million years ago). As can beexpected of such a combination, the soilsare highly erodible, most moisture soaksin and the creeks are intermittent. Thefragile soils support a surprisinglydiverse array of flora. According to thePlan of Management that was signed offin 2005, there are 29 vegetationcommunities within this small patch.Perhaps the best known is the so-called‘Flower Bowl’, a heath community thathas a walking track and that attractsmany people during the springflowering.

The site was once badly affected by aninfestation of Bitou Bush, but the ParksService and local community groups,including active members of the MidNorth Coast Branch of the NPA, haveworked over many hours to bring thatweed under control. It has been helpedby a variety of grants, including one in2012 for $69,000 which the local Federal

MP, Rob Oakeshott, announced bystating:

Kattang Nature Reserve is abiodiverse natural area, part of aclimate change migration corridor.NPWS and community groups havebeen restoring the reserve for manyyears. Lack of long term fundinghas meant that follow-up work hasnot always happened. Invasivespecies are still a problem. Wellplanned work over 6 years allowsthe targeting of regrowth in astrategic manner.

Given how this area looked prior to itsreservation, the community and theService deserve praise for what has beenachieved!

Kattang Nature Reserve is worthy of avisit. It is small but it offers so much.Take time out and call in. You will berewarded.


Defend the Commonwealth’senvironmental laws!

The influential Wentworth Group ofConcerned Scientists, which includessome of Australia’s big names inenvironmental policy and action, hasreleased a statement on the proposedhand-back of environmental powers fromthe Commonwealth to the states, whichwas initiated in September by theCouncil of Australian Governments(COAG).

The Group puts the view that: ‘Thereis no justification for handingCommonwealth approval powers to thestates. It puts at risk decades of nationalenvironmental reform’.

The Group gives some suggestions foran alternative suite of reforms, drawingon the recommendations of Dr AllanHawke’s 2009 independent review ofAustralia’s national environment laws(Environment Protection BiodiversityConservation (EPBC) Act). It argues thatthese Hawke reforms, many rejected atthe time by the Rudd–GillardGovernment, would help deliverCOAG’s dual goals to ‘reduce regulatoryburden and duplication for business’ and,at the same time, ‘deliver betterenvironmental outcomes’ for Australia.

The Commonwealth has beenconsulting with states and territories onhow the hand-over might work, and isbelieved to have produced a series ofstandards that the states would have tofollow. Many states would need to

Edited extracts from recent journalsand newsletters

NSW wilderness update

Since the 5th National WildernessConference in 2006, significant progresshas been made towards wildernessprotection in NSW. The Mummel Gulf,Yengo and Curracabundi wildernessareas and forty-six wilderness additionsto existing areas have been declared overa total area of 228,459 hectares. Twowild rivers have been created withinnational parks, the Colo and the Groserivers, bringing the total to six protected.

Counter-balancing these decisionshave been policy changes to NSW parkmanagement. Respected barrister TimRobertson SC believes the passage of theNational Parks and Wildlife (Visitorsand Tourists) Act 2010 overturned20 years of case law and destroyed the‘delicate balance that the Courts havestruck, which give primacy to theconservation objectives of the Act’. Forthe first time, commercial tourismoperations have been allowed inwilderness areas and a three-year horseriding trial has now been announced infive wilderness areas. In 2009, three hutswere quietly renovated by the NPWS forcommercial visitor accommodation inthe largest area of wilderness acquiredwith the Dunphy Fund, the 16,200 haGreen Gully area. These facilities, andthe signage directing visitors to them, arecontrary to the management principles ofthe Wilderness Act and the developmentwas undertaken without public commentand review process.

The protected areas of NSW, likethose in Victoria and Queensland, aresuffering from the redistribution ofpolitical power towards those with aninterest in hunting, grazing of domesticstock, high-impact recreational uses andcommercial development. When theO’Farrell Government was swept topower in March 2011, the Shooters andFishers Party (SFP) strengthened its holdon the balance of power in theLegislative Council. The SFP has givennotice of introducing, in the springsession of parliament, legislation thatwould open up wilderness areas tomountain bike and horse riding. Morehigh impact national park access forshooters, bike and horse riders is just thetip of this political iceberg.

The political pressures on nationalparks and wilderness are becominggreater. Visitor-focused management isbeing distorted by political pressures, sothat national parks risk being seen as just (continued on page 20)

PARKWATCH


update their legislation to make itconsistent with national environmentallaws. This appears to have triggered atleast two conservative states, WA andQueensland, to consider such an update.The Barnett Government has announcedthat it plans to replace WA’s 60-year-oldconservation act with legislation toprotect endangered species and habitat inalignment with federal laws, to avoidduplication and streamline developmentapprovals.

The Baillieu Government has been astrong advocate of the hand-back but, asit has no real policies on theenvironment, and has thumbed its nose atfederal laws on issues like alpine cattlegrazing, it is difficult to understand howit could reconcile its approach. TheVictorian Government’s review ofenvironmental impact assessment lawsincludes elements that appear to alignwith national laws.

The Victorian Government’s poorperformance on environmentalregulation has been further highlightedby the Victorian Auditor-General. In areport on the ‘Effectiveness ofcompliance activities: Dept of PrimaryIndustries and Sustainability &Environment’, tabled in parliament inOctober, the Auditor-General concludedthat ‘DSE deficiencies are substantialand require a concerted effort to addressthem ... These include the lack ofaccountability, oversight and risk-basedcompliance planning …’

Everyone working for the environmenthas long known this. But instead ofstrengthening its environmental laws andenforcement approaches, the VictorianGovernment has put up a smokescreen.It’s all too hard, they argue. We just haveto water-down the rules so they don’thave to be enforced.

Park Watch (VPNA), No. 251

(December 2012)

Feral horses under thespotlight — again

Horses are great animals, but they aredomestic stock and belong on a farm or apaddock where they can get good shelterfrom bad weather. They don’t belong inVictoria’s High Country, where theyhave to suffer through fierce winterweather, only to face the possibility ofdying in a summer bushfire, as a coupleof thousand apparently did in 2003.

A 2009 survey of horses across theVictorian and NSW alpine regionestimated the population at over 7,500,an increase of 20% annually from theprevious post-fire survey of 2003. Thatyearly increase is continuing, with

17 activities held on 25 and 26 August2012 in the Glass House Mountains,Lamington and D’Aguilar NationalParks. Council will use the report as abasis for looking at the approach to betaken in 2013.

NPA News (Qld), Vol. 82, No. 10(November 2012)

World first — HSI ensures allAustralian department storesgo fur free

This year will see the end of the sale offur in all department stores in Australia.After many years of negotiations, thefinal department store has made thepledge. The department stores involvedinclude Myer, David Jones, Big W,Target, K-Mart and Harris–Scarf.

In 2004, the Humane SocietyInternational (HSI) secured a ban on dogand cat fur imports into Australia after itsundercover investigation in Chinarevealed a dark and dirty world of illegaldog and cat fur trading. Millions ofanimals die every year to feed thishorrific trade. Although HSI secured theban in 2004, there has been no effort byCustoms to uncover illegal fur enteringour country. They have in fact admittedthat they have no staff trained to detectdog and car fur.

In response to Customs inertia, wealerted our members and thousands ofretailers to the possibility that, due toinadequate labelling, they couldinadvertently be selling dog and cat fur.The response has been overwhelmingand the resulting fur-free policies fromall Australian department stores lead theworld in compassionate fashion.

Humane Society InternationalNewsletter, Issue 21 (2012)

Kilimanjaro Fieldmen — savingAfrica’s wildlife

HSI has supported the West KilimanjaroFieldmen Project in Tanzania for about10 years. This is a project in which localMaasai villagers carry out frequentpatrols of the 700 sq km thatencompasses their communities. To thewest of Africa’s Kilimanjaro, itsmightiest mountain, the Fieldmen workto protect some of east Africa’s mostendangered wildlife.

The Fieldmen patrol the greaterAmboseli basin, which straddles theTanzania–Kenya border, monitoring allwildlife and human activities in the area.Their presence has proved a keydeterrent to poachers — one of thegreatest threats to wild animals.

With the consideration of a range of

current estimates of some 6,000 feralhorses in the Victorian alpine regionalone. Most of those horses are in theremote Cobberas region of the AlpineNational Park, near the NSW border,with a much smaller population on theBogong High Plains.

Though managers are well aware ofthe range of available solutions, the horsepopulation is still exploding and thedamage they do is growing. Importantly,the main population has to be managedacross the national park/state forestboundary in Victoria, and across theNSW border into the KosciuszkoNational Park. But a combination of alack of funding and a fear of publicsensitivities has frozen effective action.

Parks Victoria has now set up acommunity reference group, backed by ascientific advisory group, to try andcome up with a management programthat is workable and acceptable. This isnot the first attempt to sort the problemout — far from it. But we hope it will bethe one that comes up with much-neededfair-dinkum action. One thing that is notacceptable is ongoing neglect of thisproblem. It isn’t good for the horses, andit’s very damaging for wetlands andgrasslands in the Alpine National Park.

Park Watch (VPNA), No. 251(December 2012)

Did you know?

The earliest fossils of the short-beakedechidna date back to approximately15 million years ago (Pleistocene era),with the oldest specimens found in SouthAustralian caves.


Ecotourism in national parks

The Queensland Government hasintroduced a bill into parliament toamend the Nature Conservation Act toprovide for the development of privatelyfunded, permanent ecotourism facilities.Based on current information, NPAQ isstrongly opposed to this proposal, and ispursuing the matter accordingly. We areseeking further details, and preparingmaterial to assist members who maywish to take up the matter individually.

NPA News (Qld), Vol. 82, No. 11(December 2012)

Great Queensland Bushwalk

Membership Officer Anna Tran hasprovided Council with a comprehensiveevaluation of the recent GreatQueensland Bushwalk, sponsored andorganised by NPAQ. One hundred andseventy two people attended the (continued next page)

PARKWATCH (continued from page 19)


stakeholders, illegal trophy andbushmeat poaching has been virtuallyeliminated. Elephant and giraffepopulations have risen sharply, and datahave been gathered on the abundance oflion and cheetah. However, suchencouraging trends will continue only aslong as the patrols are sustained and thelocal community continues to benefit andyour ongoing support will ensure thisoccurs.

Humane Society InternationalCampaign Report 2012

Managing tourism in protectedareas

Protected areas are the major mechanismfor the conservation of biodiversity,internationally and in Australia. Australiahas a good track record in creatingprotected areas, including programs topromote an ecologically representativeand comprehensive system of parks.Many parks are also popular withvisitors, providing people with thechance to experience nature andappreciate these stunning landscapes.However, visitors to parks, theiractivities, and the facilities they use,have environmental impacts. Thisincludes impacts on soils, vegetation,aquatic systems and animals. Managingvisitors involves minimising impactswhile still providing opportunities fornature-based tourism and recreation.Visiting parks can also enhanceconservation directly via fees and otherincome for parks, and indirectly throughincreasing support for the establishmentand management of parks and othernatural areas.

Recreation ecology is a specific areaof research focused on evaluating therange and severity of impacts fromdifferent types of recreational andtourism activities and ways to minimiseimpacts. This includes documentingimpacts on birds from small-scale,nature-based tourism activities such ashiking, to evaluating mass tourismdevelopments such as ski resorts. Thisresearch can be used by park managers,tourism operators, conservationorganisations and others to conduct andevaluate desktop assessments ofenvironmental impacts when newactivities and facilities are proposed forparks. It is critical that assessments aredone, done well and evaluated prior toimplementation. Adequate monitoring ofimpacts once the activity or infra-structure is up and running is rare inAustralia, due to limited resources. Also,once operational, it is often politicallydifficult to then remove the activity or

developing its Marine InvestigationDiscussion Paper. The full submission ison the Association’s website. One of thekey opportunities in this investigation isfor VEAC to establish principles for astatewide marine planning frameworkthat will provide for better managementand protection of the state’s entiremarine environment. The 2011 VictorianAuditor-General’s Inquiry into theenvironmental management of MarineProtected Areas also identified thiscritical gap, and suggested that anintegrated statewide policy and planningfor the whole marine environment is themost effective way of managing threats.Importantly, the Victorian Governmentcommitted to implement all of theAuditor-General’s findings, which addsfurther weight to the need to develop acomprehensive marine plan.

The findings of the recentIndepdendent Scientific Audit of MarineParks in NSW strongly backed theextensive domestic and internationalscientific literature and evidence aboutthe overwhelmingly positive biodiversitybenefits of MPAs. Some of the scientificevidence has shown that habitats andecosystems improve after theestablishment of no-take MPAs,particularly the recovery of targetspecies such as lobsters and largepredatory fish.

The VNPA believes that VEAC shouldalso consider gaps in the current networkof MPAs, with information on this in theVNPA’s recent marine natureconservation review being a goodstarting point.


Compiled by Hazel Rath

infrastructure even if it is shown to haveimpacts. It is also expensive torehabilitate a site once it is damaged.Before any ecological or social analysisis undertaken, the following questionneeds to be addressed: should the parkeven be considered as a location for theactivity/infrastructure? Tourism andrecreation in parks should be nature-based and, more particularly, ecotourismfocused: that is, the attraction should bethe natural environment, and use of thepark should contribute to conservation.This particularly applies to high-impactactivities and infrastructure where thesetting is of secondary importance. Oftenthere are far more suitable locationsoutside the park.

Pre-assessments need to consider theconservation value of the site, the natureof the disturbance (e.g. horse riding,hiking, skiing), the resistance of the siteto disturbance, its capacity to recoverfrom disturbance, the susceptibility ofthe site to erosion, the severity of directand indirect impacts, likely amount ofuse, timing of use in relation to criticalecological events (flowering, nestingetc.) and in relation to social factors suchas crowding, conflict, temporal andspatial displacement of visitors andlikely compliance with minimum impactbehaviour, and the total area likely to beaffected. They also need to evaluate thelikely success of potential managementactions to minimise these impacts.


VNPA calls for marine planningframework

The VNPA has sent a submission to theVictorian Environmental AssessmentCouncil (VEAC) outlining critical areasthat the Council should consider in

PARKWATCH (continued)

Participants on Esther Gallant’s relaxed pack

walk October 2012. Photo Adrienne Nicholson.

NPA ScholarshipThe ANU has extended the closing date for all Honours studentscholarships, and the result is that the recipient of the NPAscholarship has yet to be determined as we go to press. Details willbe in the June edition of the Bulletin.However, NPA has been informed that the ANU centralcommunication office has asked to profile recipients of awards fromthe Fenner School, and the School has put the NPA scholarshipforward for this purpose. Watch this space.


New members of

the associationThe NPA ACT welcomes thefollowing new members:

Meg and Frank McConeTerrence Purss and Sandra

MatthewsSandy Clugston and Kerry

BlackburnDebbie Worner and Fred

Leftwich

We look forward to seeingeveryone at NPA activities.

NPA notices

Cover photographs

Front cover

Main photo. Tim Walsh, Esther Gallant, David Large and Adrienne

Nicholson: four cold NPA walkers in Rendezvous Creek valley at

the end of Esther’s “relaxed pack walk” last October.

Photo Max Lawrence

Insets. Left. No NP shooting protesters (article page 4).

Photo supplied by NSW NPA

Centre. Martin Chalk victorious over the pine (article page 6).

Photo Max Lawrence

Right. Arthur River rainforest (article page 3). Photo Ted Mead

Back cover

Main photo. Tianjara Falls in Morton National Park

Photo Martin Chalk

National Parks Association Calendar

Public holidays

General meetings

Committee meetings

Gudgengy Bush Regeneration 1

March

Mon 11

Fri 29-Sun 31

Thur 21

Tues 5

Sat 9

April

Mon 1

Thur 25

May

—

June

Mon 10

Thur 18

Tues 2

Thur 16

Tues 7

Sat 13 Sat 11

Thur 20

Tues 4

Sat 8

Further details: 1. GBRG. Meet at Namadgi Visitor Centre, 9:15am or Yankee Hat car park 10:00am

NPA Life Membership

The committee is calling for nominations for

Honorary Life Membership. If you think that a

member has done some extraordinary work for

our association and is worthy of this recognition,

please send a confidential nomination to the sec-

retary Sonja Lenz by mid-April. Further informa-

tion on what to put into the nomination can be

found on the NPA website or by contacting

Kevin McCue: phone 6251 1291 or

email [email protected].

KOALASKevin McCue has dug up this interesting article from The CentralQueensland Herald, Thursday 28 November 1940, page 8.Will we ever learn??

A NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK (By "N.L.R.")THE VANISHING KOALA.

The slaughter of that curious Australian mammal, the koala, is aperpetual disgrace to the authorities who sanctioned it. In 1908 noless than 57,933 koala pelts were marketed in Sydney alone andcarefully compiled statistics reveal that in 1920 and 1921 205,679 ofthese interesting and inoffensive creatures were sacrificed to the furtrade. Periodically disease takes a heavy toll and it is estimated thatmillions perished in this manner in virulent outbreaks in 1897–8–9and from 1900 to 1903. Unfortunately, too, the koala is not plastic oradaptable like the fox or the rat being dependent upon gum trees forits existence and selecting only a limited number for food purposes.It is a classic example of a highly specialised animal penalised by itsspecialisation.

Timor Leste

NPA member Elizabeth Teather wrote an articleabout her trip to Timor Leste in 2009 which wepublished in the NPA Bulletin (December 2010).

A longer account of that memorable trip has justbeen published by another participant, StephenUtick. Written in diary form, it is both readableand informative. Stephen is a botanist, and NPAmembers will appreciate his detailed botanicalnotes (as well as notes on a wide variety of otheraspects, from 'capoeira' to 'cisterns andsanitation'). The armchair traveller will enjoy theimmediacy of the diarist's reaction as each dayunfolds new landscapes in this poverty-strickenbut beautiful nation, and opens new windows onits terrible recent past. Intending travellers willfind invaluable practical advice. The text isillustrated by 66 small colour photographs. Itcosts $15. Proceeds will go to projects in TimorLeste sponsored by Canberra Friends of Dili. Topurchase it, contact Robert Altamore

6287 7512, [email protected]

There was an earlier version of this account,which was in such demand that CanberraFriends of Dili asked for a new, expandedversion. We hope to sell enough copies to covercosts and then help fund our projects in TimorLeste.

Liz Teather


National Parks Association of the ACT Incorporated

Inaugurated 1960

Aims and objectives of the Association

• Promotion of national parks and of measures for the protection offauna and flora, scenery, natural features and cultural heritage in theAustralian Capital Territory and elsewhere, and the reservation ofspecific areas.

• Interest in the provision of appropriate outdoor recreation areas.

• Stimulation of interest in, and appreciation and enjoyment of, suchnatural phenomena and cultural heritage by organised field outings,meetings or any other means.

• Cooperation with organisations and persons having similar interestsand objectives.

• Promotion of, and education for, conservation, and the planning oflanduse to achieve conservation.

Office-bearers

President Rod Griffiths 6288 6988 (h)[email protected]

Vice-President VacantSecretary Sonja Lenz 6251 1291 (h)

[email protected] Chris Emery 6249 7604 (h)

[email protected] members

Christine Goonrey (Immediate Past President) 6231 8395 (h)[email protected]

George Heinsohn 6278 6655 (h) [email protected]

Clive Hurlstone 6288 7592 (h) 0407 783 422 (mob)[email protected]

Judy Kelly 6253 1859 (h)[email protected]

Max Lawrence 6288 1370 (h)[email protected]

Kevin McCue 6251 1291 (h)[email protected]

Bernard Morvell 0401 679 254 (mob)[email protected]

Mike Smith 6286 2984 (h)[email protected]

Conveners

Outings Sub-committee Mike Smith 6286 2984 (h)[email protected]

Environment Sub-committee Rod Griffiths 6288 6988 (h)[email protected]

Publications Sub-committee Kevin McCue 6251 1291 (h)[email protected]

Bulletin Working Group Max Lawrence 6288 1370 (h)[email protected]

The NPA ACT office is in the Conservation Council building,

Childers Street*, City. It is staffed by volunteers but not on a regular

basis. Callers may leave phone or email messages at any time and

they will be attended to. The post office mail box is cleared daily.

* the office move to new premises in Barry Drive is imminent.

Phone: (02) 6229 3201 0412 071 382

Website: www.npaac t .o rg .au

Email: admin@npaac t .o rg .au

Address: GPO Box 544, Canberra ACT 2601

Subscription rates (1 July to 30 June)

Household membership $44 Single members $38.50

Corporate membership $33 Bulletin only $33

Full-time student/Pensioner $22

All the above subscription categories reduce to $11 if a donation of

$100 or more is made.

Advertising

The Bulletin accepts advertisements and inserts. Contact the Editor

for information and rates.

NPA Bulletin

Contributions of articles, letters, drawings and photographs are

always welcome. Items accepted for publication may also be

published on the NPA website. Items accepted for publication will be

subject to editing. Send all items to The Bulletin Team,

[email protected], or the postal address above.

Deadline for the June 2013 issue: 30 April 2013.

Printed by Instant Colour Press, Belconnen, ACT.

ISSN 0727-8837

General MeetingsThird Thursday of the month, (not December or January)

8:00pm, Uniting Church hall, 56 Scrivener Street, O'Connor

Thursday 16 May

To be advised.

Check NPA website or BurningIssues closer to the date

Thursday 21 March

Burramys: possums with attitude

Matthew Higgins

Historian, writer and film maker

Australia’s mountain pygmy possum(Burramys parvus) is an iconic yetrarely seen animal of our highcountry. The world’s only marsupialto hibernate for long periods undersnow, Burramys is Australia’s onlymammal to live solely above thesnowline. It is also endangered. Thispresentation will describe thesebeautiful animals and the annualfieldwork that is undertaken toincrease our knowledge of them sothat their future might be secured.

Thursday 18 April

The secret life of the Platypus

Dr Elise Furlan

Post-doctoral Fellow – MolecularEcology, Institute for AppliedEcology, University ResearchCentre, University of Canberra

What makes the platypus unique?Does their body size alter with thelocal environment? Are platypus ofTasmania different to those of themainland? All will be revealed in thispresentation.

This Bulletin was prepared by:

Editor, Max Lawrence;

Sub-editor, Ed Highley;

Presentation, Adrienne Nicholson

For information on NPA ACT activities, please visit our website http://www.npaact.org.au

The great range of NPA field guides or a beautiful book about Namadgi National Park

are available from the office or some bookstores.

Documents

NPA Bulletin - National Parks Association of the ACT 50 No 1 Mar 2013.pdf · NPA Bulletin Volume 50 number 1 March 2013 ... to the NPA ACT’s committee or contribute to the debate