Canberra Bushwalking Club
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Canberra Bushwalking Club P.O. Box 160, Canberra City - • // / -- REVEL IN 0cj in Volume 7 December 1971 Nuqther 12 Registered for posting as-a periodical - Category B. Price lOc. SPECIAL NOTICES There will be no General Meetingin December, but we look forward to seeing all survivors of the Festive Season in January. At the February meeting, slides of "exhibition quality" from Xmas/New Year trips will be shown. Vetting officer: John Hogan. LAST CHANCE ))-- Send your subscription ---3 PAT GREEN ($2.. singles; $3 doubles) P.O. Box 160 GOING CHEAP! .. CANBERRA CITY CANBERRA PRICES! (Persons with a red mark on their magazine wrapper are reminded that 'IT' will no longer be theirs unless they renew their subscription). RFNEWAL OF MEMBERSHIP NAME(S): ............................................................... ADDRESS ................................................................. • 1 TELEPHONE (HOME) ........................ -0• (woiuc) ....................... Weare I am enclosing ......................for membership 1971-72 SIGNATURE(S) ......... ...............,.... DATE - 2 - IT DECEMBER 1971 TIkADITIONAL FIGHTING EDITORIAL Plentrxthr& through scrub or sliding down scree, Scratched by each hush, knocked by each tree, Eaten by ants, dissolved by the sun, The newcomer asks himself - "Can this be fun?" TheprogItn1me said 1tEsy" - I thought t would be so - s rocks., thorns and climbs, and a long way to got My. shoesttsed to fit,.Mut they don't anymore; My knees are a-qüive:,nff shOulders are sore. I'd like to belong to your usftwa1king Club Butw3dno-ore warn me aht'ut-.a14: that scrub? T don t call this walkiinsp ic don't call this bush It s nothing but .jungland Sc ramble and rush. 0 Bushwal'cx ig Brethren plc sc Aped fly petition "Jut what is a bushwalk?. -T:t needs definitiOnV .... W&ve all hearc such melancholy conplaintS from pantyhosed, stringbagged neophytes. And by the,, sam-token the "Me-tarznn-You-Jane" walking fanatics moan when :those they! Ø.pro'e tediously lethargic, if not posftively uncooperative. Perhaps it would help everybody - the leaders, the led;, and the. would-he--walkers, if we were to supplement our re4uirement fs" -.mmbèrship of'wal.k with the Club, with a definition of what kind of walk --is meant. .,. . . A future ldstiè will feature an interpretive guide to walks±graditlgs, prepared by Walks Secretary Adrian Hobbs, whose positiOhgives him a right to arbitrate on the matter, Ne,er'thejess, 'Tasv" "Meeium" and "Hard" remain vague and abstract terms. Howabdut talking in terms of frogfeet walks, blister ratings., icicle gradings and hweat measurements instead? PAP ERiS S ERIE THUS MIGHT HAVE SPOKEN ZAPATHOUSTRA And thv.'eaver said Speak to us of 'Clothes. And he ansvered . .. Your clothes conceal much of your beauty, yet they hide not the unbeautif'ii. . And though you seek in garments t.he freedS of privacy you may: find in them a hdrhess and a chain. Would that you could meet the sun.and the wind with more of your skin and less pf. your Timent. - For, the breath of life is in the sunlight and the hand of life is in the wind, I- - Some of you say, "It is the north wind who has woven the clothes we wear." I, And I say, Ay, it was the north wind, But shame was his loom, and the softening of the sinews was his thread. And when his work was done he laughed in the forest. Forget not that modesty is for a shield against the eye of the unclean. And when the unclean shall be no thOi'e, what were modesty but a fetter and a fouling of the mind? And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet a:-al the winds long to play with your hair. from "THE PROPHET" by KAFILIL GIBRAN - 3 - - IT - DECEMBER1971 Gibran was an advocate of simplicity and of spontaneity in living - qualities which are central to a life-style which is in harmony with the biosphere. "The Review" Vol 2, No 8, published the following questionnaire in its column "Spaceship Earth" which is written by Tony McMichael, which will help you assess how tiarmoniously you live with your environment. WHAT' S YOUR ENVIRONMENT QUOTIENT? Award yourself one point for each statement that truthfully describes your behaviour. 1 • I shop by car no more than once a week. I share cars or use public transport whenever possible. I keep my car tuned, and do not regularly buy new models. I re-use aluminium foil and plastic bags. I do not use enzyme soaks or high-phosphate detergents. I save newspapers, and •flatten and save cardboard boxes, for paper drives. I jo not use foam cups or accept food packed in foa containers 1 I do not use coloured (i.e. chemitally dyed) tissues or toilet paper. • . 9. I turn off electricity-consuming appliances when not in use. I do not buy anything, supplied in non-returnable bottles or cans. I do not use 2,4-P or 2,5-i' weedkilLers, or any pesticides containing OUr, dieldrin, aldrin, endrin, heptachlor, toxaphene, chiordane, lindance, and other organochlorines. I mulch or compost all .vegetablepeelings, leaves and clippings. I use a hand-mower for small lawns. I do not buy products in PVC or plastic containers if available in another type of container. I save bottles and aluminium cans for re-cycling. I refuse all unnecessqry packaging and takemy own containers when I shop for loose articles. 17 • I , leave unneces sary packaging at the supermarket check-out counter, I support the idea f families with no more than two children. I do not use insecticide, aerosols, I have read through this test in a spirit of genuine self-criticism. SCORE: 18-20 You are a hero of the Biospttere, Class. 1. 15-17 You are basically aware of environmental problenis. 10-14 Re-read, learn - and try the test again in a month.' 0- 9 You are an entronmentaj disaster. Speaking of environmental problems on our doorstep, members of the Club who remember enjoyable outings to the Mt Dromedary area maybe interested in the following nes item: "More than a lookout A well known landmark of the South Coast near Narooma, is Mount Dromedary, so named by Captain Cook because of its double-humped configuration. Steepsided ' and rocky, Dromedary (2616 feet) has been inaccessible to tsitors except on foot or horseback. Now, as a Cook bicentary project, a road to the summit has been surveyed in from Tilba Tilba, partly following the old goldmining track. It is to be officially opened by the Governor on October 23, during his tour of the South Coast. Dromedary, with its magnificent views of mountain ranges and ocean beaches, will undoubtedly become a great tourist attraction, easily reached from the Prince's Highway. But conversationists are fearful that ready access by car, unless there is strict supervision, will lead to pollution, vandalism, and irreparable damage to the prinrnval rainforest areas. 1.4.1 / 4 - IT DECEMBER 1971 The mountain, part of Bodalla State forest, has been declared a flora and fauna reserve. That is some protection for the rare plant and animal life, but without a ranger to control the tourist invasion it will not be enough. • Eurobodafla Shire Councij acknowledges the risk of vandalism by planing to place; not on the mountaintop but in the shire hall at Moruya, the commemorative plaque the Governor is to unveil. It would be pointless to Eafeguard the plaque and leave Dromedaryls precious natural.assets exposed to injury or spoilation. Contributed by Sybil Story •1 Our own Club rated a mention in the following al-title from the Canberra 'limes: ' poy ' S DEATH IN SNOW NOT ISOLATED CASE by BRUMBY The death of Victorian schoolboy Glen Matters, 15, on Tasmania's Cradle Mountain this week draws attention again to the dangers of inexperienced excursions into Australia's mountain country. The boy was reported to have died of exposure, or hypothermia, which is a state of being abnormally cold. There have been many deaths in the Australian mountains from; hypothermia. Particularly vulnerable are those who encounter ujnseasonal blizzard conditions when they are not equipped to cope with c6ld and wind. The National Parks and Wildlife Sertce of NSW published a pamphlet last year after the death of a young man in the Valentine Falls area in • late sununer. The pamphlet warned that hypothermia was not easy to diagnose and that its victim appeared only fatigued and sometimes died.without complaining of cold. They lagged behind their companihn, stumbled; were reluctant to carry on and were often difficult to reason with. - Hypothermia. can kill swiftly and the NPWS pamphlet says that if it is suspected that .a person is suffering from it he must be sheltered from the wind iediately. behind rocks or scrub. He shOuld put on extra clothing and have something to eat or drink. Never, the pamphlet emphasises, should he be given alcohol. If he cannot help himself he should; if possible, be changed into dry clothing. Wet skin loses heat 20 ti!nes faster than dry skin and a 30 mph wind at 50 degrees produces the same heat loss as awindiess 28 degrees. He should be put into a sleeping bag and another member pf.the party shoul.d get in the bag with him. He should not be moved until fully recovered. Survival classes are now heid frequently on the snowfields and one of the basic lessons is that persons lost or in difficulties should build a V snowcaye or igloo and shelter in it in Eäfe, relative warmth rather than stumble around in the wind. Groups planningvalking tours in the Kosciusko area should always seek advice from rangers before setting out. There is a trip book at Sawpit Park headquarters and groups should enter details of their proposed tour and estimated time of return.