THE CANBERRA • B USH WALKING CLUB ( INC. NEWSLETTER GPO Box 160, Canberra ACT 2601 VOLUME 36 October 2000 NUMBER 10 OCTOBER GENERAL MEETING 8pm Wednesday 18th Speaker: Betty Kitchener, on 'Field First Aid' Woden Library Community Room Make the most of the evening and join other members at 6. OOpm for a convivial meal at the Chinese Kitchen 6)10 Restaurant in Corinna Street, Shop 091, Woden Plaza, Phi/lip. to be early to ensure there will be ample time to finish and still get to the meeting in good ti PRESIDENT'S • Membership fees have been increased to $25 (single) and Also In This Issue: PRATTLE $33 (household) Item Page • The Club transport rate has PRESIDENT'S PRATTLE For those of you who were unable been increased to to make last month's Annual Gen- MEMBERSHIP MATTERS 2 30cents/kilometrelvehicle. eral Meeting, the key outcomes are MOTIONS PASSED AT AGM 2 as follows: Contact details for the Committee " are shown on the back page of each 39 ANNUAL REPORT 2 We have four brand new Com- It. Please don't hesitate to give us a CBC 40th ANNIVERSARY 4 mittee members - Ailsa Brown call if you have concerns about the TRIP PREVIEWS 4 (Publisher), Michael Macona- way we are doing things or have chie (Conservation Officer), some suggestions for how we might WALKS WAFFLE 5 Michael Sutton (Treasurer), do things better. A bit of praise LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 6 and Rosanne Walker (Social from time to time helps keep us TRIP REPORTS 7 Secretary), replacing Vance going so do let us know if we do Brown, Janet Edstein, Cate something that pleases you. INFORMATION FOR Kennedy and Doug Wright who PARTICIPANTS 10 did not seek re-election. The new Committee has held its first meeting. While much of the ACTIVITY PROGRAM 11 . Allan Mikkelsen is new Editor evening was taken up with the LOST&FOUND 14 • Other retiring Committee mechanics of the handover from old DISCOUNT OFFERS 15 members were re-elected to to new, we did have a lengthy IT CONTRIBUTIONS their former positions. discussion (including valuable input 15 from the Committee's fresh faces) INVITED on ways to improve the Activity Canberra Bushwalking Club IT October2000 page 1 Program. Rob Horsfield and I will MOTIONS PASSED It is encouraging to note that, take a couple of weeks to digest all compared with 1998-99, we had a the issues raised and report back to AT THE AGM greater number of leaders (56) and you in the next It. an increased number of 'first time' On Monday 25 September, the Club Two important motions were passed leaders (13). It is to be hoped that responded to a request to provide at the AGM this trend continues. personnel for a Search and Rescue • Subscriptions are now $25 The day walking component of the operation in the Budawangs and (single) and $33 (household). program was particuiarly strong placed nine people on standby to this year with 120 trips. Activity move into the field to look for a solo • The Club transport rate is now levels for both weekend and ex- walker, overdue on a five day trip 30cents/kilometreJvehicle tended trips were, however, weaker from Wog Wog. As it turned out, with the overall number of multi- the missing walker was recovered 391h ANNUAL day trips falling, fewer participants by helicopter from Hollands Gorge REPORT per trip than in previous years and before the CBC team was mobi- an over-representation of such trips used. I understand that she got into The year 1999-2000 has been one in activity cancellations. Most of trouble when her open rucksack of consolidation for the Club with a the gaps in the program were due to toppled from a narrow ledge during modest increase in activity levels; a shortage of leaders available to a snack break and that she injured significant progress on outstanding lead weekend trips. her ankle whilst trying to recover its duty-of-care issues; a revised In addition to walking, the program spilled contents from a steep gully - approach to our response to conser- included canyoning, abseiling, cross a salutary reminder of how easily vation issues; and a reinvigorated country skiing, rogaining and things can go wrong in the bush! social program. My thanks to Roger Beddis, Alan kayaking activities. The number of kayaking trips offered increased Davey, Dave Drohan, Frank Membership McKone, Meg McKone, Graham again this year and the number of active paddlers within the Club Muller, Eric Pickering, Chris Roper Our membership grew during the continues to grow. Cross country and Ian Turland for making them- year to 313, consisting of: selves available for the search at skiing, on the other hand, continued 217 Ordinary members very short notice. to decline with only a handful of ski 92 Household members tours appearing on the program. Dont forget that the October Gen- Our ability to program abseiling eral Meeting will be held at the 6 Honorary life members. and canyoning activities was con- Woden Library. strained during the year by our Activity Program Terence Ui-en, President P insurer's removal of public liability cover for abseiling instruction. This The number of activities offered to exclusion has recently been re- MEMBERSHIP members was slightly higher than in moved and it is hoped that we will 1998-99 with 217 activities pro- MATTERS in a position to again offer these grammed. Our most prolific leader activities in the future. New members: was Allan Mikkelsen, who led Rowena Ball, Bob Hodgson, Dick twenty-nine trips for the Club - a Genera! Meetings Johnston, Penny Lovibond, Sergio record for any leader in a single Rodriguez, Andrea Rosenbusch, year. Other active leaders included As in previous years, the general Melina Tensen. Stan Marks, Alan Vidler, Terence meetings offered a range of speak- Prospective members: Uren, Rob Horsfield, Vance Brown, ers who provided personal Daniel Clearwater, Emma Collins, Janet Edstein, Chris Leslie, David reflections on their interactions with Paul Kipling,Robyn Murray, Kym Campbell, Roger Edwards and the bush and discussed, among Duggan, Janice Larkin, Alison George Carter. The Greg Buckley other things, interesting trips; bush Row lands. Award for services to our bush- skills; search and rescue; scientific Roger Edwards, walking program was this year research; and local heritage. Whilst Membership Secretary P awarded to David Campbell for his some meetings were better attended contribution over many years to the Remember! Meeting is at than others, average attendance Club's training and Search and throughout the year appeared to be WOden.: Rescue activities and for his guid- higher than in previous years. ance this year of the resolution of outstanding Duty of Care issues. Canberra Bushwa (king Club IT October2000 page 2 it dawangs and the Wombeyan Caves program. Whilst the resolution of area during the year and was on these tensions left some members The Club newsletter has grown in stand-by for a further three call dissatisfied, I believe that the out- size by an average of four pages per outs, including one involving a Club come has been positive. Attendance issue this year and, in addition to member missing on a private trip at the Club's Christmas Party and listing the activity program, contin- and one involving the recovery of a January BBQ was higher than it has ues to provide trip previews and member injured on a Club trip. The been for a number of years and the reports and an opportunity for Budawangs Search and Rescue was Club's Wee Jasper Weekend was, energetic exchanges of views. The the largest such event in which we for many, a highlight of the Club quality of it compares very fa- have been involved for many years, year. In addition to these whole-of- vourably with the newsletters of with eight members in two rescue Club events, the program included a other bushwalking clubs. Through- teams that were in the field for three number of more modest events that out the year, it collations provided a days. stretched the boundaries a little - valuable opportunity for members most notably a spotlighting tour at to meet informally between general Conservation Tidbinbilla and an astronomy lesson meetings, although the publisher at at Mt Stromlo. times struggled to find collation In previous years, the Club has hosts. typically responded to many con- Planning has now begun for events 40h servation issues by preparing to mark the Club's Anniversary Training and Safety submissions in its own right. in 2001. Whilst the Club continued to pre- Our first year with a Training and pare submissions related to areas in Club Finances Safety Officer has seen significant which we walk, most notably a The Club remains in sound financial progress made on the resolution of submission on the NSW Southern health. We achieved a 'break-even' the Club's approach to duty-of-care Regional Forest Agreement, the trading result for the year, despite a issues. Guidelines for activity focus of our conservation activities major increase in our publishing participants and leaders are close to this year has been on improving our costs. The Club's accumulated finalisation and will be presented to links with land management worth remains substantial and we members for endorsement in the authorities and peak conservation have made the changes that needed near future. groups. During the year, the Club to be made to satisfy our obligations lodged applications for membership One of the outcomes of this process under the new tax system. has been improved links with the of a number of NSW NPWS Advi- sory Committees; held discussions NSW Confederation of Bushwalk- Thanks ing Clubs, the Victorian Federation with the ACT Parks and Conserva- of Walking Clubs and a number of tion Service on a range of issues; Thanks are due to all who provided other clubs with whom we have became more active in the Conser- valuable support to the Club during discussed our proposals.