VOLUME 26 - OCTOBER 1990 NUMBER 10 OCTOBER MONTHLY MEETiNG WHERE? Dickson Library Community Room WHEN? Wednesday 17 October 1990, 8.00pm WHAT? That well known Himalayan Explorer, Ocean Sailer, Canberra Bushwalking Club Member and raconteur, Mr Rod Dalgeish, will be giving a talk and showing slides on Sikkim & Nepal. Before the meeting, join Club members at 6.00pm for dinner (BYO) at the Vietnam Restaurant, O'Connor (the one on the corner). PRESIDENVS PRATTLE Twelve months ago I started out 'Well, if this year's committee keeps up the level of effort of last year's committee it is going to be a busy year. Well, as you can see from the annual report, it has been a busy year, with a very busy walks programme and lots of involvement by the Club in Conservation and other matters. A special thanks is due to the 1989-90 committee for the effort and drive they have given. This years's committee will no doubt keep the good work up! [For those who ha ven't heard, we are stuck with David for another, yea r, along with some other familiar faces, some in new roles. The new Committee is shown in the usual spot on the back page - A/EdJ TWEN1Y-NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CANBERRA BUSHWALKING CLUB INC With a very full walk programme and a high level of effort on conservation matters this has been a full and productive Club year. Membership Without members there would have been no activities. Membership for 1989-90 was 317, which is up on last year due to a slight increase in the number of new members and in the proportion of people staying with the Club (Table 1). Table 1. Canberra Bushwalldng Club Membership Statistics Year Members New Members Retention from Previous Year 1989-90 317 81 75 per cent 1988-89 282 75 73 per cent Walks Programme This year 56 Club members put 228 walks on the programme with Club members having an average of 4.4 walks to choice from on any one weekend - giving a very full and varied programme. With just over 70 per cent of programmed walks held, average participation was just under 10. At the Clubs annual walk awards, Allan Mikkelsen took the top spot, having put 21 walks on the programme; Mike Morris had another busy year with 16 walks and Chris Leslie and Man Vidler both put 14 walks on the programme. The effort of these individuals went a long way to giving us the full walks programme that we did have. Thanks to the efforts of these four and the many others who helped to give us a full and varied walks programme through 1989-90. To them, and to Alan Vidler,who organised and harassed us all to lead walks, the Club expresses its debt Table 2. Canberra Busliwalkina Club 1989-90 Walk Statistics I day 2 days > 2 days Total Programmed 112 97 19 228 Actual 87 61 15 163 %went 78 63 79 71 Participants 1036 434 108 1578 Average 11.9 7.1 7.2 9.7 Proposed/leaders 39 34 17 56 Actual/leaders 34 25 15 48 Conservation The Club has continued its strong commitment to conservation with Monolith Valley, Morton National Park, again being the main recipient of the Club's largess. As a consequence of an initiative of last years committee the Club this year received a grant of $3000 from the New South Wales Heritage Commission to continue the work initiated with a $1000 grant in 1987-88. Last year the work terminated at the bridge we installed in the middle of Monolith Valley. This year, the work being carried outby the Club takes us north of the bridge through the aptly named Green Room between Mt Cole and Seven Gods Pinnacle and west between Mt Cole and Mt Dunjon. So far 84 person days have been put into the project by the Club this year. Because of delays in the receipt of funding and floods in northern NSW - requiring relocation of the helicopter which was to ferry in material and equipment - the 1989-90 work programme has not been completed. As project coordinator, and on the Club's behalf, thanks to Margaret Cole, Kate Moore and Carolyn Ho for their excellent cooking, thanks to all of you who have helped out, and again, thank you Bruce Rodgie and Richard Green of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The 21 January was National 'Iep Ausfralia Beaufijul' Day. Canberra Bushwalking Club, along with other members of the Conservation Council, and ACT Parks and Conservation Service, were involved in a large scale clean up in the ACT. On the day, more than 30 Club members were involved in the clean up. Special acknowledgement must go to Sandy Lolicato who on the Club's behalf, had a leading role in coordinating the clean up, while on the day Carolyn Ho and Sandra Cuell coordinated operations at Pine Island and Kamba Pool. This was a great effort on everybody's behalf, and follows on with the clean up day the Club held along the Murrumbidgee River last year. In February of this year, following a motion from Henry Burmester, $200 was donated by the Club to the Forest Working Group of the Conservation Council to assist in the south east forest campaign. An additional $150 was raised from club members at the February general meeting. Club members, on an individual basis, have continued to lobby for the protection of the south east forests throughout the Club year. Thanks to John Thwajte and the other members of the sub-committee, the Club now has a Minimal Impact Bushwalking Code. As Club members the code will act as guide in our future walking activities. Other activities in which we participated included: representation as the ACT Parks and Conservation's on the Great Alpine Trek which from 2 November to 2 December travelled from Canberra to the Snowy Plains in Victoria for the opening of the Victoria's new Alpine Park. a a stall in the ACT Parks and Conservation, Environment Fair on June 4 opening of the new ACT Parkes and Conservation Namadgie Visitors Centre. Thanks to Rene Lays for photographs that went into the booklet setting out the history of the parks establishment General Meetings The monthly general meetings were well attended with talks and activities ranging from snakes to Nepal to the ACT's aborigines and the annual auction - ably assisted by Bill Burford's auctioneering. if IT continues to be the primary source of information for the Club. Bushwalking articles and walk reports have provided stimulating and informative reading and awakened interest in wider issues. Committee members have used the newsletter to keep members in touch with developments in bushwalking related pursuits and conservation. The usefulness of IT has been maintained through the efforts of our editors Keith Thomas and Sue Vidler, Alan Vidler who typed up the walk programme, those who submitted irticles, those many people who hosted the IT collations and to Barbara Cook who stepped in to take over the role of publisher following the untimely death of Greg Buckley while walking in Nepal. Corroboree Frog Thanks to the efforts of John Thwaite we have a new Club lapel badge. The badge, along with the new T-shirt and wind-cheater silk screen logo organised by Debbie Williams, allows us to show that we are CBC's in all conditions and circumstances. Committee and Office Holders The elected committee was David Campbell (President), Mike Morris (Vice President/Treasurer), Debi Williams (Social Secretary), John Thwaite (Correspondence Secretary), Alan Vidler (Walk Secretary), Allan Mikelsen (Assistant Walk Secretary), Mike Gauci (Membership Secretary), Ailsa Fleming (Minute Secretary), Keith Thomas and Sue Vidler (editors), Greg Buckley, and Barbara Cook who stepped in on Greg's death (Publisher) Henry Burmester (Conservation Officer) and Margaret Cole and Sandy Lolicato (Conservation Representatives). The committee appointed David Drohan (Search and Rescue Officer) Nic Bendeli (Honorary Auditor), Roger Edwards on the resignation of Mike Gauci (Equipment Officer), Vance Brown (Public Officer), Alan Vidler (Club Record KeepeE) and Doug Wright (Archivist). David Campbell 29 September 1990 AUDITED TREASURER'S STATEMENT FOR 1989-90 The Acting Editor has the audited statement and 1990-91 budget and this month will publish as many of the three pages as will bring IT to the requisite multiple of four pages. The rest should appear it the next IT. See the Editor if you wish to see the full statement before them. SUMMER WALKS PLANNING There will be a walks planning evening at my place, Unit 80, Century Courts, 4 Beetaloo Street, Hawker at 8.00pm on Tuesday 23rd October. We hope to fill a few holes in the late spring program and plan a bumper crop of exciting summer walks for December and January. Have you thought of co-leading a walk? This is a good way for the old stagers to maintain their navigation skills while skipping the organising and for new leaders to learn the ropes without the sole responsibility for getting the party home. Remember also that a co-led walk counts for both leaders when the wine etc is dished out at the AGM. I will have the club map collection available and a selection of suggested walks suitable for new leaders with or without an experienced co-leader. Even if you do not wish to lead, come along and urge someone else to lead a trip to your favourite area. Allan Mikkelsen FOR SALE (Due to change in marital status) Never Used 3/4 standard Thermarests, in original wrapping, $75 ea.