Ca Nberra B Ush Wa L King Club Inc. Newsletter
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CA NBERRA B USH WA L KING CLUB INC. NEWSLETTER P.O. Box 760, Canberra, A . C . T. 2607 Registered by Australia Post: Publication number NBH 1859 VOLUME 29 NUMBER 4 APRIL MONTHLY MEETING WHERE? Dickson Library WHEN? Wednesday April 21st 1993, 8.00pm onwards WHAT? This month's programme features Murray Dow giving a presentation, with visual aids, about astronomy for bushwalkers. For anyone at all interested in the stars, it promises to be a fascinating evening. Before the meeting why not join other members for a coAvivial meal at the Vietnamese Restaurant at the O'Connor shops (the one on the corner), be there as close as possible 6.00 pm to ensure there will be plenty of time to finish the meal and still get to the meeting on time (BYOG). Presidentts Prattle Elizabeth Tarthalska, John Brack, John Owen, Robynne Hobson, and Susan Hendrickson. There have been a few comments recently about the Prospective Members way some walkers neglect to respect the enviipnment while on Club walks. The Club has a Minimum Andrew Forster, Hackett, ACT. Marty French, Melba, Impact Code to assist walkers know what is and is not ACT. Maurice Wicks, Cook, ACT. Neil Sloan, Watson, acceptable behaviour towards the environment. This ACT. Michael Pedvin, Duffy, ACT. Lyndon Grimmer, code is published regularly in IT and is available to Scullin, ACT. Jennifer Engle, Queanbeyan, NSW, any member. A copy is published in this IT. Stephen Crocker, Chapman, ACT. If you have any difficulty with any of the points made Found in the code, please raise it with a member of the Club Committee with suggested amendments. If you find it A pair of spectacles was found at Spring Canyon near impossible or too onerous to comply with parts of the the entrance to the Block-up Gorge on Febmary 28th. code and then I suggest you find another group to walk Apply Murray Dow, 2574371(h). with. The good reputation of our Club in environmental matters is too important to be risked by On a couple of my walks, I cannot remember which - the inconsiderate behaviour of one or two members. a felt hat which was left in my car and a bracelet size chain (gold in appearance) - apply Vance Brown Allan Mikkelsen 2513997(h). MEMBERSHIP MATTERS Equipment Officer New Members The Club welcomes Greg Harris, Julian Harnon, Kaori Maurice Wicks has kindly agreed to take over as Matsuda. Themse Charles. Mauren Anne Farrell, Equipment Officer. Anyone wishing to hire equipment 2 should now contact him, preferably by fax in the first Namadgi Brumby Yards instance. Maurice's telephone numbers are: 2533132(h), 2807088(w) and 2807548(fax). Have you seen any brumby trapyards during your walks in Namadgi? If you have, I'd like to hear from Editor you. I am doing a survey of these sorts of structures and although I know of a number to sites, I am sure The editor will be making his biennial trip to Northern that there are quite a few more, some which may have Parts during the winter and will be unable to prepare been seen by Cub walkers. Any infonnation will be the August and September issues. Anyone with a little very much appreciated. Please contact Matthew Higgins knowledge of word processing who is prepared to on 2477285 (w&h) or at 99 Duffy Street, Ainslie, deputise for these two months should contact a 2602. committee member. The task is less onerous now than it used to be - much of the material comes on disc. Beginners' Navigation Training The dates for these workshops are Saturday 8th May, Motion Approved Saturday 22nd May and Saturday 5th June. The instructors will be George Carter and/or Paul Wallace. The Motion "That the Cub spend up to $750 from the Please register with Sybille Winberg 2824325(h), publication fund to produce 500 copies of 'Finding 2937436(w), first come first served. Hopefully, if there your Way in the Bush', one copy to be available free is demand, we will run a more advanced course later. to each ordinary member and each household Particpants should bñng: 1 orienteering compass, 1 membership with additional copies to be sold at $2.00 topographical map of Black Mountain, 1 topographical each" was passed by the March monthly meeting. map of the ACT, 1 pencil and lunch. Sybille Winberg Australian Expedition to Dhauligiri In early April a team of twelve climbers (including two The NSW Emergency Services from Canberra) representing the Army Alpine Wilderness Navigational Shield Association left for the first Australian attempt at Dhauligiri, one of the 8000 metre peaks of the Nepal June (25)26-27th - Newnes Plateau Himalaya. They expect to return, hopefully successful, some time in June. To help defray costs of the The Nay Shield is an overnight navigational event expedition, a stunning colour postcard of Dhauligiri is being spld at $2 a copy. These can be obtained from which gives you an opportunity to test your The Trekking Company (in the Paddy Pallin shop). navigational skills. For those who do not want to do Further information is available from Alan Davey or the overnight event, there is the one day event. Which, Allan Mikkelsen. incidentally, just in case you have not heard, Mike Morriss and I won last year - so we can guarantee that it is a lot of fun. DISCOUNTS DISCOUNTS DISCOUNTS Organised by the NSW Wilderness Search and Rescue Group of the Confederation of Bushwalking Cubs The Club has now arranged for members to receive a discount on purchases made at the Scout Outdoor NSW Inc., this is the fifth time the event has been run. Centre in MoP Street Braddon. To take advantage of Participants include all accredited serach and rescue groups in NSW (& the ACT). Teams consist of 2 to 4 this offer, just present (discreetly!) proof of Club people for the one day event. membership (a labelled IT) or preferably a Scout Outdoor Centre discount card (available from Allan Mikkelsen at meetings or other Club activities). If you As well as the shield for the winning team for the two currently get a discount through membership of another day event, there are three levels of awards. They are group, please mention that you are a member of the navigator 1, 2 and 3. Level 3 is the highest level and Canberra Bushwalking Club when making a purchase is only available after achieving levels 1 and 2. To - this may help the Cub negotiate further offers. achieve the navigator badge a team must have achieved a score of at least 60% of the winning team total. Mike and I enjoyed the event last year, finding it a lot chemically treated, the moss can be best compared to of fun. Our primary concern during the walk was not the white downy feathers used in pifiows. In this form to embarrass either the Club or ourselves. This meant it is a naturally sterile substance which harbours few that while we kept up a steady pace, we did not race bacteria. Certain species have been used as surgical and we did stop and rest. We noticed that them was a dressings. wide range of skills by those who participated, as some had entered the event solely as a means of improving The article indicated that another use for the moss had their navigational and walking skills - good been found. When stored in cylinders, acetylene gas bushwalking skills require more than just the ability to acquires an explosive property which becomes more read a compass and a map. The points I am trying to dangerous the longer it is stored. Consequently a bump make are you do not have to be the world's best during handling could result in an explosion. It was navigator to take part and to enjoy the experience. found that dried moss packed inside the gas containers, Indeed, the event is possibly the best of environments reduced this danger and also had the effect of keeping for testing and improving your navigational skills. the properties of the gas longer. David Campbell. Little other information was given so it is unknown just how long the industry lasted. CLIO Woodland Innocence / found her disrobing in my forest. Her lovely limbs hung motionless as / approached; thin garments caught about that white suppleness. Oh! A human form could not be more beautjful! I walked away eyes averted. A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY Canberra Bu shwalk e rs I I •---- Whilst perusing old issues of the Walkabout Magazine, I came across an interesting item. Around 1944, The Wilderness Society sphagnum moss in the ACT was harvested for the war _ C effort. It seems that this species, specifically that growing on the slopes about two or three kilometres past the chalet at Ml Franklin, was very similar to that BAT1ONAL PERKS ASSOCIAIOti found in Tasmania. The moss was cut in swathes by broad axe then transported over rails and sleepers to a bush track and up to the road on the crest. Here the moisture was squeezed out by two presses enabling the moss to be SH DAN([I P4 LI P=t baled prior to transportation. (This would tend to place it at Mt Ginini,. possibly Ginini Flats, where theie is an "tWOOLIES HOME BAND" arboretum.) ATYARRALUMLA.WOOLSHE D Sphagnum moss is noimally seen as a filmy, water 8.00-12.30 SATMAY 15TH laden, pale-green seaweed. Large hollow cells in the LIQHTSUPPERAO OAR. leaf can absorb and retain large quantities of water and COST 10($6CONc.)NCL SUPPER I-$Qt-1E S -7 SI 22 rOr oEt,AjL.S this led to its extensive use as a packing material for PROCECOSTO THEWILDERNESS SOCIETY shipment of live plants.