It August 2006
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THE NEWSLETTER OF CANBERRA BUSHWALKING CLUB itit Volume 42, Number 7 August 2006 Canberra Bushwalking Club Inc PO Box 160 Canberra ACT 2601 AUGUST GENERAL MEETING 8pm Wednesday 16 Photo : Murray Evans Corroboree frogs: an uncertain future Presenter: Dr Murray Evans, Environment ACT Corroboree frogs are arguably Australia’s most distinctive and easily recognisable frog. Both the northern corroboree frog and the southern corroboree frog have undergone dramatic population declines over the past two decades and now face an uncertain future. Dr Evans, a Senior Wildlife Ecologist with Environment ACT, will be talking about the ACT’s monitoring program for the northern corroboree frog, reasons for its decline and current efforts to help prevent its extinction in the ACT, including the establishment of a captive population at Tidbinbilla to raise frogs for release back to the wild. Main meeting room, St. John’s Church Hall Constitution Avenue, Reid Canberra Bushwalking Club it August 2006 page 1 objective of the meeting is to climate and rugged beauty of the President’sPresident’s determine how wilderness can area were all readily apparent in his make an even bigger contribution presentation. PrattlePrattle to a more environmentally This month the walks program conscious society. continues to offer an interesting ith spring fast approaching it The Conservation Council of variety of walks including some Wis time to scramble and fit in Canberra and the South East Region good overnight trips. I notice that a a few more walks, and possibly organised a Climate Crisis meeting number of people are getting on their even some snow shoeing trips, on 26 July to create a network snow shoes, so the opportunities are before winter is over and the snow focusing on climate change issues. there for those who might be has melted. Three snow shoe trips For details of future meetings interested. My apologies for not within a month, in August/ contact Adrian Whitehead at circulating a draft program for September might be a record for the [email protected] August. My email allowed me to receive, via the internet, but not send Club. Snow shoes are a great The Conservation Council has messages. Mutter mutter. alternative for people like me who recently received a grant from the struggle on cross country skis. ACT government to deliver a I hope that our readers are looking Committee Matters project that facilitates community at the “Ten best walks”, both day The Committee met on 26 July and engagement in the process of and weekend. We thought that following is a list of key points nominating the ACT as a Biosphere newer members of the club may not discussed: Reserve. have been aware of the existence Rene Davies of some of those walks. Perhaps the The Club’s frog trademark has President articles might lead to trips to some been re-registered for ten years. of the places mentioned, especially A budget for the coming year WalksWalks for the people who haven’t been to and a notice of motion WaffleWaffle them yet. regarding a proposed increase Please note that Ian Smith is putting in transport costs due to rising on two evenings for potential ast Sunday we were on the fuel prices will be published in walks-leaders. His aim is to look at northern end of the Mt Clear the September issue of it. L the basics of leading walks: day, Range. Most of it is bare or grassy weekend and longer. People who The publisher has investigated with occasional kangaroos and are new leaders or perhaps just alternatives to the format and numerous panick-stricken mobs of thinking about it should profit posting of IT in an effort to cut sheep. It reminded me of the English greatly by attending the two nights. costs. It was decided to retain Lakes District. We were high, the the format but limit the number ground fell away steeply to either Rob Horsfield of 16 page Its to one bi- side and we watched a dark rain- Walks Secretary monthly to keep the production laden front move in from the west. and postal costs down. Whoever was on the other side of The Conservation Officer the Boboyan Road was getting very MembershipMembership reported that the Kosciuszko wet. Surprisingly the rain moved National Park Plan of south around our end of the range mattersmatters Management was published in then saturated the Tinderries, leaving June. He noted that the Plan is us literally high and dry. ew members: Robyn Singleton, Adelina Tan encouraging horse riding Thank-you to Phil Quinton for your N activities and resort expansion very interesting presentation on Please check the right top of the in the Park. Little attention Kokoda. It obviously took time and label on your it. If it says “LAST appears to have been paid to effort to prepare, and the com- IT” please renew before the end of the invasion of weed species bination of Powerpoint with audio the month if you do not want to miss and the problem of feral excerpts worked well. “Pilgrimage” next month’s. If it says “RENEW horses. was the right word. Phil was able NOW” this is your second last it, Environmental Matters to show that it was more than a walk while “RENEW SOON” will The Fifth National Wilderness – the local culture, the history, the appear on your third last it. Conference will be held in Sydney stories of the personal sacrifices Allan Mikkelsen from 8-10 September. The principal made in the campaign and the Membership Secretary Page 2 – Canberra Bushwalking Club it August 2006 Photos: Phil Quinton KokodaKokoda –– aa piligrimagepiligrimage JulyJuly meetingmeeting large gathering of the A bushwalking faithful turned our for Phil Quinton’s presentation about his recent conquest of the Kokoda Trail (yes, it is a Trail and not Track – as the large and imposing signage to the Trail testifies). This however was no mere bush bash with three of his mates. As Under date palms Phil advised, his intent in undertaking the walk was to revisit commentary of the walk, supported and no shovels, and hence there was the events of 1942, to understand superbly by photographs and a high rate of illness. Bill’s son was those events and to appreciate the interspersed and supported by tape there for the talk, and his presence conditions, trials, tribulations and recorded segments of an Australian imparted poignancy and signif- achievements of our service digger who served in that campaign, icance to the presentation. personnel who fought and died for Mr Bill Hedges. (Note : although Phil advised that the walking group the freedoms that, in part through British by birth, Bill proved himself was a commercially run gathering their bravery, we continue to enjoy a true blue Aussie). Bill Hedges of 30 trekers with 37 local support today. passed away a few years ago, staff. The group was flown in three however Rob Horsfield had been Phil had read fairly extensively plane loads out over the Owen given the privilege prior to his Stanley Ranges to Kokoda. The about the events of 1942 (the fall passing of tape recording Bill of Singapore, the dispute between organisation of the group was recounting a number of his wartime efficient but relaxed, with the tents Curtin and Churchill, the battles of experiences on the Kokoda trail. and food being carried by the Midway and the Coral Sea). In the Bill advises at one point of his support staff. The side elevation of midst of all of that turbulence, the dialogue that they had no mozzie the Trail looked like a recurrent Japanese had occupied parts of New nets, no anti-malarial medication, over Guinea (which at that time was an Australian Protectorate) and were hell bent on taking Port Moresby by advancing from the northern shoreline of New Guinea. The well trained and provisioned Japanese forces first engaged the poorly trained and provisioned Australian militia at Kokoda, with the Australian forces fighting a rearguard action back along the Kokoda trail through Isurava, Brigade Hill and Loribaiwa before they finally halted and drove back the Japanese advance at Owen’ Corner to the north east of Port Moresby. Having effectively set the scene, Phil then commenced his River crossing Canberra Bushwalking Club it August 2006 page 3 boom and bust stock market graph, and this was clearly no walk in the park. The highest point on the trail is Kokoda Gap at 2190 metres. Phil mentioned that the typical weather conditions saw them starting the day by donning wet clothing, which later dried, later still was wet with sweat, then dried when they had lunch, only to become saturated again with the regular afternoon downpour, and so on day after day after day. Phil, a notorious glutton for this kind of punishment, enjoyed the whole experience. Phil’s presentation was an effective visual and auditory montage : cedar trees, oil palms, weapons pits, butterflies, fungi, troop losses, ground covers, fog shrouded valleys, kunai grass, pitched battles, ravines, suspension bridges, torrential downpours, rushing streams, thatched huts, memorials, rhythmic cicada calls, native songs, gravestones. One of the last fuzzy wuzzy angels So vivid was this imagery that Stan Marks was at one point of the presentation found writhing through the legs of the chairs with a wild look in his eye, a grip on one of his mates legs (in the mistaken belief that it was a 303 rifle) and muttering “you’ll never take me alive you little bastards”. OK, OK I made that bit up, but what is true is that this was a very good presentation – it demonstrated very clearly to us all how desperately difficult it must have Above: Kokoda valley in cloud; Below: Isurava memorial been for our troops to engage such a canny enemy in service this beautiful but difficult terrain, and gave appropriate cause for us to reflect more deeply on the events of 1942 and the important part they played as a part of the history of this still young nation of ours.