CANBERRA BUSH WALKING CLUB INC NEWSLETTER GPO Box 160, Canberra ACT 2601 VOLUME 30 DECEMBER 1994 NUMBER 12 e1-/grSTp-IA S Wh€4& Da44 14 4 gtoLa Heaicz.s Pe44z4%4sCtt This is our traditional Christmas social event and replaces the usual monthly meeting. Bring your own everything - food, drink, plates, cutlery, and also your swimming costume! Turn up with from about 6.30 onwards. We'll find a nice spot at the end of Ga/yowen Drive (off Lady Denman Drive), so pack the sausages and bring your family for a great time! PRESIDENT'S PRATTLE (no matter how pretty the yellow bloom looks!) Other conservation projects in the Namadgi IT IS wrm sadness and regret that I inform Club National Park may indude tree planting, members of Bill Burford's unexpected death on restoration and track work and surveying areas November 20. Many will remember with for research. We will keep you posted. affection his walks, gourmet events, Christmas Some members have expressed a wish to be more parties and lively conversation. He will be active in caring for our environment. For my part, missed. An obituary from Doug Wright is I have adopted some of Mt Taylor Nature Park. presented in this IT. At first, the amount of rubbish appalled me but I At the last Committee meeting it was felt we did nothing about it. Then, reluctantly, I decided should try and help members, particularly newer to dean it up and see if it would remain dean. ones, be better informed about areas appearing in Well, after six garbage bags full and months later, the walks program. The Committee will be asking it has. Perhaps people don't litter a dean place? different members to speak about areas with Would you consider 'Adopting a Park' too? In which they are familiar. We hope also to be able this IT there is information about Parkeare and to introduce some of the leaders and for them to contact phone numbers for members wishing to speak briefly about their walks - past and future. help care for our Nature Parks. Your involvement Please let the committee know if you like these might only mean collecting rubbish, but could 'Walk Talks'. even include helping to weed the park, collecting seed and replanting areas. The Walks Program reflects the effort of many members and the chief organizer, Alan Vidler. I hope that many members will attend the Thank you. When you give your walk to Alan Christmas Party on Wednesday 14 December, at please give him a choice of dates if possible, as it Black Mountain Peninsula. The Committee allows him to present a more balanced program. decided a local venue would be better than out in the bush where the distance and fire restrictions Thank you John Thwaite for organizing the could complicate matters. The Committee wishes Broom-clearing weekend. The environs of the all members a very happy Christmas and safe Cotter Hut look better without those exotic weeds holiday season. Janet Edstein P OBITUARY - BILL BURFORD THOSE OF YOU who knew Bifi Burford, auctioneer extraordinaire, when he was a member of the Club and afterwards, will be sad to know he died on 20 November, two months after his liver packed up. He was bored stiff flat on his back in hospital after an operation, but in his typically honest way said he could only blame himself for his position. Gusto and cheerfulness pervaded his conversation with friends scattered worldwide. Politicians, his job and the world in general caught the brunt of his irreverent and sometimes bawdy humour. He was a first dass photographer with a love of camera gear. He had a delight in being out of coat and tie and in the bush in a sarong, perhaps to the consternation of his fellow Taswegians. He took great delight in fine food, cheesecake (Sara Lee) and above all, good wine and good company. He was a good mate and Eon Viveur and we wish him good weather. Doug Wright TREASURER'S TRAUMATIC TROUBLES A.T14&41IVE @[email protected] IT IS W-I deep regret that I am stepping down r from the position of Vice-President/Treasurer. The V-P/Treasurer deputizes for the My circumstances changed dramatically about President and manages the one week after the elections. This has resulted in finances of the. Club, my having very little free time and I am maintains the account books, consequently pruning activities not directly advises the Committee and related to work. I have tried to j%gle the jigsaw Club members on Club pieces together for two months, but it is getting financial matters, pays too distressing. I've enjoyed being on the accounts, banks moneys, Committee and look forward to helping again at provides receipts and drafts the ACM in 1996. the budget for the following year. If you are interested in volunteering for this position, please approach the President (Janet Edstcin) or any other Committee member. Contact phone numbers are published on the back page of this It. $jJJir 1 H-frame POCK $15 I ' 2. 1 pair of rear cycle PONNIERS by I Wilderness Equipment WA, used only once $150 3. 1 pair at front cycle PBNNIERS by Bungip $411 Oil 4. 'Look' SPRAY JACKET $30 prices are S. Size 10 Blundstone BOOTS, brand new $30 negotiable. 6. frlacpac RefleH OVERPONTS, brand new, size Large $75 Cnntact RinD Damiano on 264 2339 (w) or 206 5122 N. 41 kL CBC II December 1994 page 2 TRIP REPORT: THE RAMSHEAD Which brings me back to the coffee shop. By the RANGE - 5-6 NOVEMBER 1994 time we had reached Brett's Old Camp, I had LEADER: Richard Bain quietly used mind over matter plus a lot of snow PARTY: Roger Beddis, Rino, Maurice and Carol and wind, suddenly to hear Maurice say 'Let's go MAP: Kosciusko 1:100000 (The one with the snow) to the coffee shop at Perisher Valley". Naturally I responded in a manner so not to give away that I WEATHER: Snow, high velocity wind and cold had already decided on this course of action some TERRAIN: Slow, almost flat with white stuff many snowflakes ago. on it; plus concrete with coffee shop After Carol had something to eat, we ventured on CURRENT SITUATION REPORT: All survived. to the coffee shop at the Ski Tube Station. The Frostbite did not set in. terrain had now bnned into a THE NARRATIVE (Part 1) At Cooma I suspected that something was amiss, so to avoid alarming myself, I headed straight to tKL the pie shop, which brought security and peace of was not white. The coffee and chips were a mind that this might be my last meal perhaps only combined lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper: until I got to Jindabyne. I was not expecting to eat again for a while. Now At Jindabyne the party regrouped at the usual on the subject of food, one of the members of the coffee shop, only my second meal for the day. As party has gone on a fruit diet. This resulted in we drifted along the road I sensed a strong feeling poor Roger having to sit at a table and pretend not to be interested in what we were eating. of hunger caused by the lack of any sensible weather outside the confines of the passenger seat The rest of the day? In short - snow, wind, more of Roger Beddis's shell on four wheels. snow and wind and a camp somewhat less than To my dismay the party did the dirty on the ideally suited to our taste. leader and decided that snow was more fun than Situation report by end of Saturday 5 November the confines of a coffee shop. However, this was 1994: Members still alive (just); cold feet. Rino to change. You see, the secret of leading a talks about frostbite. bushwallcing trip is get .the people on the trip to do To be continued what you want them to do, without them knowing that they are doing it. BLUE MOUNTAINS FIRE DANGER SITUATION STILL SERIOUS CLUB MEMBERS USING the Internet (the 'information superhighway) might be interested to know that on Nuntius there is a newsgroup called aus.bushwalking. I pulled the following message off the Internet on 25 November from Michael Maack,Tracks and Access Officer for the Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs (Inc) - email address [email protected]. Track closure - Blue Mts: Below is a verbatim transcript of a Public Notice issued by the BlueMountains National Parks and Wildlife Service (Blackheath Office) dated November 10, 1994: 'Due to the present volatile bush fire situation in the Blue Mountains National Park it is suggested visitors restrict their activities to lookouts and short walks such as the Heritage Track (Blackheath) and to the top of the Three Sisters (Katoomba). All other bushwalking and camping is discouraged especially in isolated areas until the situation improves. The Glenbrook area of the National Park is closed to all visitors until the fire risk decreases and public safety is ensured. There is a Park Fire Ban in place which will remain until the risk of fire is minimized. The Park Fire (Ban) allows only gas cookers. Open fires, barbecues and other fuel cookers are not permitted. Thank you for your cooperation and we will keep you informed. Geoff Luscombe, Assistant District Manager' I checked the situation with the Parks Service in Blackheath on 25 November. Latest position is that the whole of Blue Mountains National Park (including the Glenbrook area and the Grose Valley) has now been reopened.