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Not The Brisbane Line / 15.07.2015

Although I wrote the potted history of protecting open space in south east Queensland in 2006, I doubt that much more land if any has been added to the paltry 16% in public ownership in the region nearly ten years ago. PS The 2015 figure is 17%.

 PROTECTING OPEN SPACE IN SEQ

A POTTED HISTORY

Following the demise of the Regional Open Space System (ROSS), I represented the QueenslanConservation Council on the SEQ Open Space Review Committee from its inaugural meeting in 1996 and then on the Regional Landscape Strategy (RLS) Advisory Committee, until I resigned out of a sense of futility in 2000, after the State Budget yet again delivered no funding beyond the running costs of the Regional Landscape Unit (RLU). The committee was composed of landholder, farming, tourism, developer and  conservation representatives  plus state and local government officials.

The brief history of open space protection in SEQ can be stated thus:

Wayne Goss                          the ROSS      backed by the premier and funded to allow land acquisition

Rob Borbidge                        the RLS         failed attempt to kill off the RLS at birth,modest funding for RLU only

Peter Beattie                          the RLS        … Read Complete Text

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Other / 06.07.2015

Today I went to the Queensland Museum in Brisbane to hand over my Image Library to Michelle Ryan. The support documents with species identification and locations were much appreciated. It is interesting to note how often I wrote ‘roadside’ as the location. A deed of gift will be prepared for me to fill in and sign which should prove straightforward. I await further instructions concerning data to be supplied by Steve. It is a relief that the library is in its new home.

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Film Diary / 25.06.2015

It’s amazing what difference a bit of rain can make. Moths and fungi appear as if from nowhere, even in winter. I filmed both at the garage in Central Avenue, the first time I have filmed fungi there. They were small and grey, growing in a cluster through the gravel. It was good to get back behind the camera after my trip and given the winter slow down in activity.

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My Travels / 17.06.2015

I was away from June 4 to 17. The journey began before I left the flat when I somewhat apprehensively took the first of a daily course of malarone anti-malaria tablets, having read the possible side effects which included vomiting. Mercifully my concern was short lived. The pill caused no problems. As you might expect, I will be writing primarily about the fauna and flora. My rapture at seeing the creatures, the vegetation and the lie of the land was identical to the feeling I get when I’m filming a species for the first time or in a new setting here on the mountain. I suggest you google the species to which I refer so that you can at least see what they look like. A warning, this article contains over 9,900 words.

My travels introduced me to four planes I had not flown in before. The first was the Avro RJ85, no longer in production, but an impressive aircraft, which took me from Johannesburg to Maun in Botswana, the southern gateway to the Okavango Delta. From there I boarded the second ‘new’ plane, a single-engine 12 seat Cessna 208 which flew me above the tree tops on… Read Complete Text

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Website / 01.06.2015

Today I uploaded the 50th Gallery Page, more than doubling the number of pages since the website’s relaunch 21 months ago. I was premature in thinking I had finished writing up my image library because I forgot to include Hugh Alexander’s 118 aerial photos, bringing the total number of images to 4,149. Plus, I have just finished selecting some 220 frames from the four latest tapes for future capture. The work continues.

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Other / 20.05.2015

This evening I completed writing up species identification and location on the 3,597 video frames and 434 photos which comprise my image library as a preliminary to handing it over to the Queensland Museum. I started the work around the beginning of the month and have been at it with hardly a break. It helped that there were as many as nine repeat illustrations of a number of subjects and fewer repeats of many more. The work has added great value to the images and revealed errors which have been corrected and omissions which have now enriched my website. A Deed of Gift has to be finalised. That won’t happen until after my return from Africa, whither I am bound in just under a fortnight.

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Other / 05.05.2015

Last Friday I ordered new tapes from the local supplier, only to be told that there were none in stock, but further enquiries would be made. Today I was told that Sony was no longer making the tapes. I phoned the people in Sydney from whom I bought my camera and was directed to FATS (Film and Tape Sales) in Chatswood. They had 30 in stock and I promptly ordered 10 for delivery on Friday. I am looking to buy a new camera at the end of the year and hope the tapes will tide me over. Steve had foretold the demise of the tapes some time ago.

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Other / 01.05.2015

With the latest 8 videos Steve and I have uploaded to the site, the total has just ticked over the 350 mark. At the time we received a grant in 2013 to create videos, there was a substantial backlog of SD and HD footage. We are now up to date with 3 videos pending and 4 time-coded DVDs awaiting collection from which new clips will be selected.

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Other / 27.04.2015

Following a phone call and email exchange, I today heard from Annie Breslin, who has replaced Simon Smith as my curator at the National Film & Sound Archive, that they will take my collection of species videos. Steve and I will have to add taxonomic information to each opening title. Simon, who was a pleasure to deal with, had briefed Annie about my intention to provide data files of the vimeo videos.

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Other / 23.04.2015

Today Michelle Ryan and Greg Czechura of the Queensland Museum visited me as arranged last month, to check out the scope of my image library with a view to accepting it as a donation to the Museum. Greg has identified frogs for me over the years, so it was good to put a face to the name. They liked what they saw and we discussed data transfer requirements and the need for a formal deed of gift. I have undertaken to add taxonomic and location information to the written support material. It looks as if my image library has found a good home. The Museum is in the process of putting its huge image collection online in 2016.