Paul T and Paul J have certainly clarified what point you might
mean if you are going ‘to’ or standing ‘on’ Canberra
but such a point has no spatial content and in a physical sense does not exist.
‘Canberra’ means different things in different contexts, as in “I
expect Canberra to do well against the Rabbitohs”.
I think someone has pointed out that as Canberra has no
specified limits it refers, in ordinary speech, to the northern part of the ACT
that happens to be built on from time to time. On the other hand ‘Canberra’
as the designation of a postal zone (2600) takes in the ‘suburbs’
of Capital Hill, Parkes, Russell, Barton, Yarralumla and Deakin, but,
curiously, not Forrest, which is on State Circle.
As to ‘COG’, well does ‘Canberra’ refer
to the ‘ornithologists’ or the ‘group’? As the
area of interest – and the residences of quite a few of the
ornithologists – extends over Queanbeyan and quite a bit of adjoining NSW
I have long thought that we need a new geographical _expression_ that will take
in not only Turner and Kambah but Burra, Wamboin and the inner approach to
Canberra Airport including Jerrabomberra Estate No3. (I am struck by the
coincidence that the skies above Tralee are not only thick with aircraft but
quite often with migrating YF Honeyeaters.) As scientists are so
important to the Group and so many of them live in the area concerned, my
choice for that area would be ‘Csirostan’. This has a nice
ring to it and would enable ‘COG’ to be retained, unlike something
like ‘Shinybumia’, however accurate.
From: Mark Clayton [
Sent: Friday, 11 May 2007 8:54 PM
To:
Subject: [canberrabirds] a totally stupid question - delete now if not
interested
Hi
all,
This
is something that has been sending my brain, or what’s left of it, into
cloud cuckoo land (that’s probably the closest this will come to anything
birdy!!). Can anyone tell me EXACTLY where
”Canberra” is? The postcode 2600 is in Parkes from what I can
gather (this is where I gather the “GPO” is found in the old West
Block buildings or whatever they may now be called), as is “old”
parliament house. “Canberra” was around before the
“new” parliament house which also has the 2600 postcode. Or is it
just a name for a locality like Belconnen, Woden, Gungahlin etc, and if so just
what does it encompass? Think about it!! Please put this old brain out of its
misery. Should we really be the “National Capital Ornithologists Group,
although NCOG just doesn’t have the same ring as COG??
Thanks,
Mark
