canberrabirds

TRANSCRIPT FINAL

To: <>
Subject: TRANSCRIPT FINAL
From: "Geoffrey Dabb" <>
Date: Thu, 13 May 2010 16:20:06 +1000

Final meeting of the Special Projects Team commissioned to design a new postage stamp showing Canberra’s wildlife.

 

WAYNE:  Before Barry gets here for our little celebration drinks, I might say there’s been some last-minute redesign work. I’ll just outline the late changes.  First, we almost forgot the compulsory reptile.  I’ve got to say that was your fault Trevor.  You were the reptile person from the first meeting, and now I’ve had to go and do all the work of finding that eastern water dragon as it’s called.

TREVOR:  Gee, it looks a bit brightly coloured, Wayne

WAYNE:  It is traditional in digital photography, Trevor, to over-colour water dragons.  If this one was any duller it would be about the dullest water dragon photo I’ve ever seen.   Now, Fiona’s moth .... 

FIONA:  I’m so sorry, Wayne but I should never have mentioned that scribbly gum.  Nobody will give me the right moth picture and the best I can do is that one there that I photographed myself yesterday.

WAYNE:  No worries, Fi, you’ve been a big help, and Trevor, I must say ‘well done’ on your fruit bat.  Great idea and a pretty good picture.  Now for my part I’m very pleased I’ve finally got to the bottom of that spotty winged bird.  It definitely occurs in Canberra, and it’s called a dollarbird, because the early colonists thought the spots looked like big silver dollars.  So there’s a great opportunity for a bit of symbolism.  We can put the bird centre-stage and say it represents the central role of money in Canberra’s economy, in fact for the whole of Australia if it comes to that, and even the world as a whole now I think about it.   

FIONA:  That’s terrific Wayne.

TREVOR:  Yeah, although the symbolism will be a bit lost on people who unlike us are unfamiliar with the bird’s name and the reason for the spots.

WAYNE:  Here comes Barry so I’ll unveil the picture.  Da-dah!!

 

The Completed Project.jpg

 

 WAYNE:  Welcome Barry.  On behalf of the team I’d like to thank you for your support and guidance, and particularly thank your wife whose great photographic skills have contribute enormously to this typical scene of Canberra in the early morning with the Brindabellas looming over slumbering woodlands teeming with wildlife.

BARRY:  Thank you Wayne, and well done to the team.  I can announce that this wonderful scene will not only be on a postage stamp, but produced as a postcard and also a poster.

WAYNE:  We anticipate that there might be a few questions, so to help you and the minister deal with them we have prepared this brief on “Answers to Likely Questions”:

 

Q:  What is that bat doing there?

A:  That bat, known as a flying fox, is now abundant in Canberra.  For many Canberrans a picnic under the trees in Commonwealth Park, with the flying foxes overhead, is a highlight of the warmer months.

 

Q:  What is that seagull doing there?

A:  Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin is home to an important breeding colony of this familiar species.

 

Q:  Why is that lizard that funny colour?

A:  Male eastern water dragons are highly coloured in the breeding season.  The one illustrated is a large angry male at the height of the season.

 

Q:  Why don’t I see wombats in Kaleen?

A:  As with all wildlife, your chances of coming across any particular species depends on the time of year, the time of day, and whether you are in suitable habitat.  You may not be getting up early enough in the morning, or it may be that the habitat requirements for this species are not satisfied in your particular area.

 

Q:  Are those kangaroos?

A:  No.  They are Swamp Wallabies, which some people confuse with kangaroos.

 

Q:  Why are there no kangaroos in the picture?

A:  The use of the eastern grey kangaroo in official government publications is the subject of a review in which all interested parties will be consulted.  Pending the outcome of that review it is considered preferable not to use the eastern grey kangaroo in official government publications.

 

Q:   Are there any plans to cull Swamp Wallabies?

A:  There are no current plans

 

Q:  Is that the moth that causes the scribble on Scribbly Gums?

A:  A moth definitely causes the scribble on Scribbly Gums.  That moth might or might not be the one.  The purpose of this composition is to foster an interest in wildlife and get the public to ask questions and go out into the bush to seek the answers for themselves.

 

BARRY:  Thanks Wayne, great work.

 

[This is the end of this miniseries]

 

 

 

 

 

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