Hello All
I used to be active in the Field Naturalists' Club up here and for a
short time was president. I didn't stand again (literally!) having
caught Ross River virus! I was also PR person for the Friends of the
Wildlife Park until this year.
Maintaining membership in the Top End is always hard. There is not the
pool of retired people with time on their hands to carry out the sorts of
jobs needed to run an organisation and so it falls back on the two or
three to do most of the work. In other organisations I've belonged to,
the president found it hard to delegate, and committee members including
myself dropped out as our skills weren't utilised. In yet other
organisations I've organised events that appealed to a wider audience,
such as the sewage pond soirees. Yet few naturalists are interested.
Another problem I struck can be demonstrated by the following story. It
happened during a biological survey run by the Field Nats in a park a few
years ago pon which I caught an 'Antechinus bellus'. I knew the animal
well having worked as a biological consultant for several years carrying
out surveys across the Top End of Australia. However my identification
was ignored by the ornithologist supervising the group who announced
loudly, 'I wish ......... was here. He'd be able to tell us what it is'!
This sort of attitude is unfortunately too common - I know of several
who've met it, mainly women.
So I now confine myself to areas where my skills can make a difference.
As for conservation I do my bit by writing bird books, informing the
visiting birdwatchers I take out, and supporting my Aboriginal relatives'
attempts to keep their culture relatively intact.
Denise Goodfellow
Denise Goodfellow (Lawungkurr Maralngurra)
Specialist Guide
Ph/fax 08 89818492
PO Box 39373
WINNELLIE NT 0821, AUSTRALIA
www.earthfoot.org
Parap Bookshop
2ndhand and new books
08 89813922
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