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Conference acknowledgements and introduction
Welcome to the Conference
A very warm Victorian welcome to all delegates to the 17th Australasian Conference on Cave and Karst Management, organised by the Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association (ACKMA) Incorporated. The conference is hosted by Parks Victoria and the small country township of Buchan located in East Gippsland, Victoria. For many of our delegates this will be your first visit to this part of Australia so the following information is provided as an introduction to Buchan and the East Gippsland area. Buchan is one of the Victorian's oldest European settlements dating back to 1838 when early white settlers ventured here in search of grazing land. It is nestled between the foothills of the Alpine and Snowy River National Park (Australian Alps) and the 90 mile beach and is best known for its beautiful limestone caves, spectacular high country scenery, river gorges, tall forests, rainforest and dry rain shadow woodlands. Within the small township of Buchan lies the Buchan Caves Reserve which has been in operation since the early 1900s and is significant for its geological, cultural heritage, environmental and landscape values. The story of Buchan Caves first began with the discovery of Fairy Cave on the 18th March 1907 by Frank Moon. He was an incredible enthusiast and such a salesman he helped lay the foundation of the Buchan Caves Reserve and indeed put Buchan on the map as a tourist site. This year marks the centenary of the Fairy Cave and although this event was celebrated earlier by the local community, celebrations to mark this occasion and the role that Frank Moon played at Buchan Caves will carry over into our conference week. The first white person to visit Royal Cave (1910) and Federal Cave (1915) was Fredrick Wilson who after many years experience at Jenolan was appointed to manage the caves at Buchan and set them for public viewing. He erected wire netting fences and handrails throughout both Fairy and Royal Caves. He helped preserve the caves at Buchan that otherwise would have suffered at the hands of early vandalism. A lot is owed to Fredrick Wilson for his wonderful workmanship and recognition of his contribution will also be celebrated. Visitors to the caves soon learn that the reserve is as equally beautiful above the ground as it is below. Much of the charm and character of the reserve today can be contributed to the original landscape plan designed by government botanist Hugh Linaker. The Reserve is now admired and valued for the impressive collection of beautiful exotic trees that provide a stunning array of colour in autumn. Since the work of our early pioneers the Buchan Caves Reserve has become one of Victoria's major tourist destinations. It consists of 260 hectares and is part of an extensive karst area containing hundreds of caves. Buchan is a special place, of which we are very proud. It provides a wonderful example of Indigenous and European cultural heritage - which is central to the17th ACKMA conference theme. Thank you for making the effort to attend our conference. We hope you enjoy your time spent with us.
Dale Calnin, Conference Convenor
Acknowledgements
So much work, particularly over the past two years, has gone into to planning the 17th Australasian Conference on Cave and Karst Management (ACKMA 2007) at Buchan. As Conference Convenor I have been overwhelmed by the support and assistance given to me during this time and for that I would thank the following people and organisations. Firstly, the Conference Organising Committee comprising Kent Henderson, Andy Spate, Prof. Elery Hamilton Smith, Dr Susan White, Nicholas White, Miles Pierce and Steve Bourne for their valuable time and input. To Kent and Andy particularly for the tireless work behind the scenes and their invaluable assistance and guidance throughout.
- To my colleagues in Parks Victoria - Allison Marion, Leanne Hodge, Matt Holland, Scotty Graham, Dave Harper, Gail Wright, Carole Young, Robyn Calnin, Dennis Matthews, John Senior, Dennis Ward, Ray Supple, Catherine Bessant - who have worked tirelessly in various working groups to ensure the success of this conference. Leanne and Matt particularly have contributed enormously, coordinating accommodation, transport and endless other logistical needs - thank you so much.
- Special thanks must be given our conference coordinator Allison Marion. Alli's contribution to this conference has been outstanding. Her planning and organisational skills have been exemplified and without her the conference would not have succeeded.
- To Parks Victoria for your support throughout and for allowing the conference to be at Buchan Caves Reserve.
- To the Friends of Buchan Caves group for their continuous dedication and work effort in the lead up to the conference in order to finalise their low voltage lighting display in Federal Cave. 'Friends' members assisting during the Conference include Peter and Marg Robertson, Glenn Baddeley, Miles and Rhonwen Pierce, and Nicholas White.
- To Dr Susan White and Ken Grimes for putting together the Conference Field Guide and Kent Henderson for Conference Handbook.
Sponsors
Parks Victoria is a major sponsor of the event, contributing resources and staff time to organise and manage the event. East Gippsland Shire Council provided the funding for the conference satchel. Wyanga Park Winery provided a candlelit dinner cruise for two people. To the local Buchan community, thank you for the way you have welcomed, assisted and supported the conference. Caterers, local suppliers and community groups have been remarkably helpful to ensure that the visit to Buchan by conference attendees is comfortable and enjoyable. Finally I thank all attendees for making the effort to attend the 2007 conference - particularly those who have travelled great distances to be here and all who are contributing presentations, assisting with field inspections, or assisting in some way to ensure the success of the conference. I sincerely thank you all for your contribution and support. Yours in Cave and Karst Management,
Dale Calnin, Conference Convenor.
Volunteers assisting at the conference
All of whom have the grateful thanks of the Organising Committee
Parks Victoria Team:
Allison Marion, Leanne Hodge, Matt Holland, Dave Harper
Scotty Graham, Robyn Calnin, Carole Young, Phil McGuinn
Gail Wright, Dennis Matthews, Graham Parkes, Ricky Mullet
Yas Aley, John Rogerson, Maree King, Daryl Burns
Friends Group of Buchan Caves
Buchan Caves Staff:
Gail Calnin, Annemarie Henderson, Robyn Benton, Kate Kenyon
Keith Greenwood, Heather Johnson (Daly), Dean Phelan
BUCHAN PRIMARY SCHOOL ASSISTS ACKMA!
The Buchan Primary School children have prepared historic figurines of people who have made a significant contribution to the history of Buchan and the Buchan caves. On each of the figurines features a description of the person it represents and the role that they have played. The figurines are situated at various locations around the Buchan township and the Buchan Caves Reserve and will help orientate delegates throughout the conference week, or be enjoyed as part of a self guided walk.
The Conference Organising Committee would like to sincerely thank the Buchan Primary School children and staff for their efforts.
Conference Photo, Buchan, Victoria (K. Henderson photo)

List of delegates
(alphabetically arranged)
1. Jay Anderson 2. Ross Anderson 3. John Ash 4. Peter Austen 5. Glenn Baddeley 6. Dr Claire Baker 7. Serena Benjamin 8. Steven Bourne 9. George Bradford 10. David Butler 11. Dale Calnin 12. Deborah Carden 13. Michael Chalker 14. Peter Chandler 15. Dave Chitty 16. Brian Clark 17. Ian D. Clark 18. Arthur Clarke 19. Neil Collinson 20. Grant Commins 21. Russell Commins 22. Travis Cross 23. Tony Culberg (& Pat Culberg) 24. Brett Dalzell 25. Emily Davis 26. Geoff Deer 27. Trish Deer 28. Albin Debevec (& Doroteja Debevec) 29. Rolan Eberhard 30. Ian Eddison |
31. Brett Farquharson 32. Ken Grimes 33. Grant Gartrell (& Merry Gartrell) 34. Alan Griffin 35. Karen Griffiths 36. Elery Hamilton-Smith (& Angela Hamilton-Smith) 37. Jayme Hatcher 38. Nic Haygarth 39. David Head 40. Nick Heath 41. Kent Henderson 42. Ian Houshold 43. Geoff Kell 44. Neil Kell 45. Kim Ryeon 46. Ian Lewis 47. Moira Lipyeat 48. Christie Mahony 49. Greg Martin 50. Derek Mason 51. Mary McCabe 52. Scott Melton 53. Dr Neville Michie (& Lyn Michie) 54. Tony Mitchell 55. Renee Mouritz 56. Graham Parkes 57. Dr Warren Peck 58. Miles Pierce 59. Rhonwen Pierce 60. Veronica Pfitzner |
61. Cathie Plowman 62. Barry Richard 63. Geoff Rebbechi 64. Stephen Reilly 65. Peter Robertson (& Marg Robertson) 66. David Rowling 67. Bian Rumei 68. Chester Shaw 69. Dave Smith 70. Andy Spate 71. Robert Tahi 72. Don Tumney 73. Dianne Vavryn 74. Mike Warner 75. Van Watson 76. Rauleigh Webb (& Samantha Webb) 77. Nicholas White 78. Dr Susan White 79. Candice Williams 80. Ann Wood 81. Graham Wood 82. Peter Wood 83. Philip Wood 84. Stephen Wood 85. Xiao Shizhen 86. Tomaž Zorman (& Alenka Hrib) 87. Robert Bednarik 88. Dr Robert (Bob) Haldane 89. John Hawker |