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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.

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)

delegates

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