Logo

Other / 20.08.2013

Steve uploaded  four more short grant-aided videos to Vimeo to add to the 8 he uploaded over the weekend. A week ago we finalised the sound for the first 25 tapes. I have shot-selected 61 SD videos and am waiting for identification on at least 3 more species. The 4 new videos bring my total on Vimeo to 103.

Logo

Film Diary / 15.08.2013

What with the website still not finished and the 100+ flora and fauna videos to do, I have not filmed for 2 months. The yardman who looks after some shops near my home, showed me what I believe is a Striped Marsh Frog, hibernating under a stone. The first such frog I filmed was also hibernating. I returned with my camera. After a few minutes the frog twitched a few times before deciding it needed to find a better hiding place in some adjoining bracken.

Logo

Other / 31.07.2013

After months of to-ing and fro-ing, an email arrived from Gavin Bannerman, curator at the State Library. It confirmed a meeting at my place to select associated papers, such as final scripts, interview transcripts and the like to be added to my donation of the unedited footage of the archive. This is essential so that the Deed of Gift, which lists what the donations consists of, can be completed.

Logo

Not The Brisbane Line / 25.07.2013

An advantage of having a blog is the scope to push topics dear to the blogger. Such is the case with the ensuing paper, written in August 2004, chronicling in detail what communities challenging speculative development proposals in Queensland have to endure. Be warned, the paper contains over 6,000 words. The development was a proposed cable way to Tamborine Mountain from Willow Vale, an acreage community on lower ground west of the Pacific Highway and north east of Tamborine Mountain. The paper is in the form of a submission to the then Attorney General, Rod Welford MP. The Appendices which accompanied the paper are not included here. I was the paper’s instigator and lead author. Jean Campbell was a key committee member from Willow Vale. Mercifully, the cable way was not built.

SUBMISSION TO THE HON ROD WELFORD

Attorney General and Minister for Justice

THE NEED TO PROTECT COMMUNITIES AND INDIVIDUALS FROM MAJOR SPECULATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

This submission is concerned with major speculative development proposals for which a formal planning application has not been lodged. As a preliminary to presenting a detailed case history of one such project, it is appropriate to make the following general… Read Complete Text

Logo

Other / 18.07.2013

Nigel Fechner, a mycologist who has been helping me with identification for a number of years, sent me an email identifying 2 more fungi species for the 100+ videos, having already identified 3 species. I have been working apace through my SD footage. Of 57 shot selected videos, 11 are of fungi. I have shot selected a further 11 videos for which I need species identification, Nigel having obliged by identifying the 2 fungi on the list.

Logo

Other / 10.07.2013

Was able to inform Peter Hendry, with whom I went moth trapping on July 6, that a species he recently identified, was the species of a larva I filmed over ten years ago, which I wrongly thought was of a butterfly, not a moth. I was very recently put right by the senior entomologist at the Queensland Museum, but he could not pin down the species. The images link Peter provided did not show the banding on the legs, but the google images not only did, they also showed images of the larva, which proved to be the one I wrongly thought was a butterfly.

Logo

Other / 25.06.2013

This evening I was invited to an Arts Dinner at the Centre in Beaudesert to receive a certificate commemorating my grant. All recipients in the current funding round were presented with a certificate and to the gathering. We had our photo taken on stage for the local paper. For a reason which eludes me, there was no such presentation for my first grant. The food was excellent, far better than the food at my only previous Arts Dinner.

Logo

Other / 21.06.2013

A few days ago I received an email from a researcher working on a CSIRO book about the status of Australia’s biodiversity, requesting permission to use my image of a Pixie Caps Orchid, which is listed as threatened. Following an exchange of emails and images, two of my video frames may appear in the book, one of the orchid, the other of Zieria collina, a plant listed as vulnerable. Both images appear on Gallery Page 20.

Logo

Other / 12.06.2013

Following receipt of the Letter of Offer, I launched straight into shot selecting the videos, starting with the Standard Definition footage, all of which was filmed over 12 years ago. Yesterday I emailed Steve the first 15 videos which we assembled at his place in the evening. There were 12 bird videos, 1 plant, 1 spider and a snake video. The shortest video is 69 seconds. Six are over 2minutes, of which 4 are over 2 ½ minutes.

Logo

Other / 04.06.2013

A Letter of Offer arrived in the post today stating that my RADF garnt application had been successful. That’s great news. Now Steve and I have until December 15 to complete the 100+ short flora and fauna videos. I hope I haven’t over-estimated the number of videos I have up my sleave. I am looking to create videos averaging from abt 1 ½ to 2 minutes, with a few of about 1 minute duration and a few of perhaps 3 or 4 minutes or possibly more.