PRESIDENT’S REPORT APRIL 2018 Australia is a vast country, although much of it is sparsely populated because of its arid conditions. It is the driest inhabited continent is the world. We have ten deserts occupying about 18% of Australia’s landmass, but our deserts don’t have the extremes of temperature and rainfall as seen in others such as the Sahara, Gobi or Atacama. Ours have relatively mild temperatures and usually receive meaningful amounts of rain – but forget about growing crops, there’s nowhere near enough for that! However, if you have ever visited any of our deserts, you will see that they are typically well vegetated. No big trees, only small shrubs and grasses, but a good habitat for a variety of wildlife. Also, particularly after the infrequent rains, the wild flowers can be plentiful and magnificent – but you have to be there to enjoy it. Without suitable roads and vehicles, very few people ever get to experience those deserts. So who would build those roads? Sixty years ago, enter army surveyor Len Beadell with his Gunbarrel Road Construction Party. 6000 km of roads later, many of those deserts of central Australia are now accessible to you and me. I became a fan of his about 40 years ago after reading the first of his many books. I was never fortunate enough to meet him but many did during his outback talks later in his life. Ten years ago was the 50th anniversary of the construction of the most well known of his “highways”, the Gunbarrel Highway. At that time I was privileged to be part of a tag-along that travelled the full length of that highway, with Anne, Len’s wife, as a guest. That is probably my most memorable trip ever. At this April’s monthly meeting the adventure continues. Len and Anne’s son, Gary, will be a guest speaker, talking about his father’s legacy, a legacy that includes helping to open up Australia’s arid regions for us to enjoy. See you there.
Dale Rebgetz.
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