AUSTRALIAN FORESTERS in PAPUANEW GUINEA1922-1975
PNGAF MAGAZINE ISSUE # 9B-5B4B7 of 22nd Sept 2023
FOREST MANAGEMENT.
Eminent Friend PNGAF Forestry, Dr Gary BaconAM, BSc (For) Hons, PhD, FIFA.
Editor R B McCarthy 2023
1 Dick McCarthy District Forester TPNG Forests 1963-1975.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
“FORWOOD” page 3
Centenary New Guinea Lodge No. 292, Brampton Street, POM page 4
Observations Port Moresby Changing Status 1985-2023 page 6
Environment page 6
Landscape page 6
Accommodation Port Moresby page 7
Bomana War Cemetery page 8
National Parliament House page 8
AUSTIS page 9
Linkage PNG Pinus mycorrhiza page 10
Overview Dr G Bacon’s AM Career page 11
ACROYNMS page 13
“FORWOOD”
Dr Gary Bacon AM BSc (Hon), PhD, FIFAheld senior research and management positions in New South Wales and Queensland Government forestry trading enterprises and in the land management division within Primary Industries. He served as elected National Secretary and National President of the Institute of Foresters ofAustralia (1983-87) and was awarded the 2000 N. W. Jolly medal. He chaired theAustralian organising team for the 2005 International Union of Forest Research Organisations World Congress. For the last decade plus, he was a JAS-ANZAuditor, Industry Consultant andAdjunct Professor in the Environmental Futures Institute at Griffith University mentoring overseas post-graduate students. Gary was elected as the Grand Master of Queensland Freemasons and a Director of Masonic Charity (2013), appointed a Member in the Order ofAustralia in the Queen’s Birthday List (2016), and joined the Presidents 100, Qld State Library Foundation (2017).
Over many decades, Dr Gary Bacon has given overwhelming support toAustralian Foresters in PNG, PNG foresters and the current PNGAF project. It was in this context that Dr Gary Bacon provided his experiences of four visits to PNG culminating in his last visit inAugust 2023 as a Freemason Trustee for the Centenary of the Lodge in Brampton St.
His previous visits were once for Forestry (presented an invited paper on an algorithmic approach re introducing a new Log Pricing system into Qld at Coral SeaAUSTIS 1985) and twice for Masonic visits.
Freemasons are a diverse group of men from all walks of life, from many religions and many backgrounds. Becoming a Freemason is a commitment to develop your own potential, to values that see all humankind as equal, and to helping others in our community.
The first Freemasons Lodge established in Port Moresby under the Queensland Constitution in 1922 was called New Guinea Lodge # 292 in Brampton St, Port Moresby.
Observations Port Moresby Changing Status 1985-2023
Environment
Views taken in POMAugust 2023. Smoke haze everywhere every morning. Small fires at every market, along every road, surrounding districts.
Landscape
Old Port. Source Wikipedia
The country is awash with mining, oil, and gas revenues yet the majority still suffer low incomes and still much lawlessness abides.
The upgraded road network with impressive, engineered drainage channels are straight out of the Chinese Engineering textbook.
Anew relocated port at Motueka has taken the heavy vehicle traffic away from the city core.
PNG Ports Motueka Main Wharf.
Screen shot ex Google Earth.
APEC Haus Ela Beach and new expressway around Paga Hill.
Accommodation Port Moresby
Holiday Inn -Junction Wards Rd and Waigani Drive.
Screen shot ex Google Earth.
TheAustralian Timber Industry Stabilisation Conference (AUSTIS) was originally formed in 1943 as the Eastern States Timber Industry Stabilisation Committee (ESTIS). It changed its name toAUSTIS in 1959, when the membership was expanded to bring together the timber industry with state and commonwealth government forest services, and organisations representing the industry within Papua New Guinea.
Twins meeting re discussions onAustis 1971. Dr Gary Bacon and Dr Barry Gray, Brisbane.
Source of PNG Pinus mycorrhiza was furnished from inoculum brought from the Beerwah Nursery of Queensland State Forestry.
By 1940, McAdam had established an experimental planting of hoop pine (Anderson’s plot) at Wau, and a small planting of Pinus elliottii, Pinus taeda, Pinus kesiya,Agathis palmerstonii and other hardwoods. Pinus seedlings came from the Beerwah Nursery in Queensland. The mycorrhiza was furnished from inoculum brought from Beerwah Nursery of Qld State Forestry.
Dr Bacon and family resided adjacent to the original Beerwah nursery 1972-75 & 1978-80. By this time, a new exotic nursery was operational at Beerburrum at the foot of Mt Tibrogargan. That gave him a close affiliation to current day PNG Pinus plantations.
ThemycorrhizalrelationshipbetweenafungiandtherootsofPinusissymbiotic. Nutrientsareoftendepletedinthesoil;hence,mostplantsformsymbioticrelationshipscalled mycorrhizaewithfungithatintegrateintotheplant'sroot.
Therelationshipbetweenplantsandfungiissymbioticbecausetheplantobtainsphosphateand othermineralsthroughthefungus,whilethefungusobtainssugarsfromtheplantroot.Thelong extensionsofthefungus,calledhyphae,helpincreasethesurfaceareaoftheplantrootsystemso thatitcanextendbeyondtheareaofnutrientdepletion.
Ectomycorrhizaeareatypeofmycorrhizaethatformadensesheatharoundtheplantroots, calledamantle,fromwhichthehyphaegrow;inendomycorrhizae,myceliumisembedded withintheroottissue,asopposedtoformingasheatharoundit.
Inendomycorrhizae,myceliumisembeddedwithintheroottissue,asopposedtoforminga sheatharoundit;thesearefoundintherootsofmostterrestrialplants.
CAREER RESUME: Dr Gary John BACON AM
QUALIFICATIONS
1970 BSc (For) (Hons), Australian National University.
1978 PhD Australian National University.
AWARDS:
1974 A R Henderson Bequest, Institute of Foresters of Australia
1977 Hedges Prize, Institute of Foresters of Australia.
1989 Fellow, Institute of Foresters of Australia.
1994 Ministerial Achievement Award, Queensland Primary Industries
2000 William Jolly Medal, Institute of Foresters of Australia.
2005 Distinguished Service Award, IUFRO
2016 The Queen’s Birthday Honours List: Member (AM) of the Order of Australia.
SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP:
Institute of Foresters of Australia
(National Secretary 1983 - 1985)
(National President 1985 - 1987)
International Union of Societies of Foresters
(Vice President 1990 - 1994)
EMPLOYMENT:
Adjunct Professor/Consultant
1999 - 2018
Adjunct Professor, Environmental Futures Institute, Griffith University, undertaking establishment of Agroforestry trials with Australian Centre for Agricultural Research on- and off-shore, commercialising carbon offsets and mentoring post grads. Consultant and JASANZ accredited auditor to forest processing industry and private forest growers on resource, silviculture, management, and certification issues.
Queensland Department of Primary Industries – Forestry Business Group
1995 – 1999. Executive Director (Forestry) – Senior Executive Service
Led the Forestry Business Group (1050 staffers) during its initial years as a commercialised entity Queensland Forestry was the second largest in Australia with core business separated into four product areas, plantations, native forests, quarries, and other business ventures based on intellectual property. Established a Forest Research Institute and a Forestry Industry Development Division.
Queensland Department of Primary Industries - Resource Management Business Group
1992 – 1995. General Manager (Land Management)
Directed within three functional units (Resource Assessment and Planning, Agricultural Chemistry, Natural Resource Management Research) and two agency wide sub-programs (Land Assessment and Protection, Risk Management and Drought) performance-based outcomes concerned with securing the sustainable use of land resources used primarily for production purposes by viable, self-reliant enterprises.
Forestry Commission of New South Wales
1990 – 1992. Assistant Commissioner
Directed within the Divisions of Management Planning, Lands Administration and Wood Technology and Forest Research, the development and implementation of participative forest management policies and plans, environmental impact assessment and compliance, land
assessment and mapping procedures, land acquisition and all forestry research for the State of New South Wales.
OTHER INDUSTRY POSITIONS:
• Led the inaugural Forestry delegation to USSR in 1990 under the auspices of the Australia-USSR Agricultural Co-operation Agreement.
• Inaugural Deputy Chair of the National Forestry and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation 1994-97.
• Member of the CSIRO Forestry, Wood, and Paper Industries Sector Advisory Committee 1996-99.
• Co-Chair of the Australian Timber Industry Stabilisation (Austis) Queensland Division 1995-99.
• Member of the Australian/New Zealand Standing Committee on Forestry 1996-99.
• Chair of the Australian Congress Organising Committee for the 2005 IUFRO. Congress themed Forests in the Balance: Linking Tradition and Technology. It was the first Congress held ‘down under’ (southern hemisphere) in the 113-year history of IUFRO. Over 2100 participants from 90 countries attended.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Over 120 papers/reports/titles, including the 1997 Max Jacobs Oration to the joint Australian New Zealand Institutes of Forestry, Entropy, and the Renewal of Australian Forestry
ACROYNMS
ACIAR Australian Centre for Agriculture Research
AFS Australian Forestry School
AFPNG Association of Foresters of PNG
ANU Australian National University
AUSTIS Australian Timber Industry Stabilisation Conference.
“Beer Time” Any time.
BFC Bulolo Forestry College
C Commonwealth
cm Centimetre
CFA Commonwealth Forestry Association
CSIR Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
DEPT Department
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation
ha Hectare
IFA Institute of Foresters of Australia
IUFRO International Union of Forest Research Organizations
m3 cubic metre
no. Number
NSW New South Wales
PNG Papua New Guinea
PNGAA Papua New Guinea Australia Association
PNGAF Papua New Guinea Australian Foresters Magazine Series
PNGFA Papua New Guinea Forest Authority
PNGFIA PNG Forest Industries Association
PNGUT PNG University of Technology
POM Port Moresby
Q Queensland
QF Queensland Forestry
UNITECH University of Technology Lae PNG
USA United States of America
TPNG Territory of Papua and New Guinea
WB World Bank
WW2 WORLD WAR 2