Burnie Paper Mill

The formation of Bush Watch in Tasmania and its direct links with Surrey Hills

24 March 2023 24 March 2023 / 10 Comments

Bush Watch is a community policing initiative which encourages bush users to report unusual or suspicious activities. It was set up like Neighbourhood Watch to deal with the spate of sabotage on equipment, logs etc. The Bush Watch idea was first developed by the now defunct Forest Protection Society (FPS). FPS started from humble beginnings …

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Living on the buttongrass plain – a history of Bulgobac

28 October 2022 28 October 2022 / 11 Comments

I grew up in a sawmill town on the edge of the buttongrass plain Beside a railway track in the town of Bulgobac Where the locals stop for water from the water tank It also fed the sawmill and the town of Bulgobac Travel roads were twenty miles away and people very few With mountains …

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Last Light Lindridge

24 June 2022 26 June 2022 / 7 Comments

While finalising a previous blog with Ian Ravenwood on the evolution of aerial operations on Surrey Hills, I was reminded of the tragic plane crash on Daisy Nolan Hill, near Hampshire, in 1983, which killed the sole occupier, pilot John Lindridge. I researched what I could about John and quickly discovered he had a remarkable …

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Insect pests and fungal pathogens of eucalypt plantations

22 April 2022 25 June 2022 / 3 Comments

As mentioned in my blog on Dick de Boer, the main reason for my employment by Associated Forest Holdings (AFH) in 1975 was forest insect pests. By the 1970s, the company was starting to become concerned about the ability of its forest estate, and particularly the freehold property of Surrey Hills, to provide an on-going …

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My AFH Experience

25 February 2022 25 June 2022 / 14 Comments

This month’s guest blog is by Leigh Titmus, who worked at Surrey Hills between 1978 and 1986. Leigh grew up as a kid in Devonport through the 1950s and 60s. His father built one of the earliest shacks at Sisters Beach, so almost every weekend, the family would head off there, and they would drive …

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A lost opportunity or a wise decision – the plans for a smelter on Surrey (or Hampshire) Hills

24 December 2021 25 June 2022 / 1 Comment

After European settlement, Surrey and Hampshire Hills were utilised for grazing and farming under the ownership of the Van Diemen’s Land Company (VDL Co.). The only significant industrial development on those estates was the construction of the Emu Bay Railway. After ownership changed hands to companies associated with Associated Pulp and Paper Mills (APPM), the …

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Resistance fighter, unconventional forester, family man and mentor – the life of Dick de Boer (1922-94)

22 October 2021 25 June 2022 / 8 Comments

This month’s guest blog is written by David de Little. In my book “Fires, Farms and Forests” I outlined the pivotal role Dick de Boer played in the development of eucalypt plantations on Surrey Hills. David was fortunate to work with Dick from 1975 to 1983 and got to know him very well. There was …

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