David John Thomas and the first operation under etherisation in Melbourne

The first patient etherised by David John Thomas was James Egan, an Irish bounty immigrant who lived on a pastoral lease about 120 km from Melbourne. Egan had injured his left hand and forearm in a shooting accident. It would take Egan five or six days to reach Melbourne where he had his forearm amputated on 2 August 1847. Egan had fainted frequently in the cart on the way to Melbourne and was fortunate to survive the etherisation and surgery. In September 1847, Thomas presented a paper on etherisation at a monthly meeting of the Port Phillip Medical Association—this is the earliest known presentation of a paper on etherisation in the Australian colonies. The original manuscript of Dr Thomas is now held by the Medical History Museum at the University of Melbourne.

Agricultural intensification, ownership, and landscape change in the Mackenzie Basin

This article investigates the role of shifting land ownership in landscape change in New Zealand’s Mackenzie Basin. It was hypothesised that ownership patterns influence landscape transformation; and changes in ownership lead to landscape changes. Satellite imagery was used to trace recent landscape changes quantifying a change from brown extensive pastoralism to green irrigated pasture. It was concluded that the change in land ownership following land reform allowed for about half of this agricultural intensification since 2003. Aggregating intensification on new freehold land with that on current pastoral lease changes the story; Crown decisions about disposition or intensification of Crown land account for two-thirds of intensification since 2003. Hence, if current trends in the Mackenzie are to change, the Crown must examine its decision patterns. Change in some form seems likely. The results presented speak to who has the power to make change. The choice and the power reside somewhere in the space between the Commissioner of Crown Lands and the Minister of Land Information.

The occurrence and relative abundance of small terrestrial mammals on Theda Station in the Northern Kimberley, Western Australia

Significant gaps in knowledge currently exist regarding the small mammal fauna of the Northern Kimberley (NOK) bioregion. Theda Station is a previously unsurveyed pastoral lease in the NOK. The aim of the current study was to determine the presence of small mammals (non-volant, <2 kg) on Theda Station and to compare these findings with those recently obtained on the adjacent Doongan Station. Between 2006 and 2014, 226 site surveys were conducted across 69 sites, with over 26 000 trap-nights encompassing a range of habitats. Thirteen of the 27 small mammal species known to occur in the NOK were detected. Four species (Pseudomys nanus, Rattus tunneyi, Zyzomys argurus and Sminthopsis virginiae) were common, five (Pseudomys delicatulus, Pseudantechinus ningbing, Dasyurus hallucatus, Isoodon macrourus and Petropseudes dahli) were detected less frequently, and four (Leggadina lakedownensis, Hydromys chrysogaster, Planigale maculata and Petaurus breviceps) were occasionally recorded. Our study provides important baseline data for small mammals in this region. It highlights the lack of detailed knowledge of both the presence of, and temporal fluctuations in, the region’s small mammal fauna. This study supports a non-uniform distribution of the small mammal fauna across the NOK, with Theda Station lying within a transition zone between the high rainfall rugged coastal and near-coastal areas and the lower rainfall areas of the east.

Changes to land tenure and pastoral lease ownership in Western Australia’s central rangelands: implications for co-operative, landscape-scale management

The majority of arid and semiarid land in the Western Australian pastoral zone has a long history of livestock grazing within an extensive network of predominantly family-held pastoral leases. A variety of different groups have purchased pastoral leases in the last five decades and, for many, making a profit from pastoralism is no longer a priority. For the central rangelands of Western Australia, these groups have included: government agencies, who have purchased some 9% of pastoral leases by area; private conservation organisations (<1% purchased); aboriginal communities and groups (~7%); and mining companies (~13%). The purchases of pastoral leases by government agencies was designed to improve the conservation status of arid-zone ecosystems, and is the first step in a process of changing land tenure to a conservation reserve. This paper summarises the extent and other characteristics of these changes in land tenure and ownership of pastoral leases, and explores the implications for land management and conservation, stemming from these changes. It demonstrates that large areas of contiguous land with no or reduced domestic stocking can now be found in many parts of these rangelands, particularly in the Coolgardie, Yalgoo and Pilbara bio-regions, with some leaseholders actively managing land for the conservation of biodiversity and restoring sites degraded through past over-grazing. In some bio-regions, such land covers considerable proportions of sub-catchments, suggesting that broad-scale conservation management and restoration objectives may be realised. It is argued that to fully realise these objectives requires effective communication and co-ordination between land managers, including sharing of ideas, view-points and resources. In particular, mining companies, now major holders of pastoral leases in Western Australia, can play an important role in contributing to and even facilitating such objectives.

From productivism to multi-functionality in the Gascoyne - Murchison Rangelands of Western Australia

A sustainability assessment of the Western Australian (WA) rangelands identified a range of issues associated with regional economic decline typical of many marginal rangeland regions in Australia. As part of a regional rejuvenation strategy, the WA state government purchased selected pastoral lease properties for incorporation into the conservation estate. It was intended as a means of land-use transition from mono-functional productivism to multi-functionality incorporating protection of significant rangeland bioregions and development of tourism. A 1-year project was conducted to assess the issues relating to this transition. Archived information was obtained from government relating to the characteristics of the lease properties at the time they were purchased. Site visits were undertaken to purchased leases acquired by the government as well as neighbouring leases. During site visits, interviews with pastoralists and purchased lease managers were conducted. A series of facilitated community discussion groups in the region was held to ascertain the views of landholders and managers, government representatives, indigenous interests and commercial operators in the region. This paper describes how the transition to a combination of protection and consumption exchanged one set of problems for another. This was due partly to the intrinsic character of the land, in terms of previous overgrazing, isolation, large distances, and limited infrastructure and services. More importantly, the top-down approach to land transition failed to allocate adequate management resources to replace those lost when the former pastoral leaseholders left. The consequences of inadequate management included theft and rapid degradation of assets, inadequate control of pests and weeds; inadequate fire prevention management and poor communication between the government and other stakeholders over management decisions. This paper discusses the dynamics of this WA rangeland transition with reference to the multi-functional rural transition concept.

Women on the South-East Queensland Frontier

A typescript of a woman's diary deposited at the Mitchell Library in the 1970s contains some intriguing exchanges for the historian of the frontier. The diarist is unnamed — never a good omen for a primary document — but the uneven entries and the diary's passing mention of some of the people on Durundur Station from October 1842 to May 1843 give it the weight of authenticity. Our informant, ‘the wife of an employee of the Archers’, arrived on the station in October 1842, only six months after the north had officially been opened for free settlement and only a little over twelve months since David Archer had established this pastoral lease. She had arrived as part of a group of fourteen labourers and mechanics sent from one of the Archer estates in Scotland, and settled on one of the few stations to establish good relations with the traditional owners of the region. Her employer was among the more religious of the Archer brothers — a renowned family of Queensland pastoralists — and he was much taken with the idealism of the Evangelical movement. He refused to hunt the Dalla of the Blackall-D'Aguilar Ranges from their country and was determined to build peaceful relations with the traditional owners.

High country development: integrating clovers, soils and merinos

Middlehurst is a 16,723 ha high country property in the Awatere Valley, a close neighbour to Molesworth and some 114 km from Blenheim. In 1998 we purchased 5303 ha of freehold and a pastoral lease of 11,420 ha with 28 years to run on its current lease, running 7520 sheep stock units (su) and 3400 cattle su.

Control of feral cats for nature conservation. IV. Population dynamics and morphological attributes of feral cats at Shark Bay, Western Australia

The dynamics of feral cats (Felis catus) were assessed at Shark Bay at two adjoining sites subject to differing intensities of predator control. The Heirisson Prong conservation reserve (12 km2) was fenced to exclude predators and was subject to intensive control actions, while a portion of the adjoining Carrarang pastoral lease (60 km2) was subject to a lesser level of control. Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were largely absent at both sites owing to effective control. Densities of cats were highly variable over time, showing strong annual fluctuations over 14 years of records Three independent estimates of peak density were made, varying between 1.5 and 2.8 km–2. Rate of increase was assessed as 0.98 on the pastoral lease and 0.99 on the conservation reserve (to give an approximate doubling of the population every 8.5 months). A logistic model, with K = 1.5 km–2 and r of 0.98, gave a maximum sustained yield of 0.37 cats km–2 year–1 and a harvest rate of >0.6 cats km–2 year–1 for their elimination in 5 years or less (for K = 2.8 km–2, these values increase to 0.69 and >1.05 km–2 year–1 respectively). Harvest outcomes at both sites were consistent with these models. However, the effort required to maintain a given offtake rate increased 6-fold at low cat densities and offtake by trapping as a function of cat density took the form of a Type 3 functional response. The functional response for cat trapping (the offtake with constant effort per unit time) overlaid against the curve of cat productivity suggested a stable equilibrium point at low cat densities (0.07–0.13 cats km–2). Hence, trapping effort needed to be greatly intensified at low cat densities and/or augmented by other methods of control to eradicate cats from the closed system of the reserve. The strongly male-biased sex ratio of captures at the barrier fence suggested high levels of reinvasion from beyond the harvested area of the pastoral lease and this made effective control in this open system difficult.

Ecology of Sandalwood (Santalum Spicatum) Near Paynes Find and Menzies, Western Australia: Size Structure and Dry-Sided Stems.

Population size structure of sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) was studied on four pastoral leases near Paynes Find and Menzies, in semi-arid Western Australia. Stem diameter, height, height to crown and the orientation of dry-sided stems were recorded for 1017 individual sandalwood. Populations of S. spicatum at Paynes Find contained only mature trees, indicating no successful recruitment for at least 30 years. In contrast, populations of S, spicatum at Menzies had a high proportion of seedlings and saplings. Crown measurements of mature S. spicatum trees indicated high grazing intensity at Paynes Find: mean height to crown at Paynes Find (147-148 cm) was significantly higher than Menzies (92-94 cm). Dry-side percentage differed significantly between directional faces, consistent with sun damage. Highest mean dry-side percentages were on stem sides facing the sun between midday and late afternoon: west, north-west, south-west and north. This directional pattern was the same between pastoral leases, and there was no interaction between pastoral lease and dry-side direction. Mean percentage of mature trees with a dry-sided stem was also significantly higher at Paynes Find (76-82%) than at Menzies (42-46%). Significantly less foliage low to the ground on mature trees at Paynes Find may have exposed the stems to more sun damage. Land systems did not significantly influence dry-side direction on Burnerbinmah or Goongarrie. No S. spicatum seedlings or saplings had a dry-sided stem. Key words: Santalum spicatum, size structure, dry-sided stems

Implementing Satellite-Based Grazing Gradient Methods for Rangeland Assessment in South Australia.

This paper reports on a project to adapt grazing gradient methods, which use satellite data, to assess the condition of the northern rangelands of South Australia. Within this region, cattle graze in large paddocks on mainly ephemeral vegetation that responds in often unpredictable ways to erratic rainfall. Two methods were tested: one calculates average cover levels at increasing distance from watering points while the other produces a map showing where vegetation response to rainfall is different to that which might be expected. Before using the methods, it was necessary to rapidly produce a map of landscape types reflecting grazing preference and we show how this was obtained from classified satellite data. It was not possible to derive an accurate index of vegetation cover from the satellite data for areas with a dark stone mantle and these areas were excluded from grazing gradient analyses. We describe how analysis software was adapted to the needs of a client (SA Department of Environment and Natural Resources) and how training was provided. Testing of the grazing gradient technology as a suitable method for determining lease condition in northern South Australia is continuing and is supported by both pastoralists in the region and the Pastoral Board. Key words: land condition, pastoral lease assessment, satellite data, thematic mapper, grazing gradients, technology transfer