2003

February

6

Council Meeting

March

6

Council Meeting

28

GIS Roadshow – Somerset College***

April

3

Council Meeting

May

1

Council Meeting

May

9

Couran Cove Field trip

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY

ARE YOU CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS?

WE NEED TO KNOW.
President’s Report       

Let me start by saying a huge THANK YOU to out-going President Sue Parkinson. Sue has been president of GTAQ for the past 4 years and has lead the Association through some difficult times. The SOSE issue came to a head during those times and the introduction of the Optional syllabuses can be directly attributed to the case presented by Sue and the Committee.

I would also like to pay tribute to other Council members who did not seek re-election this year. Alison larking is looking forward to the patter of little feet in a couple of months and we wish her all the best at this time. Alison has always been the person who was there to fill the gap when a gap needed filling. This year Alison was Sales Manager and was an admirable assistant to Beryl in the lead-up to Geo-SOSE Day. Beryl McLaughlin is also taking time out. Beryl was the primary organiser of Geo-SOSE Day this year and is still trying to recover her breath. Ian Hardy, another former Geo-SOSE Day organiser, is taking time out to complete his PhD this coming year. To all three, I would like to extend the thanks of GTAQ members for tasks well done. Best wishes for the future and we expect to see you back on Council in the near future.

To our new Council members, I extend a warm welcome and thanks for joining the team. Doug Cave needs little introduction as Doug has been on Council previously. Doug started at Nashville High soon after I started at Redcliffe High and then went to Shailer Park. Doug is currently the HOD Social Science at the School of Distance Education. Robert Wilson is no stranger to GTAQ members either. Robert left full time teaching to take up an education position with the Queensland Mining Council and Robert has been the face of this organisation at many Conferences and in many schools. Welcome to both Doug and Robert.

So as Sue called for a move to draft more younger people into GTAQ, we elect one of our oldest presidents – a bald old bloke who can see the bright shining light just 379 days 2 hours and 10 minutes away but who’s counting. I would like to thank the GTAQ Council and members of GTAQ for having faith in me to take over the reins. I am looking forward to the coming year. The challenge in front of us is to make our geography classrooms engaging, interesting and challenging. The curriculum we are delivering must be relevant to today’s world. Students must see that Geography has a role in their quality world. It is up to our Association to assist teachers in this role. The GTAQ Council of 2003 will look at what we have done well in the past so see what we can do better in the future. I hope members will see GTAQ is an important part of  their quality world.

Some goals I hope GTAQ can achieve in the coming year include

·        expanding our membership base into primary schools and those parts of the State poorly represented at present by diversifying our classes of membership

·        engaging more tertiary institutions in our activities

·        producing units of work for the Senior Geography syllabus

·        diversifying our professional development opportunities with more fieldwork activities. Couran Cove is on the agenda and why not a whale watching trip

·        maybe even looking at a study tour to Vanuatu. GTAV does it. Why not us?

I look forward to your continued participation in 2003 and hope you have a safe and happy holiday.

David Lergessner

President

Sue Parkinson’s President’s Report

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

21^st November 2002

I am happy to present the forty-second Annual report of the Geography Teachers’ Association of Queensland.

1.0              COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

Council positions in 2001 were as follows:

PRESIDENT                                       Sue Parkinson

IMMEDIATE VICE PRESIDENT       Margaret McIvor

VICE-PRESIDENT                             Doug Hoare

                                                            David Lergessner

SECRETARY                                      Debby Hair

TREASURER                                      Doug Hoare

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY            Kay Channon

SALES MANAGER                            David Lergessner

COUNCIL MEMBERS                       Alison Larkings

                                                            Ian Hardy

                                                            Tom Bates

                                                            Jackie Mergard

                                                            Judy Smeed

                                                            Beryl MacLaughlin

                                                            David Jaunay

                                                            Kaye Schwede

Council membership during 2002 was very similar to 2001 with the addition of Kay Schwede who joined us from Wynnum State High school. Doug Hoare and Kay Channon swapped their respective roles as Membership Secretary and Treasurer and they have both done admirably in these new positions.

Unfortunately during the year, Ian Hardy resigned from Council due to his work commitments at UQ and the pressure of work has seen Judy Smeed and Tom Bates unable to attend many meetings. This has left the Council with fewer people. Despite this, the Council has been a very united team and what we may lack in numbers we have more than made up for in commitment and support. As many “older” members of Council take up new ventures or retire from an active professional life, it is time to urge younger, newer members to take up the cause and play a more active role.

2.0              ADMINISTRATION

Separate reports from each of the following are attached:

• Treasurer
• Sales Manager

3.0              MEMBERSHIP

Current membership for 2002 stands at 281, only 8 fewer than last year.  Over 40 new members joined GTAQ this year. The balance of numbers across all categories of membership remains much the same as in 2001. 

In August, a mail-out was undertaken to all non-member schools teaching Senior Geography. We hoped that by raising awareness of the services which GTAQ provides to its members, more geography teachers might be encouraged to join our association.  The mail-out was successful in attracting 11 new members. We are now hopeful that this awareness-raising exercise will bring added interest in 2003.

RGSQ is continuing to maintain our database and provides valuable assistance to our membership secretary, Kay Channon. 

4.0              PUBLICATIONS

4.1              Newsletter

We were extremely fortunate to have David Lergessner continuing in the role of newsletter editor and David has tirelessly put together newsletters in each of the four school terms and more. David has written for the newsletter, overseen the compilation and printing of the newsletter and organised the distribution and mailing of the newsletter. This is a mammoth task and the fact that David did this mainly on his own is testament to David’s limitless energy and his commitment to GTAQ. A big thankyou, David.

4.2              Internet Web Site

Chris Smeed has continued to be GTAQ's webmaster and has ensured that the website has remained current and useful for members. The web site is continuing to be a useful place for advertising activities and conference details and a useful place for articles from our newsletter.

5.0              ANNUAL CONFERENCE

2002 saw GTAQ trying out a slightly different format from 2001. It was decided to run the conference on the Friday and Saturday following on after the Anzac Day holiday as it was hoped country members would take advantage of the long weekend to attend. This didn’t really eventuate and the Friday field studies were poorly attended. Saturday attendance was also down slightly from the previous year however the venue, keynote speakers and workshops were all of a high quality. This year Tim Quinn, Deputy Lord Mayor, gave a very interesting insight into urban planning issues in Brisbane and Geoff MacDonald from the University of Queensland presented an overview of natural resource management. The highlight of the day for many, however, was the afternoon session with Frank Mandy otherwise known as the “Bilby man”. Despite very upsetting circumstances, Frank came along and gave an emotional insight into his crusade to save the bilby in western Queensland by constructing a bilby fence around a national park. Once again we have David Lergessner to thank for organising such a wide range of speakers and Jackie Mergard for her ongoing liaison work with the University of Queensland who provided valuable sponsorship for the event.

6.0              PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

6.1 GEOSOSE DAY

Following on from the success of the 2001 GeoSOSE Day, GTAQ once again organised an in-service day on the exhibition holiday in August. Beryl McLaughlin, assisted by Allison Larking, was the organiser and her high organisational skills were greatly appreciated. Although numbers were not as great as 2001, there were over 150 people in attendance and a huge variety of workshops presented information ranging from the application of GIS to how to design your own SOSE course. Judging from feedback received, people were very happy with the high quality of the material presented and people came away with lots of practical skills and resources they can implement in their classrooms. At the moment no one has stepped forward to organise the 2003 day and any volunteers would be gratefully received by Council. Some remuneration is paid for services rendered so perhaps someone may like to consider this in the near future and let the GTAQ Council know.

6.2 YEAR 10 CAREERS DAY

Although David Jaunay is not a teacher of Geography, he has played a very valuable role on Council due to his involvement in GIS and other related areas. This year David took it upon himself to organise an inaugural Careers Day aimed squarely at Year 10 students who may be unaware of the areas into which the study of Geography may lead them. David organised a morning of guest speakers who had all studied Geography at school and were now employed in a variety of jobs where their geographical knowledge was important. This included people working in the Police force, Mining areas and Mapping areas to name but a few. There was a maximum of 200 students who could attend and I am pleased to report that the venue was full. Feedback from students was very positive and David is already putting together ideas for running something similar in 2003.

6.3 GEOGRAPHY WEEK

It was decided that Geography week would be given a greater prominence in 2002 and each state was given $500 by National Geographic to sponsor activities which would lead to the promotion of Geography during the first week of June. This week co-incided with the finals of the Australian Geography competition and World Environment day. GTAQ decided to organise a networking dinner and we invited approximately 20 people from a range of backgrounds and organisations to join us for a light meal and then to network ways we could work together to promote the value of geography. The evening was a great success and closer ties were forged. Jackie Mergard is to be thanked for her organisation of the event.

7.0              STUDIES OF SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT

The implementation of SOSE is still on-going in most schools and there is still some uncertainty as to what the future will be when current Year 8/9 students reach Years 11 and 12 having undertaken a minimum of social science in the Junior school. What the implications may be for our Senior subjects remains to be seen and the continual undervaluing of the social sciences as it competes with more “trendy” subjects is disheartening. A lot of resource material is becoming more readily available and it is comforting to see that the major publishers are still continuing to publish books with a strong discipline base.

8.0              AFFILIATION WITH OTHER BODIES

8.1               Australian Geography Teachers' Association (AGTA)

AGTA represents GTAQ on a number of peak bodies and continues to strive for a better deal for geography teaching within a changing educational framework at a national level. At recent AGTA meetings, AGTA organised key groups to examine a number of relevant issues relating to the teaching of geography. This includes GIS in schools, the organisation of Geography week, the publication of skills based material aimed at non-geography or beginning geography teachers, and the importance of standards within the teaching profession. AGTA has met with the Federal Minister, Brendan Nelson, and it is possible that AGTA may approach the Federal Government for some funding to explore the role of our discipline within the school context. This was done recently for History and it would be disappointing if Geography missed out on this valuable opportunity. AGTA continues to publish a highly professional journal, Geographical Education, which is disseminated to all members of GTAQ. AGTA has also been responsible for publishing material as part of its role in organising Geography week and this year two publications including a 20 page booklet on activities related to Extreme Geography and a glossy colourful booklet on Careers in Geography were published and distributed to all members. AGTA continues to seek out ways to finance its operations however increasingly this is being borne by the state bodies and in 2004 AGTA will be increasing its decapitation fees. This will have some implications for GTAQ.

8.2       Royal Geographical Society of Queensland (RGSQ)

In 2002 GTAQ has continued to work closely with RGSQ.  RGSQ is responsible for the maintenance of our membership database and our meetings are held at the RGSQ premises which have recently moved to Milton Road. As always I would like to thank RGSQ for its support during 2002 especially Kath and Keith who continue to provide valuable assistance and support.

9.0              CONCLUSION

In looking back, I am proud of what GTAQ  has achieved over the past four years and especially over the past twelve months. Membership is continuing to hover around the 280 figure which is quite strong and yet there are gaps in our membership ranks which need to be examined in the future. Financially we are secure and our professional activities have continued to make a profit however, it is important that we use some of this money to invest in the development of more professional resources for teachers and perhaps to consider other avenues of professional development. Our newsletter and website continue to be valuable communication tools to members and we must keep on striving to ensure that these are of a high quality and meet the needs of our members. Our professional development activities such as conference and GeoSOSE day continue to address the key concerns of members and yet the organisation of these events is time consuming and demanding on Council members. Who organises these events and how they do this is a matter for on-going debate.

In closing I would like to thank all members of Council for their unstinting support, professional attitude and constant good cheer.  I wish the new President and new Council all the very best for the future.

Sue Parkinson, President 2002

Read the review of Sue’s new Queensland Geography in SoSE 1 text in the New Resources section

     The UQ/GTAQ Geography Teaching Award 2003 

The University of Queensland’s Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture and GTAQ have combined to present an Annual Award to:

•           Encourage the skills and efforts of classroom teachers of Geography at all levels and

•           Recognise good practice in Geography teaching and learning and curriculum development.

Aim                

To encourage the development of ideas, materials and practice for use in the classroom in the teaching of Senior Geography and Studies in Society and  Environment (Geography).

Scope             

To nominate for the Award teachers are requested to submit a unit of work – a lesson or

a sequence of  lessons - which highlight a particular  theme from a geographical perspective.

Presentation  

 The entry may be submitted in hard copy or electronically to  j.mergard@epsa.uq.edu.au.

The winning entry will be published in the Queensland Geographer if appropriate.

Nominate  by completing the entry form below  and sending it to

The UQ/GTAQ Award

GTAQ

C/- RGSQ

237 Milton Rd

Milton Q 4064

Nominations close 1^st March 2003. Judging of the Award will be co-ordinated by GTAQ with a panel of judges from schools, tertiary institutions and the Queensland Studies Authority with the result published in the Conference Edition of the Queensland Geographer.

The presentation of the Award will be made at the GTAQ Annual conference. The winner will receive $500 together with a Certificate of Recognition.

GTAQ sees this as a great opportunity for teachers to receive reward and recognition for their work. It also provides members with the opportunity to share information and resources but when it comes to the bottom line, it’s the $500 which may be more important than other altruistic motives.
Geog News October – November 2002

Prepared by David Lergessner, Deception Bay High

This page will from time to time include relevant web sites. To assist teachers to access these web sites, this section will be made available on the GTAQ web site for a short period of time after the newsletter has been published.

Dates refer to when the event was reported in Queensland’s major daily newspaper – the Courier Mail. Other newspapers cited include the Sun ( S ) and Gold Coast Mail ( GCM ) AND THE Gold Coast Sun ( GCS ) from the Gold Coast, the Sunday Mail ( SM ), and The Redcliffe and Bayside Herald ( R&BH ).

October 2002

A $50 million snow and ice theme park at Gaven will be the fifth theme park on the Gold Coast if council approves the development. The Wildlife Preservation Society has concerns about the impact of the development on wildlife corridors and the habitat of the glossy black cockatoo found in the area. Council is concerned about the ability of the park to produce snow and ice energy-efficiently during the long summer period. The project is planned by the Delhi-based Chawla family and its Polo Amusements group. ( GCS Oct 2 )

History repeated itself on Fraser Island when an amateur archaeologist thought he had discovered cannon from the wreck of a 15^th century Portuguese ship. Turned out to be part of the superstructure of the Marloo which was wrecked on the island in 1912. Still it was a good story for a couple of days. ( Oct 9 )

Prominent former architect Robin Gibson commented on 30 years of change in the Brisbane city area agreeing that it should become a higher density living area but not at the expense of liveability. (Oct 9 )

Rockcote’s Design Centre to be built at Nerang won this year’s Sustainable Urban Development Award. The centre incorporates natural systems to provide heating, cooling, lighting and ventilation. Recycled building materials have been used in the construction while the centre will be self-sufficient in water use reusing its wastewater.  The car park will become tennis courts at night and the surrounds have been landscaped. Another winner was Kelvin Grove Urban Village which is a QUT-Qld Government project. ( Oct 11 )

Pago volcano has commenced erupting with 15,000 people being moved from the danger area. The volcano is a vent inside a larger caldera and scientists are concerned about a much larger eruption. The volcano last erupted in 1933. ( Oct 11 )

Brisbane Lord Mayor, Jim Soorley, has proposed that the State government begin a 30-year program to install power lines underground throughout SE Qld. The government rejected the idea as too expensive. ( Oct 11 )

Tourist operators in north Queensland are taking the sting of the irukandji jellyfish seriously.

Lycra bodysuits will be available to passengers to provide protection. ( Oct 12 )

Gary White, president of the Planning Institute of Australia ( Qld Division ), predicted a 250km long mega-city stretching from Tweed Heads to Noosa  if planners did not act now to preserve existing green belt areas. ( Oct 12 )

How many of us have taught that the water in artesian reservoirs comes from rainwater percolating down through porous rock and being trapped by impervious rock layers? Wrong according to Melbourne-based Emeritus Professor of Engineering, Lance Endersbee. According to Endersbee the water is ‘plutonic’ in origin. This means it collected as a result of huge disturbances in the centre of the earth millions of years ago. Hence it has a finite limit as it is not being replenished. The implications are significant for the millions of people around the world who produce 40% of the world’s food supply from irrigation water – much of it from artesian sources. ( Oct 12 )

The Queensland Government is set to allow 116 more species of native birds to be kept without a licence. ( S Oct 13 )

Animal Liberationists are concerned about a new battery hen farm at Pittsworth which will house over 800,000 hens. The farm is being constructed at Pittsworth and conforms to latest animal welfare standards. ( S Oct 13 )

Shopkeepers have been told by State and Federal environment Ministers to find an alternative to plastic bags before governments acted. ( S Oct 13 )

Water running from uncapped bores in the artesian basin on a daily basis is equal to the amount of water Brisbane uses in a week. ( S Oct 13 )

A bomb blast in the tourist centre of Kuta on Bali brought the possibility of terrorist attack right to Australia’s doorstep. (  Oct 14 )

Queensland company Australian Magnesium Corporation currently constructing a light metal plant at Rockhampton announced it had succeeded in developing a metal alloy which would be used to build light-weight car engine blocks. Volkswagen has used the engine in a display model of its new Lupo. ( Oct 14 )

More fire ant maps have been released. ( Oct 16 )

Keiko, the freed killer whale, will have a winter home in an ice-free fjord in western Norway where he turned up after being released from captivity in Iceland in July. ( Oct 17 )

The snow-white lustre of the Taj Mahal’s marble should return following treatment by a mudpack of fuller’s earth. The structure has been spoilt by pollution from local factories which have been ordered to shut down. ( Oct 19 )

A Californian study has linked health injuries to exposure to ‘ultrafine particles’ coming from major highways. The study recommends that people not live within 50 – 100m of such roads and buildings already in such zones should be fitted with filtration systems. ( Oct 19 )

Grape growers in the Northern territory have been ripping out and burning  vines to halt an attack of grapevine leaf rust probably transferred from Asia. The disease appears just before harvesting and could cost the industry $25 million a year if the outbreak is not restricted to the Darwin area. ( S Oct 20 )

The State Government is developing new planning rules to limit the cost impacts of natural disasters. Development controls will be placed on slopes greater than 15%, areas of high fire risk and risk of a one in a 100-year flood. Natural disasters cost Queensland around $239 million per year. ( Oct 21 )

Plague numbers of kangaroos are forcing graziers to poison watering points. The annual cull of 3.8 million is only one third filled each year. Many are being driven from National Parks by a lack of feed and water as the drought worsens. ( Oct 21 )

Two koalas on loan from the San Diego zoo to the Toledo Zoo will be returned after their annual feed bill exceeded $66,000 as the eucalyptus leaves had to be specially flown in each week. ( Oct 21 )

The Bjelke-Petersen Government proposed a SE Qld regional transit authority thirty years ago. The government will establish an authority – Translink – which will co-ordinate public transport services across SE Qld. A single ticket would be able to be used throughout the region. ( Oct 23 )

A tourist was killed by a crocodile in a Northern Territory billabong while in an organised swimming party. The billabong was signposted posing the possibility of the guide being charged with the death of the tourist. ( Oct 23 )

Got a spare $100. You could be walking over Brisbane’s Storey Bridge starting in September next year if plans are approved by the Brisbane City Council. ( Oct 24 )

The largest dust storm in 10 years swept across SE Queensland and a large part of eastern Australia. The storm reached 6km into the atmosphere and caused asthma attacks and navigation problems in aircraft. The photo below was taken in Griffith and circulated on the inter-net. ( Oct 24 )

Conservationists blamed yesterday’s dust storm on excessive land clearing in western Queensland. Landcare Australia blamed the storm on strong winds and the once-in-a-century drought. ( Oct 25 )

Acting Prime Minister, John Anderson, gave support to a call by businessman John Pratt to reduce infiltration and evaporation from rivers and irrigation channels by lining some channels with plastic and enclosing others. ( Oct 26 )

Brisbane home developers have rushed to have building permits approved before new controls on the development of small subdivisions come into effect next July. ( Oct 26 )

Western Queensland graziers have sent a bill for $2.1 million to the State and Federal Governments for feeding kangaroos during the drought situation. Twelve landowners claim they have been feeding 152,463 kangaroos for 9 months at a cost of 35c per head. The graziers do not expect payment but hope the invoice highlights the problem of roos eating pastures. ( S Oct 27 )

People are moving to the Gold Coast rather than live in Brisbane’s outer suburbs as the new motorway has cut the time for a journey from the coast to Brisbane to under an hour. This is the same time it takes to negotiate peak-hour traffic. ( S Oct 27 )

The State Government revealed a plan to build a multi-million dollar city precinct of buildings and open space above the Riverside Expressway to utilise this space opposite Southbank. ( Oct 28 )

A series of earthquakes resulted in Mt Etna erupting. At present local towns are not expected to be affected by the latest lava flow. ( Oct 30 )

November 2002

Blackbutt is rapidly building a water pipeline to Wivenhoe Dam to ensure thje future of the town’s water supply. ( Nov 2 )

The mouth of the Maroochy River is expected to be stabilised by a $1.5million project which will involve the construction of three groynes at the mouth of the Maroochy River. Sand will be dredged from the North Shore to build the beach out around the camping area.

( Nov 2 )

An earthqiuake in southern Italy buried and killed at least 24 children and their teachers in San Giuliano di Puglia. The children were attending a Hallooween party at their local school when the quake struck. ( Nov 2 )

The Qld Government has relaxed controls on the production of ethanol. This means more companies will be able to produce E10 – petrol blended with 10% ethanol. There were concerns that smog levl would increase with the use of E10 but recent studies have shown E10 helps the environment. ( Nov 2 )

A prototype spacecraft which will be used to take tourists to an orbiting space station should be in use by 2004. A price of $15000( US ) is expected when up to 9500 trips could be made per year. ( Nov 2 )

Brisbane householders use 350 of water per day yet counterparts in Sydney use only 227. The Australian average is 26l daily and thjis is 30% more than most developed nations. These figures have been released by the Water Services Association of Australia. ( S Nov 3 )

Sea World marine sciences director Trevor Log is interested in the whereabouts of a dugong named Pig. The dugong was rescued after being orphaned and has been in care for the past four years before being released into the wild.  Unfortunately the dugong has disappeared since being released. (  Nov 4 )

The State Government’s plans for  development above the Riverside Expressway could be thwarted by noise levels unless specific engineering works were done to counteract noise. Noise levels on the on-off ramps already reach over 70 decibels. The acceptyable limit for for outdoor areas is 55db while for bedrooms it is 35db. ( Nov 6 )

Australia’s coastline is being ‘loved to death’ as 85% of Australians live within 50km of the coast and the remaining 15% are trying to get there according to delegates to the Coast to Coast 2002 Conference at Tweed Heads. ( Nov 6 )

The damning of the Yang-tse River was completed when a diversion canal was filled with rocks. This completes a major section of the Three Gorges Dam Project. ( nov 7 )

The Qld Governmnemnt has applied to Environment Australia and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service for permission to release the tiny South American golden beetle which has been proven as a control against one of the state’s worst weeds, the cat’s claw creeper found extensively in rainforest areas. ( Nov 8 )

Water restrictions in Gladstone might affect jobs and the economic life of the city if rain doesn’t fall soon. The Awoonga Dam which supplies the city is down to 25% of capacity.

( S Nov 10 )

Badge-swapping was the car makers approach to the 90s. Today it is ‘platform-sharing’ where models from several companies share the same chassis and suspension buit add their own bodies and engines. This can lead to cars produced by different companies having the same base but very different prices because of the additions to the base. ( S Nov 10 )

Queensland produces 25% of Australia’s Greenhouse gases according to Professor Ian Lowe. Weathger experts also warned thatBrisbane residents can expect twice as many days with temperatures above 35C. These predictions came as fires raged around Clifton Beach north of Cairns. ( Nov 11 )

The State Government’s plans to develop North Bank an urban precinct above the Riverside Expressway was condemned by Brisvbane’s Lord MayorJim Soorley who was concerened about transport, pollution and the short timeline for planning the project. ( Nov 11 )

The Indeonesian forest fires of 1997 increased greenhouse gases by 40% in that year. This information accompanies warnings that 2002-03 could see a similar situation develop. ( Nov 13 )

Statistics released by Planet Ark showed that over 30 000 litres of water were saved for every tonne of paper recycled. Are you doing your bit? ( Nov 13 )

Trre clearing controls will be tightened in the Fitzroy Basin near Rockhampton. A salinity map released by the government showed 4.6 million hectares at risk of turning into salt pans. This was equal to 4% of the catchment while a further 30% of the catchment was considewred at risk of being affected by salinity. ( Nov 13 )

Dams in the Brisbane area have fallen from 84% capacity to 64% of capacity since January. Rtegional dams were down to 48% of capacity with lake Clarendon and Kroombit dams being empty. ( Nov 14 )

Conversationists were concerned that a UN ruling allowing Botswana, South Africa and Namibia to sell 60 tonnes of ivory in 2004 would lead to a return of ivory poaching. The countries have been allowed this one-off sale after demonstrating they were managing their elephant populations successfully. Zambia nad Zimbabwe have been refused similar sales in the past. ( Nov 14 )

Quarantine laws needed to be tightened to control the incursion of marine pests on hulls and in ballast water according to the Australian Seafood Industry Council. The arrival of the black striped mussel in Darwin on an international yacht cost millions of dollars to eradicate in 1998. ( Nov 18 )

Oil leaking from the oil tanker Prestige washed on to Spain’s north-west coast. The single-hulled tanker was in danger of breaking up in high seas. ( Nov 18 )

Spanish officials refused to allow the cracked oil tanker Prestige to be taken to a port for repairs faering further damage to fishiung beds and property. The tanker was ordered to be towed 190km into international waters. ( Nov 19 )

The Productivity Commission in adraft report claimed there was only circumstantial evidence that run-off from the Australian mainland had increased its impact since European settlement. AgForce deputy chiel executive indicated that well managed pastures would have less run-off than natural areas but acknowledged that graziers could be a problem in some areas. One problem area the Commission indentified was the plethora of laws meant to protect the environment. ( Nov )

The oil tanker Prestige broke in two while being towed away from the Spanish coast. The tanker was carrying over 70,000 tonnes of fuel oil which was already being washed on to Spanish beaches. ( Nov 20 )

The University of Queensland was concerned about a proposal to link the Uni with Dutton Park via a bus and walk bridge. The Uni was the second largest generator of traffic outside the CBD and a link to Dutton Park would keep an estimated 3700 vehicles out of the CBD daily. The project would cost between $88 and $135 million. ( Nov 20 )

The oil tanker Prestige sank taking its leaking crgo of fuel oil 3.6kms to the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The concern now is that the huge pressures at this depth will crush the tanks releasing more oil while the hope is that freezing temperatures at this depth will cause the oil to harden in the tanks. ( Nov 21 )

Brisbane City Council came under fire for advertisements in local newspapers indicating the SunAqua fish farm proposal for Moreton Bay would produce an amount of manure equivalent to that from 20,000 pigs. ( Nov 21 )

New riverfront hoiuses in the Brisbane area would have to have a vegetation screen planted to protect the river’s appearance. ( Nov 21 )

The tour guide who toild a German tourist it was safe to swim in a Northern Territory billabong would be charged with causing her death. ( Nov 23 )

While as few as 1,000 pandas may exist in the wild, the breeding program at Chengdu Research Institute has produced over 100 pandas. These young animals are leased out to zoos around the world at an annaulk fee of up to $1million which is used to fund the program. While the panda habitat is being reduced, the panda itself is helping the decline in numbers as it notoriously bad at mating. ( S Nov 24 )

The Pruductivity Commission was asked to ban the sale of fertilisers to farmers who fail to cxontrol run-off from their properties. ( nov 25 )

Spain and Portugal have asked the European Union to move shipping lanes further off the coast following the disastrous impacts of the sinking of the oil tanker Prestige. ( Nov 25 )

The Nambour sugar mill will continue to crush cane on the Sunshine Coast until a new ethanol plant can be constructed to process the annual cut. ( Nov 26 )

The State Government has decided to abandon its native title legislation in favour of Federal legislation. The Queensland Mining Council believed delays in processing permits would now be reduced. ( Nov 29 )

A further fire ant restricted area map was produced. ( Nov 30 )

The crew of an illegal Indonesian fishing vessel may have been using dolphins as bait to catch sharks in the Torres Strait. ( nov 30 )

Technology in the classroom

UNLOCK THE INTERNET WITH DAVID LERGESSNER

The following are websites considered useful by the editor. For the convenience of GTAQ members, this section will be included in the web version of this edition of the Queensland Geographer.

ABC Asia-Pacific Information   www.goasiapacific.com

The Access Asia crew have drawn my attention to this new website which is an off-shoot of the ABC. The site is basically a news site updated daily. It has a multimedia approach with many links to other ABC sites about the Pacific. The site is available in a multitude of languages making it useful in areas where SOSE and LOTE are integrated.

Key stories on Saturday Nov 23 were about Bali, refugees, democracy in the region. From this opening page, a person can move to sites which have a specific Asian focus or a specific Pacific focus. In these areas, you can navigate to regional statistics, issues and country profiles. You can imagine the development issues in a country where there are over 400 languages. Check the site out to find out where it is.

You can even visit an atoll where the day begins at 5am working in gardens and feeding the animals and ends around 11pm. Where there is no electricity and where a person once rigged up a solar powered system to operate a television set. He was so overwhelmed by visitors he disconnected the set and sent it back. Where is it? You can find it on the website.

The site is supported by links to other sites with an Asia-Pacific interest. It is interactive with the opportunity for students to comment on stories and participate in forums.

The site would be useful for the Senior Development unit and Junior SOSE programs.

Ask Asia     www.askasia.org

This site was reviewed Education Views in August and fits in with the previous review. The site is developed and maintained by the Rockefeller group and currently needs some significant maintenance. The home page is divided into two sections – the left hand side which covers the type of information a teacher of the Development unit would find useful and the right hand side which organises the information for teachers and students. The left hand side was not connecting to any sites. This was disappointing and made comparison with the previous one difficult.

From a Geography teacher’s point of view, the information about rice production in Indonesia and the comparison with similar production in California would be useful for the Development unit. This unit is supported by lesson plans and photographs. The site also has timelines, quizzes and an interactive map game on China.

Like most sites which attempt to cover such a large part of the Earth’s surface, some areas are well resourced while other areas lack similar detail. The site is worth a look at and if the resources side is working should be quite useful. The surprising thing about the site is that I didn’t find anywhere to ask a question about Asia. That was strange given the name of the site.

NEW RESOURCES

Queensland Geography in SoSE 1

Series Editor Sue Parkinson

Reviewing Queensland Geography in SoSE 1 published by McMillan has been an enjoyable process. Congratulations and credit must go to the publishers and Series Editor Sue Parkinson for producing a text which is visually appealing and encourages all learning styles to engage in the knowledge and activities.

When looking at the book, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the cluttered feel of the first couple of pages. Get passed these and you will soon be delighted with the well-organised easy to use text.

The Introducing Geography section, after Page 8 gives a well-sequenced, developmental approach to geography skills. The following natural environment section would be a God-send for a Geography teacher who is unable to locate or buy a variety of resources. The book combines knowledge and skills in a logical sequence according to the different environments. Teachers will find this helpful in terms of course organisation. However to accommodate the excellent visual appeal, there are times when information is minimal and basic concepts really need further explanation. An example of this is the definition of weathering of page 50. At this point, in a Geography text one would expect further explanations on the different types of weathering.

The book’s focus appears to be physical geography. The Human Environment (Part 3) is only a small section of the text. However the excellent chapter on human settlement can be seen as a forerunner to urbanisation and population chapters in book 2.

Queensland Geography in SoSE is certainly worth considering both as a text and a reference. Sue Parkinson, the series editor has put together a textbook which will provide both and Geography and non-Geography teachers the confidence to teach and hopefully further investigate good classroom Geography. Well done Ms Parkinson!

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RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS

The place of Geography in your career

Developed by the Australian Geographical Teachers’ Association and sponsored by the national Geographic Channel, the Geography Week kit – ‘Extreme Geography’ offered ideas and practical activities for students in celebration of Geography Action Week.  The kit provided a copy of the A3 pamphlet The place of Geography in your career choice.  This glossy colour pamphlet provides an overview of geography’s place in careers, including career opportunities, skills developed through geography and links to other disciplines.  Beautifully presented, this pamphlet makes an excellent resource for parent information evenings and for student distribution during subject selection times, geography week and for promoting geography to various audiences.

Cost:  $4.00/10 - $7.50/20 - $10.00/30 inc. GST + POSTAGE

Return with payment to:                    GTAQ – David Lergessner

                                                                                c/- Deception Bay SHS

                                                                                Box 92 Deception Bay 4508

                                                                                Fax 3897 2200

OFFICE USE ONLY:

 Date Received                                      Receipt No:                              Goods posted:

Geography Teachers’ Association of Queensland Inc.

ABN 94 808 029279

Copy and pass on to a colleague to encourage new members AND then renew your membership

Check the GTAQ Website for further information : http://www.gtaq.webcentral.com.au/