AAOD JOURNAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Order a copy Subscribe to the Journal
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FEATURES 22 A DECADE OF DEDICATION 46 A REAL JURASSIC PARK 56 THE TIME CHAMBERS 68 THE DINOSAURS OF LIGHTENING RIDGE 78 A RAFT ACROSS THE PACIFIC REGULARS 2 EDITORIAL 4 DIGGERS DIARY NEWS AND VIEWS 6 BLACKSOIL 12 DIARY OF AN AUSTRALIAN DREAM 88 PALEO PROILE 92 TAIL BONES  OUR COVER | -vignettes.jpg) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
EDITORIAL
Sooner or later, Australian Age of Dinosaurs had to run an article on Dinosaur Cove. Starting in 1984, the Dinosaur Cove dig went for 10 years and was the most famous dinosaur recovery project ever undertaken on Australian soil. We would be falling down on the job if we didn’t include it, but to really do this story justice was a massive undertaking. I have to admit, I was dreading it!
Putting A Decade of Dedication together turned out to be the most challenging and yet one of the most rewarding jobs we have worked on. Although I had known about Dinosaur Cove for many years, it wasn’t until writer Robyn Molan delved behind the scenes that I understood the sheer significance of what these people did. This story is one of determination and guts … a life-sized account of true pioneers who, when told something couldn’t be done, went ahead and did it anyway. It is not only fascinating but also inspirational and something that I believe every Aussie kid should know about. As editor of Australian Age of Dinosaurs, I have read and reread A Decade of Dedication a dozen times now and am still enthralled, but the most rewarding thing about this story for me is that it brings home the importance of our own work. In spite of the media publicity and years of public involvement at Dinosaur Cove, I was surprised at just how few photos of the digs and fossil preparation there are around. In researching this story, we sourced photos and interviewed people from one end of Australia to the other and even from overseas but I can’t help but wonder, “Would we have been able to access those photographs in another 25 years?” Perhaps not, and it is extremely satisfying to know that the Australian Age of Dinosaurs journal is helping preserve the stories of these people before they are lost forever. Australia is an incredibly old continent and yet, as a country, we are so very young. Nevertheless, in a relatively short time we have managed to find, collect and lose a huge amount of her history. Everywhere you go, stories abound of fossils that have been found by someone … and lost. People move away; they take them with them; sell them or give some away, or they’re dumped in the car shed or the garden. When they die, it becomes a bit more trash for the relatives to find a home for… or throw out. | Often,
these relics have come from isolated little communities; places that
just might have benefited from still having them in the district.
Seldom does it come back to them, or find its way into a scientific
institution where it can be preserved for posterity. Something that may
have had world significance is gone forever!
It is very encouraging to see a change in attitudes over the past decade or so and there are now quite a few small community organisations devoting time and energy into preserving our natural history. By collecting, conserving and displaying our ancient heritage, and making it available for scientific research, these people are not only helping to keep their towns and communities alive, but are making a valuable contribution to science and education as well. Our stories The Dinosaurs of Lightning Ridge; A Real Jurassic Park and The Time Chambers, in this year’s journal all highlight the initiative of dedicated groups of people and are just some examples of the conservation work being undertaken around Australia today. As we move towards our seventh year of operation, Australian Age of Dinosaurs continues to grow and flourish and this has only happened because of people who really believe in our work and are willing to contribute to it. We have been assisted by governments, councils, corporate bodies and everyday people. From grandparents all the way down to their grandchildren, more and more people are contributing to this cause and their enthusiasm and support makes me very proud to be involved. From a little organisation that started in Winton six years ago, Australian Age of Dinosaurs has grown into a national project that will one day showcase our unique and ancient continent to the world. The education of Australians on the fragility of their country is imperative and we, as a nation, must learn to protect our homeland and contribute to its conservation. We owe it to our children; and to our children’s children, that when they inherit this country, they have the knowledge to recognise where it has been and the foresight to know where it is going. Only then will they truly understand how to care for it. David Elliott |
