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hopes for the future of the
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The event will be celebrated at Ninney Rise, Bingil Bay, the house built by John Büsst which became the base from which the battles were fought to save the Wet Tropics reefs and forests from exploitation during the 1960's. Büsst's efforts signalled the beginning of North Queensland's conservation movement and have inspired an unbroken history of community conservation.
Kerry Foxwell-Norton will present Iain McCalman in conversation with Eddie Hegerl who wrote the Ellison Reef report for the successful court case against mining Ellison Reef for lime; and Charlie Veron known as the 'godfather of corals'.
Following the book launch special guests will reflect on Büsst's achievements in a forum to discuss 'Hopes for the future of the Wet Tropics' reefs and forests'
Kerry Foxwell-Norton will present Iain McCalman in conversation with Eddie Hegerl who wrote the Ellison Reef report for the successful court case against mining Ellison Reef for lime; and Charlie Veron known as the 'godfather of corals'.
Following the book launch special guests will reflect on Büsst's achievements in a forum to discuss 'Hopes for the future of the Wet Tropics' reefs and forests'
"Known to his enemies as ‘The Bastard of Bingil Bay’, John Büsst, a Bendigo-born Melbourne bohemian artist, moved to tropical Bedarra Island in North Queensland and underwent an extraordinary transformation to become one of Australia’s most successful conservationists. In the 1960s and early 70s Büsst led campaigns to protect two of Australia’s most important and endangered environments – saving lowland rainforests from destruction and the Great Barrier Reef from reckless resource mining for oil, gas, cement and fertiliser. A plan Büsst likened to ‘bulldozing the Taj Mahal to make road gravel’. Along the way Büsst obtained the active support of five current or future Prime Ministers – Holt, Whitlam, Gorton, Hawke and Fraser.
This inspiring biography, from award-winning historian Iain McCalman, is a timely reminder that the passionate commitment of ordinary citizens is crucial to achieving truly transformative environmental change".
reveiws
"John Büsst’s love of beauty and reverence for science combined to leave two awesome, interconnected but still tragically vulnerable legacies: the conservation of both the North Queensland rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef. Iain McCalman, among the country’s finest historians, brings to life one man’s journey from art to activism, locating the roots of modern environmental consciousness in a highly creative and productive partnership of aesthetics, humanitarianism, science and politics" FRANK BONGIORNO
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"In John Büsst, Iain McCalman turns his attention to the artist, architect, naturalist and environmental campaigner who helped save the Great Barrier Reef from destruction in the 1960s with hugely impressive results. Vivid, expansive and richly intelligent, it is both a tribute to a remarkable life and a fascinating and timely study of how an unlikely group of activists transformed the way Australians understand the environment". JAMES BRADLEY
"Iain McCalman’s rich and incisive history of John Büsst’s resolute and brilliant fight to save the Great Barrier Reef affords us a desperately needed exemplar of what authentic love and commitment to the Earth, combined with persuasive strategy and formidable collaborations can do. The book is a shot in
the arm for anyone who doubts our capacity to protect Earth’s others and a reminder that it is the wonderous nature of the Earth itself that makes ecological warriors of ordinary people." DANIELLE CELERMAJER
"We are all in debt to John Büsst, pioneer defender of the environment. Here Iain McCalman brilliantly charts his life and his successful crusade to save Queensland’s reef and adjacent rainforest – one of the world’s great ecosystems". BILL GAMMAGE
"Eye-opening and inspiring. The unforgettable story of one man’s struggle to save two of Australia’s most treasured world heritage environments – Queensland’s Wet Tropics rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
With characteristic flair and subtlety, Iain McCalman rescues conservationist, artist and craftsmen, John Büsst, from relative obscurity, skilfully weaving biography with political and environmental history. Written with deep affection and admiration for his resolute, undersung subject, McCalman's penetrating biography of Büsst reminds us how little we know about the history of environmental protection in Australia". MARK McKENNA
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"In John Büsst, Iain McCalman turns his attention to the artist, architect, naturalist and environmental campaigner who helped save the Great Barrier Reef from destruction in the 1960s with hugely impressive results. Vivid, expansive and richly intelligent, it is both a tribute to a remarkable life and a fascinating and timely study of how an unlikely group of activists transformed the way Australians understand the environment". JAMES BRADLEY
"Iain McCalman’s rich and incisive history of John Büsst’s resolute and brilliant fight to save the Great Barrier Reef affords us a desperately needed exemplar of what authentic love and commitment to the Earth, combined with persuasive strategy and formidable collaborations can do. The book is a shot in
the arm for anyone who doubts our capacity to protect Earth’s others and a reminder that it is the wonderous nature of the Earth itself that makes ecological warriors of ordinary people." DANIELLE CELERMAJER
"We are all in debt to John Büsst, pioneer defender of the environment. Here Iain McCalman brilliantly charts his life and his successful crusade to save Queensland’s reef and adjacent rainforest – one of the world’s great ecosystems". BILL GAMMAGE
"Eye-opening and inspiring. The unforgettable story of one man’s struggle to save two of Australia’s most treasured world heritage environments – Queensland’s Wet Tropics rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
With characteristic flair and subtlety, Iain McCalman rescues conservationist, artist and craftsmen, John Büsst, from relative obscurity, skilfully weaving biography with political and environmental history. Written with deep affection and admiration for his resolute, undersung subject, McCalman's penetrating biography of Büsst reminds us how little we know about the history of environmental protection in Australia". MARK McKENNA
Ken Haley
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Anna Krien
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Morag Fraser
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Rohan Lloyd
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