Sep-Oct 2010, Volume 20 Issue 5

Since its formation in 2006, the Trust has gradually travelled a slow and significant journey. The main role of the Trust has always been to generate and disseminate funds to identified projects that meet the required selection criteria. An inaugural meeting was held with the four Trust Directors, Stewart Williamson, Shane Hancock, Athol Lubbe and Dr Adrian Gallagher prior to the convention to decide on a grant recipient and program for the P2010 Conservation Dinner. Consequently, the first official PTA grant was unanimously decided and has been awarded to a fitting recipient. Christina Zdenek is conducting outstanding field research about Palm Cockatoos and met the conditions of the grant in every way. Her work came to our attention via a chance meeting with Peter Odekerken while in the field on Cape York.

I have now kept and bred Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos for over three decades and the two subspecies that I hold form an integral component of my continuing “work” with Australian White Cockatoos. Over this time I have formed various opinions and thoughts on Major Mitchell’s and each year I continue to learn more and gain information as I observe this species. Every year is not a “winner”, as I will attempt to explain as I go through the course of this article, especially when it comes to trying to “propagate” the Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo!

Visualize two hundred million years ago, being able to step from Australia into Africa and the fascinating wildlife that could be seen. Gondwana was an ancient supercontinent that included Australia, New Guinea, Africa, Antarctica, New Zealand, North and South America and Madagascar before it split into other continents and islands. Tectonic plates are sub-layers of our Earth’s crust that float and fracture causing earthquakes, continental drift, volcanoes, mountains and oceanic trenches. Some of these ancient rock formations remain largely undisturbed in Australia’s northeastern tip and is known today as Cape York. Fossil records of flowers and conifers exemplify their origin in Gondwana during the Cretaceous period, while Australia was a subtropical rainforest. The late Dale Thompson (whom I rank with naturalist John Muir) and I chose an Australian vacation over the Galapagos Islands because of Australia’s diverse and unique wildlife.