Chief Minister Gallagher is letting it be known that there is to be a community festival to open the arboretum:
“The opening of the Arboretum is the realisation of many years of work to transform the site, which emerged from the ashes of the devastating Canberra bushfires, to be transformed into a place of beauty, tranquillity, recreation, research and learning.”
People can enjoy a wide range of activities on the day. These include:
— walking trails through rare and symbolic forests
— hands-on workshops for all ages including art activities and children’s amusements
— guided tours by the Friends of the National Arboretum and members of the Southern Tablelands Ecosystem Park
— sustainable garden advice from ACTEW Water at The Canberra Discovery Garden
— special talks by those involved in the Arboretum project including landscape architect Chris Johnstone and botanical consultant Mark Richardson.Live music will keep people entertained throughout the day and kids will have the opportunity to fly kites in the outdoor amphitheatre.
The Chief Minister reminded people that there will be no parking available on site except for holders of a disability parking permit, event staff and volunteers. The best way to attend the opening festival is to utilise the free chartered Arboretum shuttle bus services which will operate from Canberra Stadium, Civic Bus Station, the bus stop servicing the Waldorf Apartments in Civic, the Federal Treasury building on Langton Crescent in Parkes, Stromlo Forest Park and Woden Bus Station.
c_c™ said :
Mark Dreyfus (our latest Federal Attorney General) quoted in the SMH, March 11 2011:
”
Abbott’s wildest claim is that he is running a ”truth campaign”. Leaving aside the Goebbellian cynicism of labelling a scare campaign a ”truth campaign”, I think it shows Abbott’s contempt for the Australian electorate. His gaze is so firmly fixed on the prize of power that he is blind to the damage he is causing to the strength of our political system and the quality of debate. It is contemptuous to simply not answer real questions, to dismiss valid criticism without reasoning, to deflect real argument with personal attack”.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/blogs/the-dreyfus-files/shades-of-goebbels-in-truth-campaign-20110311-1bq45.html#ixzz2Jt407Wkl
Attorney’s-General being amongst the least cool people on the planet they can be excused from not getting online conversational norms.
You however cannot.
Godwin fail, game over.
Ben_Dover said :
And arson.
It appears many can not see the ‘arborectum’ for the trees!
dungfungus said :
Nazi comparisons, Chris, Chris Pine is that you?
dungfungus said :
We’re talking about a field full of trees here, not trying to drum up support for invading NSW.
2003/2001 who gives a sh*t. It burned down.
Why are you arguing? Do not argue!
How was it?
Jethro said :
Thank you sir!
rogerthat said :
Why are you still debating? Godwin’s law says you win.
dungfungus said :
So you’re telling me it is propaganda to claim the arboretum is an outcome of the 2003 fires? And this is on the basis that the pine plantation where the arboretum now stands was destroyed in the 2001 fires? End of story?
I do not agree that 2001 led to an arboretum. 2001 merely led to replanting pines. The only thing to “rise from the ashes” on that site after the 2001 fires was another pine plantation.
The fires of 2003 saw the ACT Gov produce the Bushfire Recovery Strategy, and that document comprised rebuilding at Stromlo, Uriarra, Tidbinbilla and the concept of an arboretum. This is not an exploitation of popular emotion, this is what happened.
I haven’t found a hi rez sat photo online, but the low rez Landsat IR ones from Geoscience indicate the possibility that the arboretum area was scorched by the 2003 fires. The fires certainly came right up to it.
http://www.ga.gov.au/webtemp/image_cache/GA12421.jpg
http://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0010/27946/after_ACT_FIRE_2002Jan26.jpg
http://images.canberratimes.com.au/2013/01/13/3950077/pb-gall-FireMap1-20130113215708924143-600×400.jpg
The accuracy of the wiki map might be questionable, but it suggests the area was affected:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canberra_bushfire_map-MJC.png
Masquara said :
No argument that a statement like that is wrong, and clarity is precisely my point. If the Chief or the ABC or anyone says “the pine forest was burnt by the 2003 fires” I will disagree with them.
But my disagreement with the original posts is based on them disputing that the arboretum is not an outcome of the 2003 fires. The 2001 fires destroyed the pine plantation – the 2003 fires were the foundation for the concept of an arboretum on that site.
Masquara said :
Joseph Goebbels was very skilled in exploiting popular emotions of the masses and one of his beliefs was that “propaganda my be facilitated by leaders with prestige”.
This fits perfectly with what is happening here.
It has been said that Goebbels was so devious that even his wife believed her husband worked in advertising.
rogerthat said :
ACT Chief Minister was perfectly happy for the ABC to misreport the facts, and clearly encouraged just that. The ABC duly reported that the pine forest was burnt during the 2003 fires. You’re obfuscating, when what is needed is clarity. In the interests of truth being told when there is a bigger issue being misreported and mis-spun. As a New York journalist said recently on NPR: “If your mother tells you she loves you, get confirmation from a second source”.
dungfungus said :
I’m not disputing that the 2001 fires destroyed the pine plantation where the arboretum now stands, but there was no plan or intention to build an arboretum on that site until after the 2003 fires. Following the 2001 fires ACT Forests replanted pines on the site. The decision to build an arboretum was an outcome of the 2003 fires, plain and simple. Call me an acolyte, label it spin if it cuts you up that much, but this is not folklore, this is fact.
rogerthat said :
Out of the smoke and ashes another acolyte appears to support the story that is becoming folklore.
Are you seriously suggesting that ashes from the 2003 fires were transported to the site where the arboretum is so it could emerge?
Whatever spin you care to put on it, the fire where the aboretum now exists happened in 2001.
Thumper said :
I say incorrect.
2001 destroyed the pine plantation, but it was not until the 2003 fires that the Bushfire Recovery Strategy was implemented, which comprised initiatives such as Stromlo Forest Park, the rebuild of Uriarra Village & Tidbinbilla, and the Arboretum. Following the 2001 fires the future of the radiata plantation site was undecided, other than a plan to replant pines. It was not until the aftermath of the 2003 fires that the Arboretum concept was born.
Therefore statements from the Chief, the Director, the ABC, and anyone else claiming that the Arboretum emerged from the ashes of the 2003 fires are correct..
dph said :
Because it looked like a good idea at the time. You can do almost anything when you have unlimited access to money and no accountability as to the outcome.
dustytrail said :
Very true.
It was silly of me to ask about a highly questionable project, which is costing millions of dollars to build and maintain.
In a city that couldn’t be more spread out if they tried, with multiple parks & nature reserves, surrounded by bush land & mountains, I’m sure glad they spent all that money building a tree park.
Canberra is a Planned City. There are more Planners employed here than anywhere else in Oz, I imagine. They are the Boss of You and there is nothing you can do about it. *wink*
GardeningGirl said :
Canberra born and bred, huh?