The Friends of the ACT Trees (FACTT) (formerly Friends of ACT Arboreta - FACTA) is a formally constituted group of individuals with an interest in the trees in Canberra's landscape and environs. It aims to foster sound management, and appreciation, of arboreta in the Canberra region.
The FACTT Executive Committee for 2020 is:
President Paul Scholtens
Vice President Steve Thomas
Secretary Dennis Nicholls
Treasurer Campbell Macknight
Members Alan Brown
Jim Laity
Samantha Ning
Carma Sweet
Chris Ware
Public Officer Campbell Macknight
Upcoming Events
Westbourne Woods Walk
Paul Scholtens
Chairman.
Field trips to view interesting arboreta in the ACT, such as the Bendora Arboretum on Mt Franklin Road, are also conducted periodically and members of the public are welcome to accompany us!
As we prepare for the cooler months it is time to invite you to renew your membership with the Friends of ACT Trees (FACTT). FACTT is a formally constituted group of individuals with an interest in the trees in Canberra’s landscape and environs. It aims to foster sound management, and appreciation, of arboreta in the Canberra region. The membership year for FACTT runs from the 1 September to the 31 August each year, with renewal of memberships taking place in the month of September.
To renew your membership with FACTT please visit www.totalpay.com.au/FACTT and complete the online membership form. To finalise your membership please complete your payment by direct transfer to:
Account name: Friends of ACT Trees Incorporated
BSB 062 912
Account Number 10263776
When depositing your membership fee by direct deposit please reference your name, and the words sub 17-18. Please confirm payment by emailing facttmembership@totalpay.com.au
You may also pay by cheque to Campbell Macknight PO bOx 134 Jamison Centre ACT 2614 (please include name, phone, email or other address and membership type).
Membership fees are:
Corporate member $100
Voting member $25
Voting member paying for 2 years $40
Family members (living at the same address) paying for 2 years $50
Concession (students and pensioners) $10
We are grateful for your continued support and hope the you will continue your membership with FACTT in the coming year. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at facttmembership@totalpay.com.au
Vale Tony Fearnside
28th June 1934 - 18th April 2020
Tony was born in Bradford an industrial city in England. At an early age he decided he would like to become a forester to escape the dreary post-war industrial city.
Following National service he studied forestry at Bangor North Wales obtaining a BSc in 1959. His time in Singapore during his national Service convinced him that he wanted to work outside the UK. When the opportunity arose for him to join SA Forestry he took it working in SA for 5 years. Becoming disillusioned with the rather unhappy service he moved to Canberra in 1965 for a position as forester in charge of Mount Stromlo andlater in charge of all forests.
He obtained a MSc in Forestry Management from the ANU in 1975 and became the Assistant Director in ACT Forests.
He was the Chief Fire Control Officer for the ACT from 1967- 1974. His interest in international forestry took him to Nepal on two occasions. Following a major reorganisation of ACT Forests he took up a position in the Forestry Department of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome. Returning to Canberra in 1988 he retired from the Public Service in 1989.
Following retirement he became a consulting forester in Australia and overseas. He became President of the Association of Consulting Foresters of Australia and a member of the Institute of Foresters of Australia and Australian Forest Growers. He was instrumental in setting up the precursor of FACTT - Friends of ACT Arboreta and was president for many years. He continued his interest in trees in the ACT and arboreta until his death.
In 2015 he received and Order of Australia for his services to the community.
Tony fought illness for a long period of time without complaining
and retained his interest in trees and philosophy to the end.
He will be missed by many people but particularly by those with a love of trees and Canberra landscapes.
Vale – Ian Brooker
Sadly we’ve received news of the death of Ian Brooker on Saturday 25 June 2016 after a short period in hospital. Ian was a world authority on the eucalypts, which were the focus of his career between joining CSIRO’s Forest Research Institute in 1970 and his retirement from the Australian National Herbarium in June 1999. His lifetime of research into this large group resulted in an encyclopaedic knowledge, which was made available via a large number of scientific and popular publications. Some of his better-known works include several volumes of a “Field Guide to the Eucalypts” (with David Kleinig) and the various editions of the electronic identification key EUCLID (with co-authors including John Connors, Andrew Slee, and Siobhan Duffy). Ian was awarded as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 for his “service to botany, particularly through research leading to the identification and classification in the genus Eucalyptus, and as an author”.
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- For a link to an interactive map of Trees in Canberra's CBD please click on the following link
http://bit.ly/1nfWcHt
- 21 April 2015 : Critically endangered cypress planted in National Park- on the ABC website at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-21/critically-endangered-cypress-trees-to-be-replanted-in-act/6407400?section=act
- Alan Brown and John Turnbull explained the role of Bendora Arboretum on the ABC 666 Drive program story. It is available at (this link will take you to the ABC 666 website) - here <666 Drive story on Bendora arboretum - Feb 2014>
- The Westbourne Woods walk Canberra Weekly free paper of 20 February 2014.