Leyland Bros 1960's West East crossing

Richard, I followed all the links,[1 hr.] a truly amazing read! thanks for the site link...Phil

Hi willem,
I'm just reading about that stuff at the moment before we set off.
Leyland Bros were is 1966, The Sprigg family were the first to cross the desert in a vehicle in 1962.

But the guy I feel sorry for is Ted Colson from Blood Creek. He was the first white man to walk the desert in 1936, but he had a dream to be the first person to drive across. He was tragically killed in a car crash near Balaclava in 1950. The vehicle he was driving had just been purchased from Adelaide and it was the vehicle he was going to use to cross the desert.

Cheers
Phil

Gidday Willem,

Yes the Sprigg adventures were a fascinating read in Griselda's book "Dune is a Four Letter Word". They paved the way for our type of tourism. They were supported by air on the family trip. A well known pilot of the time, Col Semmler landed a Cessna at an oil exploration strip after making contact with the ground party via HF radio. According to the book, by 1962 there were a number of Geosurveys teams operating along lines. The Sprigg family used these for guidance.

I first flew to Birdsville in the late 1960's or early seventies.

Those were the days, my friend.

We are doing a double crossing of the Simpson in July with our Club.

K

Understand Doug It does recover but depends on rain fall, Neale Junction has burnt out section that from my info has been their for 10 years. It is now prone to wind erosion.

remember Alby Mangels??

No, but I remember Belinda, I'm sure she was in there somewhere :))

jsut did a google , he's still around bigger than ever!!

buy the t shirt - $29/95

Good to hear. Those were great entertainment. Belinda was always a big girl also...but I won't go down that track LOL

"Nature walkabout" with the Serventy's

I loved that show when I was a kid - and yes Harry was part of the presenting team. There was a bit of narration about the area, animal or plant and then that harmonica would come in and there would be the best camera work (probably lame compared to todays standards). Actually "A River Somewhere" had the same feel to it.

I reckon that show got me interested in the Australian bush and outback.

"Vincent" Serventy, wasn't it? Good show I remember....

Here's some of his other exploits.....

Organiser, Earth 200 Conference for World Environment Day

Commissioner, Australian Heritage Commission

Director, Nature Conservation Service, WA

Chairman, Nature Conservation Council, NSW, 1970-73

President, Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia

President, WA Naturalists Club

Vice-President, World Wide Fund for Nature (Australia)

Founder, WA National Trust

Founder, WA Tree Society

Founder, WA Gould League of Birdlovers

Established World's First Nature Conservation Day (now Earth Day)

Fellow, Strehlow Foundation

Fellow, Mark Twain Society

Honorary Member, World Environment Foundation

Trustee, National Photographic Index of Wildlife

Member, National Parks Wildlife Advisory Council of NSW, 1968-78

Patron, Greening Australia (NSW)

Councillor, Gould League of NSW, 1966-

** Publications **

The Archipelago of the Recherche Part 2, Birds (1952)

West Australian fauna (1953)

Australia's Great Barrier Reef (1955)

Australian nature trail (1965)

A continent in danger (1966)

Nature walkabout (1967)

Landforms of Australia (1967)

Australian wildlife conservation (1968)

Wildlife of Australia (1968, rev. 1977)

Australia's national parks (1969)

Southern walkabout (1969)

Around the bush with Vincent Serventy (1970)

Dryandra (1970)

The handbook of Australian sea birds (jointly, 1971)

The singing land (1972)

John Gould's The birds of Australia (with A.H. Chisholm, 1973)

Desert walkabout (1973)

Australia's wildlife heritage (with R. Raymond, 1973-75, rev. 1983)

The koala (1975)

In praise of Australian national parks (1977)

Zoo walkabout (1979)

In praise of Australian trees (1979)

Glovebox guide to Australian nature (1980)

Rainforests of Australia (with Robert Raymond, 1980)

Lakes and rivers of Australia (with Robert Raymond, 1980)

Plantlife of Australia (1981) [republished 1984 as Australian native plants]

Australian birds (1981)

Australian landforms (1981)

Australian wildlife (1981)

Australian mother and baby animals (with C. Serventy, 1981)

Coral reefs (1982)

Deserts (1982)

Animals in the wild (a series with John Ferguson): Penguin (1983), Kookaburra (1983), Kangaroo (1983), Koala (1983), Shark and ray (1984), Turtle and tortoise (1984), Crocodile and alligator (1984), Whale and dolphin (1984), Lizard (1985), Parrot (1985)

Australia's natural wonders (1984)

Australian native trees (1984)

The land beyond time (jointly, 1984)

The desert sea (1985)

Wildlife of the Australian bush (with M. Carnegie, 1985)

Wildlife of the Australian bushlands (with M. Carnegie, 1985)

Wildlife of the Australian outback (with M. Carnegie, 1985)

Australia's world heritage sites (1986)

Saving Australia: a blueprint for our survival (1988)

Australian animals and their young (1988)

Koalas (with C. Serventy, 1989)

Animals in danger (1989)

Vincent Serventy's easy guide to green living (1990)

Sydney harbour (1990)

Green book (1991)

Flight of the shearwater (1996)

Australia's world heritage (1997)

Vincent Serventy: an Australian life: memoirs of a naturalist, conservationist, traveller and writer (1999)

Koalas (2002)

** Children's novels **

Crusoe boys (1995)

Turtle Bay adventure (1969)

Sources: Who's who (1998)

Monash biographical dictionary of 20th century Australia (1994)

Who's who of Australian writers (1991)

Didn't realise he was this active still. Certainly a well qualified naturalist and a shame his type of show is no longer mainstream. I suppose if he replaced the harmonica with some doof doof it might become popular again. He's got to be getting on now though as I remember him as somewhat middle aged then.

Kind regards

Here Footy

www.leylandhouse.com.au/Videos.html

Richard