Myles and Milo Dunphy
Myles and Milo Dunphy were Australian conservationists who played an important role in creating the Australian wilderness movement.
Myles Joseph Dunphy OBE (1891-1985) lived in Oatley, a Southern suburb of Sydney, and started his wilderness publicity work in 1910. He compiled detailed maps of a number of areas of conservation interest in NSW. His original maps of the Blue Mountains, in particular the Coxs River and Kowmung River catchments, featured imaginative and original naming systems. Throughout his life he campaigned for wilderness areas throughout New South Wales.
His interest in bushwalking led to the foundation of the Mountain Trails Club of New South Wales, and was influential in the formation of the Sydney Bushwalkers and the Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs in 1932. He also formed the National Parks and Primitive Areas Council, and took steps to establish a professional parks service.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1977[1] for his efforts in conservation and an IUCN Packer Award for Long Merit in National Parks.
Milo Kanangra Dunphy AM (1928-1996) was the son of Myles Dunphy. He was an activist who campaigned on several fronts. He was known for his work in the preservation of the Colong Caves, which were being targeted for limestone mining, and also for his contribution to the preservation of the Boyd Plateau, which was to be planted with lime trees. He helped to double the area of national park space in New South Wales from 2 to 4.5 percent.
Milo Dunphy accompanied his parents Myles and Margaret as an infant in 1930-31 on bushwalks in the Blue Mountains. A special perambulator with an iron frame, a wicket basket with hood and rubber-tyred wheels, nicknamed 'the Kanangra Express', was used to wheel him through rough terrain.[2]
Milo Dunphy stood as a candidate in two Australian federal elections:
- In 1974 he was a candidate for the Australia Party, for the seat of Cook
- In 1983 he was an independent candidate for the seat of Bennelong, standing against the then Treasurer (and future Prime Minister) John Howard.[3]
He was active through Australian conservation organisations including the Australian Conservation Foundation,[4] the Colong Foundation for Wilderness, the Nature Conservation Council, and the Total Environment Centre, of which he was the founding Director.[5]
He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1986[6], the Sydney Luker Award from the Australian Institute of Planning, and an honorary degree from the University of New South Wales.
The work of the Dunphys goes on through the Dunphy Wilderness Fund, which spends one million dollars a year (since September 1996) to purchase leasehold and privately held areas of natural significance.
The Colong Foundation, the successor to Myles Dunphy’s National Parks and Primitive Areas Council, is Australia's longest-serving community advocate for wilderness.
References
[edit]- ^ It's an Honour: Myles Dunphy, OBE
- ^ Pram known as the 'Kanangra Express', National Museum of Australia
- ^ Hon. R. Jones, Adjournment speech, NSW Legislative Council Hansard, 24 April 1996.
- ^ John Sinclair, Eulogy to Milo Dunphy, National Parks Journal, vol. 43, no. 4, 1999.
- ^ Senator J. Faulkner, first speech, Senate Hansard, 8 May 1989
- ^ It's an Honour: Milo Dunphy, AM
External links
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