YOUR SAY January
Februar y 2016
12 Australian Geographic
HISTORIC GLIDERS
Thanks for the feature on Heather Swan and Glenn Singleman’s
wingsuit flight (Crossing the canyon, AG 127). Their photo from
above the Grand Canyon reminded me that it was another
Australian, and good mate of mine, Hans Heydrich, who was
one of the first two people to hang-glide across the canyon in
June 1985 (the other was American Bob Thomson).
Hans took an equally great photo from his hang-glider on his
flight, showing the Grand Canyon tourist Cessna way below
him. Hans and I graduated in mechanical engineering at the
University of Adelaide in 1967. He went on to become a
third-generation pilot; his father Fred flew for the Luftwaffe,
and his grandfather flew Zeppelins. Sadly, Hans died in a
glider crash on Lake Pleasant, Arizona, in September 2002.
BOB BURKE, ADELAIDE, SAFeatured Letter
EDUCATION IS K EY
It was surprising to read a scientist of
Professor Doherty’s standing summa-
rising the climate change debate as he
did in An evidence-based worldAn evidence-based worldAn evidence-based world (AG 128).
However, he has a point – there is a
growing need to examine the evidence,
enabling “those of us who lack...
specific training” to find the truth.
Common sense suggests that the
world’s leaders will not reach any
agreement allowing us to manage the
climate, and we must accept that the
predictions of scientists, especially
regarding carbon pollution, will be
proven true. Regardless of climate
change, however, we urgently need to
take action to clean up our act.
Australia has much to offer in
regards to solving the immediate
problems that plague the planet. In
terms of reducing pollution, research
by the CSIRO and industry bodies
into cleaning up coal, and developing
alternative means of generating power
from renewable resources, are some
good examples.
Our experience and research in
other areas, such as dry-land farming,
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Featured Letter and win an AG T-shirt.can help the millions of people in
Africa and similar areas; and increasing
their standard of living may be the
best thing we can do to limit their
emissions of carbon. Australian
development of coconut-oil produc-
tion is already helping people in the
Pacific Islands create employment
using local resources.
Solar and wind power technologies
are now well proven, and their limita-
tions recognised. Our research funding
should be directed away from these
areas and into other technologies.
I’d like to see AG providing infor-
mation on these topics. Articles such
as Bryce Kelly’s story on fracking
(What’s the hurry with CSG fracking?,
AG 107) help us to make informed
decisions. I’ve always found AG to be
a reliable source of information about
the environment, and there is no
more important issue than today.
PETER MCCLOY,
WOLLOMBI, NSWTR AILBLAZERS
I was dumb-struck by the choice of
those included in Trailblazer’s: Australia’s50 greatest explorers (AG 129). I
don’t think some of the more recent
nominees merit the title “greatest
explorer”. Their exploits might rate as
great adventures, but their motives
were more about self-gratification.
One must ask these questions:
Where are the contributions of lasting
value that they have made? What
increase in scientific or geographic
knowledge have they imparted? Where
are their published journals that record
their observations?
Although I am not belittling these
individuals for their fortitude, courage
and endurance, the fact remains that
these people are adventurers, not
explorers. I can name a few of those
worthy individuals who, during their
explorations, gathered observations of
lasting benefit to all. At the top of my
list is Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller,
botanist and geographer. To this I
would add Edward John Eyre, Ernest
Giles and John Gilbert. And if you’re
wanting someone more modern, you
can’t go past Len Beadell.
MERV COBCROFT,
STAFFORD HEIGHTS, QLDHistoric pictures
of Hans Heydrich’s
canyon crossing.
HISTORICAL PICS: FRANK HEYDRICH