MC membership cards, with an accompanying list of all the businesses who allow a discount to FMC members are available from the Club President or Secretary.

recent copy of the FMC Bulletin featured a defence of the use of 1080 poison in pest control operations in its “Uncle Jacko’s Cookery Column” article by Robin McNeill. The article seems to have generated a large response, most of which was favourable. This was surprising, as most of the stuff you hear from the media is news of the anti 1080 protest movement. The ed, while not being entirely behind the use of the chemical could not see what else you could do to be rid of the possum: an exceedingly destructive pest, destroying both the native flora and fauna and spreading disease to the countries dairy herds.

Anyone who has nipped out to the dunny in the bush at night and heard the possums feeding on a favoured party tree or shone their torch up and seen dozens of pairs of eyes looking down at them will appreciate the problem. The possums seem to favour particular species of tree and methodically strip all examples in an area one by one before going on to another species.

The removal of the goats from the Kaimai ranges and following rapid recovery of the bush with vast numbers of young saplings growing where there had been little else but mature trees; in fact, the bush had begun to look like an English wood where browsing animals clear the undergrowth. The goats were hunted and shot, which is practicable with a larger animal, more limited in numbers, but not for the smaller faster breeding possums, rats and stoats

The Uncle Jacko Column referred to a new website that is a combined effort of Forest and Bird and Federated Farmers:

www.1080facts.co.nz

The website gives a very comprehensive case for the continued use of 1080 and rebuts just about every argument the ed has heard to the contrary. One particularly obvious answer to the current argument that Europeans and the Americans are banning the use of 1080 therefore we should follow suit was countered with the observation that 1080 kills the native mammals in their countries. We are unique in that New Zealand has only one native mammal, a small bat. The mammalian equivalents are all birds which are largely unaffected by 1080.

f course, there were exceptions where culling or removing an introduced specie was not so desirable. The ed used to visit a limestone quarry about once a month to do a bit of surveying of stocks or reserves. There was a sizeable herd of wild goats who roamed the quarry area and surrounding farmland. At that time, apart from the odd goat being occasionally shot for dog tucker they were left to their own devices which was largely concerned with consumption of introduced species of weed. Unfortunately when people found there was a market for goat products and a subsequent demand for live goats to equip goat farms. People even used highly expensive helicopters for live goat capture as they were suddenly so valuable. The quarry goats disappeared very rapidly as local cockies decided the animals were really theirs. One very old billy remained for some years having, presumably, avoided all efforts to capture him. The ed used to occasionally see the billy, who would acknowledge the ed’s presence with a particularly malevolent look. Luckily the ed never got close enough to the old goat to contend right of way.

Of course the quarry and farm area was a much modified environment and different rules applied to those in native bush. With out the goats, the weeds grew in abundance. There was some broom, but the main crop was gorse. Using a theodolite in a gorse thicket is not funny. For ever after, the ed, had to make sure he packed his slasher in the vehicle and on the odd occasion he even took a scrub cutter for a more thorough job.

Long sights to pin point or locate any particular spot often required correspondingly long cuts through the surrounding gorse.

edgehog House have sent us advanced warning of the advent of their 2011 calendars. The accompanying blurb says amongst other things:

CALENDARS 2011

Dear Club Secretary,

It's that time of year again!! We are pleased to offer the NEW ZEALAND CALENDARS as well as other products at special discount prices for direct mail orders. We have enclosed sample order forms for the 2011 range of products.

Since 1985 Hedgehog House together with The Caxton Press have been producing high quality calendars that reflect the diversity and grandeur of the alpine regions of New Zealand and the wildlife land and seascapes of Antarctica. We are constantly seeking submissions of stunning images from adventurers who are out there enjoying the incredible world we live in and we know that the images chosen for our calendars are inspirational. Both the NEW ZEALAND ALPINE and the ANTARCTIC CALENDAR feature 24 stunning new images. The focus in each is on wilderness landscapes, natural history and recreational activities such as tramping, climbing and skiing. The photographers represented in our calendars are among the best outdoor photographers in New Zealand and the printing quality is comparable to the best in the world.

A limited number of order forms has been printed. These enable club members to purchase calendars at the following prices:

* $19.00 each: individually

* $17.10 each: bulk orders of 5-29 calendars

* $16.15 each: bulk orders of 30 or more calendars

* Bulk order rates apply for orders sent to the same address within New Zealand.

Anyone who would like to purchase one or more of the said calendars should contact the secretary for a copy of The Caxton Press order form.

A preview of the calendars may be obtained by looking up the publishers on:

www.caxton.co.nz

______________________________________________________________________

TRIP PROGRAMME

Ngatuhoe 4^th and 5^th September.

Further details on bookings etc. will be made in the August issue of this journal.

Even the ed went on the last Ngatuhoe trip in 2008 and also the 2009 substitute trip to Pureora when Ngatuhoe was, unfortunately, fully booked by other groups.

The ed thoroughly enjoyed the trips, participating in some of the easier walks as he is not quite as fit as he would like to be for the harder stuff. The ed compensates as best he can, nowadays by swimming, in a heated pool and, thankfully, we now have one in Tokoroa. Last year he swam a total of 49,641 lengths in the 25 metre long pool, which is incredibly boring when compared with any bush walk. The ed had set himself a target of twelve hundred kilometres for the year, or a hundred a month, which seemed a good round sort of figure. Having reached the target with a week or two to spare it was extended to fifty thousand lengths, but the ed failed miserably. Must have been the Christmas fare weakened his resolve.

It should be mentioned, that the ed cheats and uses flippers, so that his personal records are just that and of no great significance whatsoever, but they do keep him turning over, even if at somewhat lower rate than what he would have considered as cruising revs a few years ago.

The ed still swims, but, as he has missed several months swimming this year through having his eyeballs de-coked and re-lensed, he is unlikely to set any personal or other records. The ed now has excellent long vision and when tested could read the bottom line on the test card with either eye. Unfortunately, he still cannot read a book without glasses as his arms are just a tad too short.

hat is more than enough of the ed’s personal drivel. Surely there is someone else out there who writes and has something of a vaguely alpine interest to write about. The reason for this edition to consist of so much of the ed’s rather boring life story is that there is rather a dearth of alternative material to stick in it. People are out there skiing and doing whatever, but they are not communicating back to base.

There was a fascinating article on giardia cribbed from the Rotorua Tramping and Skiing Club’s journal that nearly got published in this edition, but, by the time a few personal experiences had been added it became rather too revolting for a family type publication. However it will remain on file, in case of future necessity.

as anyone got gear or clothing to sell that they would like have advertised in this journal? The readership has been steadily expanding and must be well into double figures now. The odd advert would fill a bit of space and make the journal look a bit more respectable. Someone might even buy something. Stranger things have happened.

Bill.

he following was cribbed from a rather old edition of TRAMPSKI the Rotorua Tramping and Skiing Club (Inc) journal. Reading the article made the ed wonder about some of the rather murkier events in his past. Not exactly déjà vu, but rather: been there, done that and got the tee shirt. As they say, it is not just a tramping hazard. The ed’s latest sport swimming comes high on the list of sources of infection. And personal contact with other people or animals may pass on the infection without having to touch the local water. Cadrona, Mt Hutt and Queenstown are listed amongst locations of outbreaks of intestinal infections. Queenstown had a problem when to quote from a Ministry report: The cause of the outbreak was thought to be a sewer overflow that discharged sewage into a creek that entered Lake Whakatipu within 200 m of the intake to the public water supply, which was not adequately treated. Some 3,500 people were estimated to have been affected.

SOME FACTS ON GIARDIA

This was taken from a review put out by the Department of Health. so it is not aimed specifically at trampers. The best thing we can do is to boil our water for at least three minutes before drinking it Just bringing water to the boil will not kill cysts present in the water.

Giardiasis is an intestinal disease caused by the protozoan parasite Giardiaintestinalis. Clinical manifestations range from mild transient complaints to severe long-standing disease. In acute infections there is typically a sudden onset of diarrhoea with foul smelling water stools. foul smelling flatus and abdominal discomfort. Nausea, anorexia, lethargy and weight loss are common. In most cases there Is a tendency for spontaneous improvement within two to three weeks.

Subacute Infections are characterised by mild or moderate symptoms and may last for months. There are episodes of mushy. foul smelling stools, increased flatulence and belching. Anorexia, weight loss, fatigue and general unwell feelings occur. Chronic Infections may or may not be preceded by acute or subacute Infections but, again, are characterised by periodic episodes of mushy foul smelling stools with increased flatulence and abdominal distension.

Some people have asymptomatic infections, which are less likely to be diagnosed and treated. These people may be regarded as healthy carriers. They may continue to excrete cysts for months or years. Giardiasis may result in malabsorption of fats and fat soluble vitamins. Several drugs are available for Its’ treatment

Giardia was first discovered In 1681 by Antony van Leeuwenhock. the inventor of the microscope. There are two morphologically distinct species which infect mammals: Giardia intestinalis infects humans, cats and dogs and can infect other animals. Giardia muris primarily infects rats and mice.

The life cycle of Giardia Includes two stages, a trophozoite and a cyst form. In infections, some of the trophozoites detach from the mucosa of the lining of the upper part of the small Intestine and enter the faecal stream An infected person may excrete over 900 million cysts per day

Cysts have been regarded as being infective when freshly passed in faeces. There is now evidence to suggest that It takes 3 to 7 days for cysts to mature. The cysts cannot survive the acid conditions of the stomach for long, so Infection can only occur if the emerging trophozoites survive, attach and multiply. Overseas, cysts have been found to remain viable for 56 to 84 days in cold (winter) lake water and up to 14 days in tap water.

Giardia is endemic worldwide. In New Zealand, Giardia was first detected amongst servicemen returning from overseas in the 1940s. It may have been present previously. There may now be as many as 5000 cases of giardiasis in New Zealand each year.

Giardia is one of several water-born diseases that occur in NZ but fortunately the effects are that of a usually mild attack of the runs which most people do not bother to report to their doctor. The ed has experienced a more serious tropical form of dysentery which saw him fade from 70kg to 51kg in a week. That was not much fun at all. The ed’s comrades on the naval air squadron he was on at that time nick named him the screaming skull after a character who was an adversary of the Phantom in an Aussy newspaper strip cartoon of that name.

WANTED URGENTLY!!!

Any way in getting some kids over-trou and jackets (purchased from a member)
by 22nd Aug? Need sizes 4 (girls) and size 7 (boys)

Thanks

Peter Stoové
Mechanical Engineer
CHH Tasman (Kaw NZ)
Ph - +64 (0)7 306 9231
Fx - +64 (0)7 306 9108
Mb- +64 (0)27 277 0657

Vacancies updated 25/8/2010 9.45pm

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