Virgil to take break for week, travel to Victorian high country

Virgil Cameron will take a short break from producing Virgil's Diary to travel with David and Lee Cameron and Kiyoko Okumura, the mother of Yukima Payne, to Falls Creek from Sunday 23 February untill Thursday 27 February 2003.

This trip was a last minute decision to take advantage of an opportunity to assess first-hand the effects of the recent devastating bushfires on the ecology of the region.

David is attending to asist in demonstrating to third year La Trobe University Botany students who are studying ecological management practices in the Victorian high country surrounding the Falls Creek and Mt Beauty area in Victoria's north-east.

David is taking the time off his usual work at DSE after a two-week period of intense work in which he reportedly spent 16 hours every day feverishly labouring to meet a curation deadline on the Victorian Flora Information System database which he maintains.

"In the last two weeks I have actually done six weeks worth of work, working from 6am to 10pm every day. Having successfully survived this time, I feel its high time I got out into the bush again," a tired but triumphant David said today.

Virgil, Lee and Kiyoko decided to acompany David on this trip, to gain an insight into the effects of the recent bushfires which have ravaged much of the state during the past month.

Virgil will take his digital camera along to assist David in documenting the effects of the fire on the severely burned landscape and vegetation. However, it is reported that Virgil was asked by David to attend this five day excursion not only for his good company.

"Another reason that Dad wanted me to come along with him was because he wanted to use my nice car," Virgil said today.

Virgil's car, a white 1991 Subaru Liberty wagon, has full-time four-wheel-drive and would have ample room for the storage of David's expected numerous plant specimens which he hopes to collect form the area.

The trip promises to be great fun and very interesting, say the four adventurers. "We are going to be staying in one of the Falls Creek Ski resort lodges, which has three kitchens and 60 beds, so I think we'll be very comfortable," said David.

The group plan to return on Thursday 27 February in time for Virgil to prepare for the coming university semester.