Welcome to Forest Leaves

A 1920s song sheet, reminding me of one of my favourite bush aromas. It came as no surprise to me the other day, when I read that scientists have confirmed that of all human senses, the sense of smell is most closely linked to the memory banks in the mind. I know what they mean. I not only enjoy the distinctive aromas of the Australian bush (and others) but have found many times in many places that a whiff of something in the air will instantly transport me back to some

A carpet python swallowing a numbat in the Dryandra Forest: one rare species devouring another. (photo by Sean van Alphen). I will never forget an evening many years ago when I was working for the Department of Conservation and Land Management and was on the podium at a public meeting. I can’t now remember what the meeting was about, other than that it was something to do with wildlife conservation, and I was either defending the department or promoting it. There were pre

George Peet: WA’s greatest forest fire fighter I was listening to the old Hank Williams song Settin’ the woods on fire the other day, and this started me thinking about George Peet, a man who played a significant part in my professional life, and one of Western Australia’s greatest sons. He set the woods on fire more times than most, not as an arsonist, but as a champion bushfire fighter. Above all, George understood the concept of fighting fire with fire. He was the man

The cover of my book with its photograph of the doyen of botanists, Charles Austin Gardner, responsible for identifying and naming hundreds of Western Australian native plants Some years ago, I was involved in an interesting project: researching and writing a book on the history of botanical science in Western Australia. I enjoyed this, because I have had a lifetime interest in plants, especially trees, and have worked closely with many professional botanists. The project a