Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club Celebrating 50th Anniversary

Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club are proud to be celebrating their 50th anniversary at Easter (22-25 April) with a reunion at Te Kauri Lodge, Oparau, near Kawhia.

Around 200 former and present club members are expected to attend, some travelling from overseas.

Many earlier club members or ‘Junats’ have gone on to notable careers in science and conservation, with examples including Waikato University tsunami and storm surge expert Dr Willem de Lange; DOC’s Waikato Conservator Greg Martin; the 2006 Outstanding Physiologist of the Year Dr Margaret Barbour, now a Fellow at the University of Sydney; Dr Peter de Lange, Threatened Plants with DoC; Alan Saunders, designer and world leader of the concept of using ‘mainland islands’ to conserve endangered species, in New Zealand and overseas; and paleontologist, Dr Austin Hendy, who has always had a passion for finding dinosaurs, and is now working for the Smithsonian Institution, at present in Columbia.

Pat Devlin, founder of the Hamilton Junior Naturalist Club, has felt privileged to work with such outstanding children and their parents. He says that since the 1960’s “The sheer pace of social and technological change may leave many of us struggling to adapt, but when the sunlight filters through the tawa canopy and bellbirds dominate early morning in the forest, nothing can replace the simple satisfactions that come from being with these young people in the bush.”

In 1961, Pat was a science adviser to schools in Hamilton, and saw an opportunity to foster the fascination many children have for natural history and conservation. He became the club’s first supervisor. Pat and his wife, Maureen, along with most past supervisors will be attending the weekend, as will the first caretaker, Joan Vail, and landowner, Ngaire Anderson, who with her husband, provided the plot on which to build Te Kauri Lodge.

Since 1961, the volunteer-run club has built the Lodge under Pat’s supervision, and has continued, under 5 further supervisors, all with individual skills, to provide opportunities for children to learn about natural history and conservation while enjoying a wide range of outdoor activities such as tramping, kayaking, caving, rock climbing, fossil hunting and snorkelling.

The club still caters to ages 11-18, with younger children also attending as part of family groups. The club meets weekly during term in Hamilton at the Wintec building, Hamilton Gardens, to learn from speakers on topics of particular interest in natural history and allied science topics. Parents often stay to listen too.

Activities include summer and winter camps based at Te Kauri Lodge, which provides easy access to 1,100 ha of native bush including kauri, wetlands and streams of Te Kauri Scenic Reserve. Regular field trips to other places have included Tongariro National Park, Mapara and Pureora Forest Park, Leigh Marine Reserve, and local swamps at Whangamarino and Kopuatai peat dome.

Highlights from the club’s history include rediscovery of the endangered Kokako in Te Kauri Park in 1966, finding a ‘taumata atua’ in the Kawhia area in 1980, discovery of the Erebor cave system in 1987, and the amazing find and retrieval of a giant penguin fossil at Te Waitere in 2006, for which the club was awarded the prestigious Harold Wellman Prize. Both the ‘taumata atua’ and the giant penguin fossil can be seen at Waikato Museum.

Past members, friends and families are invited to attend the event. If you have not received registration details, contact us as we may not have your correct details on our list. Further information is available on www.junats.org.nz, on Facebook, or from J West at j.west@clear.net.nz or phone (07) 856 3140. A 50th Jubilee Yearbook is also being produced. Copy of photos and information can be sent to the same email address above.

For more information about the history of the club, contact Tony Lorimer , Foundation Junat and Club Patron on 8569625, or to join the club, contact Mike Safey, President, at president@junats.org.nz , or Dave Matthews, Supervisor on 8464013.

ENDS

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