Fairy penguin
December 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Here is a preview of a drawing for Don Knowler’s column On The Wing. This drawing is running with Don’s article in the Mercury’s Saturday Magazine on December 10. On this occasion Don’s story is about the population of fairy penguins in Hobart’s Derwent estuary regaining strength in numbers, and, as always, it is a really interesting read and beautifully written. Like many bird species in Tasmania, fairy penguins thrived prior to European settlement, but since then they have been challenged by the invaders’ disruptions to their natural habitat. During the early 1800s there was a plentiful supply of whales in the Derwent and penguins were also harvested for their fat and skins. Later they were challenged by alterations to the sand dunes as people cleared land and built homes close to the beaches. Yet despite almost insurmountable odds the penguins have somehow managed to survive, and Don’s story is a really heartening tribute to these tiny, yet remarkably resilient birds.
In Mawson’s Footsteps
November 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
This is a special three-part commemorative series of magazines celebrating the centenary of Douglas Mawson’s Antarctic Expedition in 1911. The series was a Mercury initiative in partnership with the Tasmanian Government and Norske Skog, Boyer, and I was in charge of the design and layout of the series. It’s been a fantastic project to work on, and I’m looking forward to seeing them being read on the streets next week. I was fortunate enough to have a great selection of photos to use, and the information supplied by our writers is really interesting. Parts one and two were printed yesterday, and part three is going to press next Monday (it’s currently at preliminary proofing stage). Check the Mercury next Monday 21, Tuesday 22, and Wednesday 23 of November for your free copies. Mawson’s story of survival in one of the most hostile environments on Earth has become legendary, and this series pays tribute to his enduring legacy. The series includes a great deal of information not only on Mawson himself, but also the men who accompanied him and their enormous contributions to the ultimate success of his most famous expedition. Mawson and his men laid the foundations for much of the Australian Antarctic research that continues to this day in the frozen south.
