Margaret Thorsborne

Margaret Grace Thorsborne AO (3 June 1927 – 16 October 2018) was an Australian naturalist, conservationist and environmental activist. She was notable for her efforts, with her husband Arthur Thorsborne, in initiating the long-term monitoring and protection of the Torresian imperial-pigeon on the Brook Islands, north east of Hinchinbrook Island, Far North Queensland. Toward the end of her life, she was involved in the struggle to protect Queensland’s Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and animals such as the southern cassowary, mahogany glider and dugong.

Early life

Margaret Kemp-Pennefather was born in 1927,[1] the daughter of Lionel Hugh Kemp-Pennefather and his wife Constance (née Keys).[2]

Margaret married Arthur Thorsborne in 1963. Then living on Queensland’s Gold Coast, they were foundation members and office bearers of the Gold Coast branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland.

Hinchinbrook

The Thorsbornes began visiting Hinchinbrook Island in 1964. In 1972 they settled at Meunga Creek, near Cardwell, on a property ("Galmara") consisting mainly of coastal wetlands and rainforest facing Hinchinbrook Island across the Hinchinbrook Channel. The property was given in 1980 to the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service to extend the Edmund Kennedy National Park. Arthur Thorsborne died in 1991. The Thorsbornes are commemorated in the Thorsborne Trail, a popular 32 km walking track on Hinchinbrook Island.

Pigeon protection

Starting in 1965, an early conservation initiative by the Thorsbornes was a long-term and ongoing monitoring program for Torresian imperial-pigeons on the Brook Islands near Hinchinbrook, the southernmost breeding area of the species, to which the pigeons arrive in August every year, departing northwards in March after the breeding season. Though breeding mainly on the islands, the pigeons fly daily to the nearby mainland, as well as to Hinchinbrook Island, to feed on rainforest fruits, including figs and nutmegs. Although the pigeons have been officially protected by law since 1877, birds were still regularly, intensively and illegally shot as they returned in the evening to feed their chicks on the island nesting colonies, and the number of breeding birds had dropped to 3,000 by the time the Thorsbornes intervened. The monitoring program required a regular presence on the island and acted not only to quantify population changes but also to protect the colony. Since then, the illegal shooting has declined and pigeon numbers have increased to over 40,000.

Political art

Margaret painted over 2,500 envelopes which she sent to friends, politicians and government agencies, often with conservation messages such 'Azure kingfishers need tree-lined streams'[3], and matching stamps. Her cards were sold at several centres in the region to raise money for conservation.[4]

Honours
  • 1998 – WPSA Serventy Conservation Medal
  • 2001 – Centenary Medal for distinguished service to conservation and the environment.[5]
  • 2006 – Queensland Natural History Award
  • 2011 – Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to conservation and the environment through advocacy roles for the protection and preservation of wildlife and significant natural heritage sites in Australia, as a supporter of scientific research, and to the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland.[6]
gollark: ```The loneliest is a.(Abs function)(returns the absolute value of 'a thought')Abs takes a thoughtIf a thought is greater than nothingGive back a thoughtElseGive back nothing without a thought(end Abs function)(Pow function)(returns 'all' raised to 'your base')Pow takes all and your baseIf your base is emptyGive back the loneliest (end if)If your base is less than nothingPut nothing without your base into your baseGive back the loneliest over Pow taking all, your base (end if)Put the loneliest into the onePut all into the magicWhile the one is smaller than your basePut all of the magic into the magicBuild the one up (end while)Give back the magic(end Pow function)(some constants for Sqrt function)The wing is strange.My song is knickknack. lumberjacksPut Pow taking my song, the wing into the dawnHalf is flummoxing. huzza(Sqrt function)(iterates until the estimate update is less than 'the dawn')Sqrt takes a mountainIf a mountain is nowhereGive back nothing (end if)Put a mountain into a molehillPut a molehill into the seaWhile Abs taking the sea is greater than the dawnPut a molehill into the seaPut Half of a molehill with Half of a mountain over a molehill into a molehillPut the sea without a molehill into the sea (end while)Give back a molehill(end Sqrt function)```A simple maths library.
gollark: https://github.com/dylanbeattie/rockstar
gollark: ```Midnight takes your heart and your soulWhile your heart is as high as your soulPut your heart without your soul into your heartGive back your heartDesire is a lovestruck ladykillerMy world is nothing Fire is iceHate is waterUntil my world is Desire,Build my world upIf Midnight taking my world, Fire is nothing and Midnight taking my world, Hate is nothingShout "FizzBuzz!"Take it to the topIf Midnight taking my world, Fire is nothingShout "Fizz!"Take it to the topIf Midnight taking my world, Hate is nothingSay "Buzz!"Take it to the topWhisper my world```A fizzbuzz program.
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References
  1. "Margaret Grace Thorsborne AO 1927-2018 | Wildlife Queensland Townsville Branch". townsville.wildlife.org.au. Wildlife Queensland Townsville Branch.
  2. State Library of Queensland. "Margaret Thorsborne". Q ANZAC 100 digital story. Vimeo. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  3. "Margaret Thorsborne Collection, F3282, Fryer Library, The University of Queensland Library" (PDF). Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  4. "The art of conservation" (PDF). Wet tropics world heritage area magazine (2007–2008): 14-15. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  5. "Margaret Thorsborne Centenary Medal". Australian Honours Database. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  6. "Margaret Thorsborne AO". Australian Honours Database. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
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