Jeremy Burton is a Dad!

Jeremy and Jack

Jack Edward Burton was born on 21st September 2013 to Jeremy and Jess.  Jeremy was a Dinosaur Dreamer in the 2002 to 2004, 2006 to 2009, and 2013 Field Seasons.

Congratulations and best wishes to the new little family.

Yesterday at the Australian Synchrotron

The team

A group of happy Dinosaur Dreamers met at the Australian Synchrotron yesterday to celebrate the release of "Australia's Age of Dinosaurs" - the latest issue of Australia Post stamps. One of the highlights (besides the stamps themselves, of course), was a short video made by Joe Burgess and starring David Pickering that showed the time-lapse preparation of Noddy (the articulated ornithopod dinosaur). And Noddy itself was on display, carefully chauffeured from the museum in the back of Dave's car. Thanks to Nicole for the photo.

Dinosaur stamps are here

Australia Post has issued a set of dinosaur stamps for Stamp Collecting Month.  Twenty years after the iconic 1993 stamps by artist Peter Trusler, James Gurney has produced a stunning release: http://auspost.com.au/education/scm/students/about-stamps.html.

School Holiday Program

Once again Mike Cleeland is running the Steps of the Dinosaurs school holiday program at Flat Rocks.  Check it out at http://www.sgcs.org.au/holiday_booking.html.

New Dinosaur Stamps to be released 24th September

Next Tuesday (14th September) sees the release of a new stamp issue - "Australia's Age of Dinosaurs". These stamps (actually 5 dinosaurs and one amphibian) were drawn by Dinosauria artist James Gurney, with scientific advice from Tom Rich. This release comes 20 years after Australia Post's first set of Dinosaur Stamps, release in 1993 and drawn by Peter Trusler. Exciting!

Dragging drums

Gerry in 2000

Gerry removing drums after dismantling "the System" in 2000. This was before I joined the dig, but I understand that dozens of these plastic drums were transported to site to support the construction of "the System", a mechanism to reduce the enormous amount of sand that we had to remove when our hole got deep.

Raising the flag on Flat Rocks

In the 2000 Field Season, the crew captures Prep Rock and proudly raises the flag of our sponsor, the National Geographic Society.

The System

The System

Tide coming in

Lesley has written a great Field Report article about this history of the System - and found some great old photos of tubs and tarps and mesh and girders.  These photos are fairly late in the evolution of The System - 2001 or 2002 I think.

How Safety Standards have changed since we started...

The site

This one is interesting, and probably from the mid-nineties.  I think that's Mike Cleeland putting up a piece of string safety barrier after the rock-sawing has already started.  And the guy rock-sawing is standing over a large hammer wearing runners, no dust mask and quite possibly no eye protection. Just as well they put a safety cone up on the other side.  Unless that's the fuel funnel sitting on a drum of petrol.  Perhaps it is better we don't think about it.
Check out Nicole in the lawn chair in the background, and the bunch of diggers standing around in the background with cups of tea.

About 2000?

Nicole

I love this one - Nicole talking to a couple of passers-by or Friends (in matching purple pullovers).  They appear to be absolutely focused on whatever she is pointing at.

Another old photo

Mary and Alanna

I've pegged this one as 2004.
Love the "Where's Wally?" hat that Mary found.
And of course, regular crew will recognise the knobbly knees in the foreground.

Cocktail dresses and Power Tools

Cocktail dresses and power tools

Probably 2003 or 2004.  I'm looking for a better quality snap of this event for the 20th Anniversary Field Report.  Does anyone have one?

Archives circa 2004

Dave, Rohan and Mike

Guitar playing was and still is a common occurrence on the dig, as is having a beer after work.  The outfits are a bit more unusual.  Especially Mike's.
The presence of a single "bridal table" rock-breaking station points to about 2004.

Another old photo

Learners

I'm not sure when this was taken or who these three are.  I do like the idea of making our new recruits wear L plates though.  Maybe until they find their first fossil or have carried the jackhammer up the stairs?

Another from the archives

Corrie, a hat, a hammer and a rock

This one might have been taken in 2000. Apparently back then we used to ham it up for the camera on slow fossil-finding days...

One from the archives...

Andre Coffa, Scott Handsacker, and Mark Lockhart manhandle Doris

Over the next while, I thought I might share with you some of the old photos that I am finding as we look for fun things to include in the 20th Anniversary Field Report.  We think that this was taken in 1996 or 1997.  Note Doris' complete lack of concern, Andre smiling at the camera rather than focusing on not dropping her, and Lesley's (possibly disapproving?) stance in the background.
Doris assures me that her friends did not drop her (and hence are still around to tell the story).