Field Report Day

A reminder to Friends and Crew that the 2014 Field Report Presentation will be this Saturday, November 22nd, at the Melbourne Museum.

Sneak peek at the 2014 Field Report...

The Front Cover

After a long weekend of proof-reading with Mary and Alanna, the 2014 Field Report has been wrestled under control. Here is a sneak peek of the cover featuring our beautiful big claw.
Friends (not a Friend? join here) can get their copy at the Melbourne Museum on Field Report Day (Saturday 22nd November), or wait for their copy to arrive through the post in the days following that.

Dates for the 2015 Field Season are firming up

Even more likely dates:
Saturday November 22nd 2014 - Field Report Presentation Day and Rookies' Briefing.
Sunday November 30th 2014 - Rookies' Day at Flat Rocks

Saturday January 31st to Saturday February 21st - Dig at Eric the Red West.
(Note change of dates)

A date for Friends' Day at site has not yet been proposed.

Eric the Red West dig in 2015

Dr Tom Rich has informed us that 1 August was the cutoff date for a firm commitment of funding to support an excavation at Koonwarra next year.  As full support for that project has not been forthcoming, if there is to be a dig at Koonwarra, it will not be in 2015 and probably not until at least 2017.  2016 is unlikely because there is a plan to move the palaeontology collections from the basement of the Royal Exhibition Building to Melbourne Museum and key personnel will be committed to that exercise.

 

Because Koonwarra will not be happening in 2015, an excavation at Eric the Red West is now confirmed.

Tentative 2014/2015 Dates

It is extremely unlikely that the Koonwarra inland dig can be organised for early 2015.  The logistics would still take several months' work to finalise.   Therefore, we have started thinking about an ERTW dig for early 2015.

Crew, please pencil the following dates into your diaries.  They are not confirmed yet, but are likely.

Saturday November 22nd 2014 - Field Report Presentation Day and Rookies' Briefing.
Sunday November 30th 2014 - Rookies' Day at Flat Rocks
Saturday February 7th to Saturday February 28th - Dig at Eric the Red West.

A date for Friends' Day at site has not yet been proposed.

Field Report Day

Due to Dr Tom Rich's travel commitments, the Field Report Day is likely to be later than usual this year (November rather than October).  I will post the date once it is finalised.

Good Weekend article

During the Eric the Red West dig in February, John Elder visited the dig.  John is a reporter for the Good Weekend magazine distributed in the Saturday Age.   Last week the article finally appeared.
For those diggers who don't live in Melbourne, or who simply missed it, here it is.