Time to research and write

Lyndall Dawson moved to Austinmer over 20 years ago.

“I wanted to join a community that was more like a village and not a resort,” Lyndall says. She wanted to enjoy the coast and all of its benefits.

“The Northern Illawarra offered all this and more.”

But, at 82, this remarkable woman is not resting in retirement. Her story continues with research, writing and an inspirational attitude.

After finishing a degree in Zoology, and living overseas with her family, Lyndall accepted a scholarship for PhD research into the deep history of Australia’s unique marsupials. Working at the Australian Museum, she was introduced to the remarkable fossils from Wellington Caves in NSW.

“There I made my first steps into the world of vertebrate palaeontology. The research was demanding and I was still rearing three teenage children at the time.”

She later enjoyed working in university administration, but her interest in fossils never waned – “fossils have helped me to a much better understanding of the natural world”.

“I first studied the fossils from Wellington Caves in Central NSW that were originally discovered by explorer Thomas Mitchell in 1830. They excited great interest then, because although they were very like our modern marsupials, many were much larger than our living kangaroos and wombats etc.”

The cause of their extinction, Lyndall says, is still hotly debated, but much progress has been made in recent years.

“We now know that some megafauna species shared this land for 10 to 20,000 years with the first Aboriginal people. I believe that if we can get a better understanding of how climate change and human arrival influenced the ecology of that time it will help us deal with the drastic changes that are occurring in our natural environment now.”

Lyndall’s book, Tunnels in Time covers a thorough history of this subject.

“Long-term climate has always changed and species and ecosystems have evolved to deal with quite massive (but gradual) fluctuations.

“But there has been much greater change over the last 200 years than in any other period in the past.

“The fossil fuels we are releasing into our atmosphere continue to speed up the rate of climate change and are certainly causing our own species’ problems as we’ve seen in the last couple of years.”

Lyndall and her husband, Terry, have long held a shared interest in the semi-arid regions of far west NSW, where Terry has spent more than 50 years doing research at Fowlers Gap, the University of NSW arid-zone field station. Terry’s studies of the ecophysiology of animals, such as kangaroos and emus, have revealed how they cope with the unpredictable climate and harsh vegetation that is typical of a huge proportion of the Australian continent. It has been an amazing partnership of shared interest, research and love of that environment and its fauna.

Since moving to the Illawarra, Lyndall has also shared her energies with SCARF Refugee Support.

“I met wonderful people and learned a great deal from the refugees,” she says.

“I always feel grateful for the association as I have made so many long-standing friends.”

Lyndall shows age is never a barrier when you want to get something done.

Tunnels in Time is available to purchase at www.lyndalldawson.com.

Saturday 11th Feb 7pm

Free Concert Music Of Joy

Kundalini Sahaja Yoga Meditation

Raise the Roof! & Raise the Spirit!

Multicultural Music Group

Fairy Meadow Community Centre

17 Princes Highway (opp Woolies)

Everybody Welcome!

Tea & cakes

Info Margaret 0412 072 280