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Tributes Linda Margaret Potter 10 December 1919 - February 2009 Ifone word could describe Margaret Pot- teritwouldhavetobe‘involvement’ which makes her death doubly sad in that she died alone during the extreme heat wave that preceded the Black Saturday bush- fires. Whatever she undertook she always carried out with dedication, precision and enthusiasm. Linda Margaret Potter (known to every- oneasMargaret,theLindadisguisedalways underaninitial)wasbornon 10December 1919. ShewaseducatedatPresbyterianLa- dies College, returning there to teach, and ultimatelybecomingseniorchemistrymis- tress. When she retired in 1980 shejoined the ex-collegiate group, in which she was veryactive.Teachingwasinherblood,and when hergreat-nephews Sam and Bennett began school, shewas dissatisfiedwith the way they were being taught to read, and promptly set about making sure they had a good grounding in this skill. Shewanted to do the same thing when they started to learn chemistry,but admitted ruefullythat teaching methods and the state ofknowl- edgehadchangedsinceherday. On her retirement she also joined the FieldNaturalists Club ofVictoria (FNCV), being elected in August 1980. She was a Council member from 1983-1986, and in 1985 was elected chairperson of the Botany Group, a position she held until MargaretPotteratMaranoaGardens, 1990 1990. Margaretwasan inspirationalleader, and the Botany Group was most active during her preservethe KnoxHorticulturalResearchland, tenure. which was underthreat ofdevelopment, it was Meetings were well-attended, and excursions Margaretwhowroteletterstotherelevantmin- near and far were organised: to places such as isterandlocal memberon behalfoftheclub. Brimbank Park and the Organ Pipes National Margaret was always punctilious about draw- Park, Kinglake National Park, Lake Mountain, ingtheattentionoftheBotanyGrouptorelevant Phillip Island, the Otways and the Grampians, matters from Council minutes, and General andtheMorningtonPeninsula,toremovebone- Meetings, for example, preparing a summary seed. This was the period when the campaign sheetin 1989on theFloraandFauna Guarantee to conserve Courtney’s Road, Belgrave South, Act following a talk on the subject at a General , got under way, due to the efforts of members Meeting. She regularly attended General Meet- ofthe BotanyGroup. Theareaisnowthe Baluk ings, providing exhibits and nature notes, often Wiliam Nature Conservation Reserve. When, about things she had observed in her own gar- in 1987, the FNCV received a request to help denorlocalparks.AfteranexcursiontotheAda 114 The Victorian Naturalist Tributes Tree in 1989 she talked to a General meeting Margarets involvement in the club was more abouttheimportanceofitspreservation,andthe ontheorganisationalsideofthings,butin 1984 meeting approved the sending ofa letter to the she led a Day Group excursion to Bellbird Dell DepartmentofConservation,ForestsandLands Reservebushland,andin 1995gaveatalktothe urging this. In 1990 she coordinated the FNCV BotanyGroup, entitled ‘Kosciusko in Summer’. displayattheMaranoaGardensFestival. The latterwasherlastrecorded activity, but for Thelate 1980sweretroubledtimesin theclub, some years she was a familiar figure, with her in particular due to the shortcomings of the smileandcheerfulenthusiasm, atmeetings,in- Subscription Secretary. In 1991 Margaretvolun- cluding the annual Australian Natural History teeredtosortouttheconfusionthathadensued, Medallion reception andpresentation. andspenteighthoursaweekfortwoyearsdeal- I amindebtedto Beryl Fookesforsomeofthe ing with the complexities of the membership aboveinformation. records. In recognition ofthis she was made an HonoraryMember. When, in 1993, Council de- cided to advertise for a Subscription Secretary, Margaretwroteadetailedreportonwhatwasin- SheilaHoughton volved,pointingoutfirmlythatsixhoursaweek 12ScenicCourt was not enough. For the following three years Gisborne,Victoria3437 she acted as the clubs Publicity Officer, ensur- ingthat,amongotheroutlets,noticeoftheclubs activitiesappeared regularlyin TheAge. One Hundred Years Ago ThenestofanotherScrub-RobinwasfoundbyMr. MTennan,whoknowsthehabitsofthesebirdsthor- oughly. Itwas asimplecup-shaped structure ofsticksand smalltwigslet into theground, andcontaineda solitary egg, the usual clutch ofthis bird. Our guide has. nicknamed this bird “the trappers companion” onaccountofits inquisitiveness,sociability,andfearlessnesswhenhehasbeenoutquietlysettingtrapsfor Dingoesandothervermin.Theyare-fairlytaniesolongasnonoiseismade,butdirectlytheyhearasound theydisappear’atonce,onlytoreappearwhenallisstillagain.Sometimesthenestisbuiltamongstthebark or debris at thebase ofamalleebush, and at times is situated quite 18 inches from theground. When re- turningtothenestafterhavingbeenfrightenedthesebirdsadoptacoquettingaction,approachingwithina yardortwoofitthenrapidlydartingawayintothescrub,onlytorepeatthesameperformanceimmediately afterwards. Onehasonlytopossessalittlepatienceand keep quiet and theScrub-Robinwill showexactly wheretheeggoryoungone,asthecasemaybe,islocated... Several nests ofthe Graceful Honey-eater, Ptilotis ornala were also found, while many Spiny-checked , Honey-eaterswereseenfeedinginthetree-tops. RestlessFlycatchers,Sisurainquieta andRed-cappedRob- , Einmsu,sP,elirncdeiccaagtoeoddbeynotvuiftis,owferfeeatahlesros,seweenr,ebsueseinlyinenmgaangyedplbauciels.diUnnghathreniersnseisntsg.oEuvrihdoernscees,owfethfeasptreenseedntceheomf up, and then went for a long tramp over sand dunes covered with pines’ and scrub. The pad led us to a beautifullygreenovalspaceofabout ten acres, namedbyMr. MTennan“theDingoes’ recreation reserve.” Hereweespied a fox, and presentlya Dingo. Probablyboth ofthesehaveby this timeyieldedtheirscalps toourguide,whoclaimstohaveaccountedforthedeathsofcloseon3,000Dingoes.SeveralMallee-Fowls’ nestswereinspected,andadditional noteson thehabitsofotherbirdsweremade.ManyChestnut-rumped Ground-Wrenswereseen inthispart. From The VictorianNaturalistXXVI,p. 70-71,73,October 1909 Vol 126 (3) 2009 115