margaret thorsborne

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of interviewing an amazing local lady named Margaret Thorsborne.

Margaret is quite possibly one of the most interesting woman I've ever met. She is (from my guess) in her late seventies, an avid conservationist, and lives in the middle of a Edmund Kennedy National Park about 60kms north of Ingham, the town where I live.

Let me tell you a bit about her...

In the late seventies, Magaret and her husband visited Hichinbrook Island, just off the north coast of Queensland.

While exploring the island they came across a colony of native pigeons, commonly known as the pied imperial pigeon. On returning to the mainland, they mentioned their find to a local who informed them that once the island had been alive with the birds. Apparently the pigeon population had dwindled dramatically since shooters from the mainland discovered them on island. The shooting of the birds was illegal even then, but hunters ignored the laws, which were difficult to enforce.

Margaret and her husband were so enchanted by the birds and concerned by their plight, they decided to embark on a yearly pigeon count to monitor the population and raise awareness about the danger that shooters posed to the species survival.

They continued their count for ten years, until 1984 when the project was adopted by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, who still conduct a count as an annual event. Margaret still goes along to assist with the counts, which now show stable numbers of around 20,000 birds on the island. A big increase, considering the population came as low as 2000, according to Margaret's counts.

More remarkably, Margaret and her husband moved from Brisbane and bought a stretch of property just off the mainland. Later in life, they sold this property to the Federal Government for one dollar, so it could be incorporated into the surrounding National Park and conserved forever. As part of the agreement, they had permission to remain in their house for as long as they wished, or until they passed on.

Although her husband has since passed away, Margaret still lives in her house, right in the middle of the rainforest.

And what an amazing house it is. Full of books and true expression of Margaret's self, it's almost as though the house is a natural part of the forest.

For one afternoon I was lucky enough to sit with Margaret on her veranda and share a cup of tea, while she told me the story of how she came to live there. She even showed me the one dollar cheque.

While we sat and chatted, a cassowary and it's three chicks walked around in the rainforest next the house, and was lucky enough to see them.

It might not sound all that amazing but I really felt lucky to have met such a wonderful lady.

It was also one of those moments that made me think about why I want to be journalist. I get to meet awesome people as part of my job, and share their experiences. Not every day I suppose... but often enough.

Anyway... enough soppy stuff. I'm making myself gag here.

Just wanted to share.

xox tegz