Myles and Milo Dunphy

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Myles and Milo Dunphy were Australian conservationists who played an important role in creating the Australian wilderness movement.

Myles Dunphy (1891 - 1985) lived in Katoomba and started his wilderness publicity work in 1910. He mapped the Blue Mountains and started a campaign for more wilderness areas in New South Wales.

His interest in bushwalking led to the formation of the Sydney Bushwalkers and the Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs in 1932. He also formed the National Parks and Primitive Areas Council, and made steps to establish a professional parks service.

He received an Order of the British Empire for his efforts in conservation and an IUCN Packer Award for Long Merit in National Parks.

Milo Dunphy (1928-1996) was the son of Myles Dunphy. He was an activist who campaigned on several fronts. He was known for his work in the Colong Caves, which were being quarried for limestone, and also for saving the Boyd Plateau from being planted with lime trees. He helped to double the of national park space in New South Wales from 2 to 4.5 percent.

Milo Dunphy stood as a candidate in two Australian federal elections:

In 1974 he was a candidate for the Australia Party, for the seat of Cook
In 1983 he was an independent candidate for the seat of Bennelong, standing against the then Treasurer (and future Prime Minister) John Howard.^[1]

He was active through Australian conservation organisations including the Australian Conservation Foundation,^[2] the Colong Foundation for Wilderness, the Nature Conservation Council, and the Total Environment Centre, of which he was Director.^[3]

He was awarded an Member of the Order of Australia, the Sydney Luker Award from the Australian Institute of Planning, and an honorary degree from the University of New South Wales.

The work of the Dunphys goes on through the Dunphy Wilderness Fund, which spends one million dollars a year (since September 1996) to purchase leasehold and privately held areas of natural significance.

[edit] References

^ Hon. R. Jones, Adjournment speech, NSW Legislative Council Hansard, 24 April 1996.
^ John Sinclair, Eulogy to Milo Dunphy, National Parks Journal, vol. 43, no. 4, 1999.
^ Senator J. Faulkner, first speech, Senate Hansard, 8 May 1989, http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/first_speech/sfs-5K4.htm