A memorial tree planting service was to be held in Wollongong this morning, to honour the life of Anders Bofeldt - a legend amongst the native plant enthusiasts of the Illawarra Region.
Unfortunately I never met the man, but I have heard much about him - from the founding members of the Robertson Environment Protection Society (REPS).
Anders assisted them with plant surveys of the Cool Temperate Rainforest which makes up what is left of the Yarrawa Brush. Although the locals did an enormous amount of researching, physical searching, writing and illustrating to produce that booklet, Anders' authoritative knowledge underpinned the scientific accuracy of the book which became "The Guide to the Yarrawa Brush". It was published by REPS, and is now available on the web.
Anders worked as a botanist at the Wollongong Botanic Gardens. He was a contributer to the Illawarra Biodiversity Strategy. He also contributed to many Species profiles on the Threatened Species of NSW Plants. He prepared the species list for Bellambi Lagoon.
This is the cached version of the Funeral notice published by H. Parsons Funeral Directors.
"Taken from us suddenly on June 30, 2011 of Balgownie. Beloved son of Birgite and the late Leif. Loved brother & brother-in-law of John and Kim. Loved uncle of Amielle, Jaylen. Loving partner of Natalie. Anders will be sadly missed by his loving family and many dear friends here, in Sweden and New Zealand.
Aged 46 Years.
Anders is now at peace and Forever in our Hearts.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend Anders funeral service to be held in the chapel, Parsons Funeral Home, 34 Belmore St Wollongong on Tuesday at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers donations to Rainforest Rescue Daintree buy- back would be appreciated."
Apparently the ceremony this morning was to include a planting of a "White Beech" Gmelina leichhardtii one of Anders' favourite rare native trees of the Illawarra region.
Thanks to Nick Rheinberger for broadcasting an interview about Anders this morning on ABC Local Radio 97.3.
5 comments:
Anders' dedication, expertise and knowledge is sadly lost and irreplaceable.
Anders was a close friend for many years, we first met in 1987 at the Wollongong uni bar, he motivated me to discover the beauty and value of all plants and their ecosystems, particularly the Illawarra. From this i worked in the Vegetation management field for over 20 years and throughout that time took part in and supervised the planting of well over 2 million plants. Many nights were spent waxing over how we could up the ante and educate more people to towards the value of the endemic vegetation. Anders was a fountain of information, a gentle soul, and a friend i and my son will miss for our entire lives. My only wish now is that i could give you one last MAN hug. We will miss you forever. Mark & Julien Clegg
Thanks for these two personal tributes to Anders and his work.
Your words mean far more than mine which are based on 2nd hand reports.
I thank you for adding them to the public record.
Denis Wilson
I did not get to meet Anders either unfortunately although I always intended to catch up with him on my infrequent trips into the Illawarra. I do know that he was responsible for most of the rainforest plantings in Wollongong Botanic Gardens, something he was very proud to have been involved with. From comments he has left on various rainforest images in my Flickr photostream via his Flickr name - appropriately - 'Genius Species' I came to realise the depth of his knowledge and his passion for nature and the rainforests of the Illawarra Escarpment.
I have dedicated my Wollongong Botanic Gardens collection of images to Anders Bofeldt. I will add more images as opportunities present themselves.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackdiamondimages/sets/72157623371753653/
It is impossible to comprehend how much knowledge has been lost following Anders unfortunate death. It is a reminder to all who have specialised knowledge that we try to share and secure that knowledge for future generations as indeed Anders had always sought to do.
Black Diamond Images
Dear Black Diamond Images
Thank you for your extensive comment here, and for having dedicated your set of Wollongong botanical images to Anders.
That is most fitting.
Thank you also for the cross-link to this blog post, recording Anders work in the region.
Cheers
Denis Wilson
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