The AG met on 5 June 1985 for its first business meeting. The convenor was Ian McCann. Other members were:Martin Hynes and Isabelle Humphries (both representing local councils), Don Carter (CFA), Gary Knight (recreational fishing), Wayne Kayler-Thompson (tourism), Sue McInnes (Field naturalists and bushwalking), Gil Hopkins (Science and education), Arthur (Pip) Mangle (local business). John Miller was the Ranger in Charge and various folk from Melbourne were also present.
The minutes of that first meeting are most interesting. Many issues are with us today. On a few, opinions have changed – most noticeably on the presence of deer. At that meeting it was unanimously decided that no effort should be made to reduce the number of deer. Today the damage that deer cause is widely recognised, but it still is not easy to reverse that decision. It was also decided there should be no recreational hunting allowed.
There were discussions on the vexed issue of controlled burning, and calls for more research into fire. A long distance walk from North to South was mooted; there was a call to stop kangaroo feeding at Zumsteins because of the potential for injury to visitors; high priority was given to vegetation mapping and increased monitoring of rare and endangered plants and animals; and a request for specialist staff – archaeologist, research co-ordinator, education and interpretation officer, fire researcher.
Meetings were held regularly over the next few years. Meeting 6 reported on the success of the summer interpretive programme, during which rangers together with two summer assistants spoke to 3,100 people, including 150 at the final camp-fire meeting. Activities had included a Koala Watch Walk, a sunrise walk with billy tea on the Mt William summit (meet at 5.45 a.m.!). Meeting 7 reported that Department staff would be rostered to attend the Halls Gap Wildflower Show for between 2 and 6 hours each day, depending on other requirements. A tree planting was organised for the clear paddock between Tandarra Rd and the new Visitor Centre. Funding for an archaeologist was found to be impossible. Comments were called for on the new Fauna and Flora Guarantee Act.
1986,87 saw correspondence over horse-riding in the Park, more controlled burn correspondence, granting of a licence to use already quarried stone from Heatherlie for the renovation of Melbourne Town Hall.
In 1988 the term of the first Advisory Group expired and a new group formed with Isabelle Humphries as chair. The building of a toilet on Major Mitchell was approved at a cost of $3,500. Concern was expressed over heavy vehicles on the Halls Gap Dunkeld Tourist Rd, and over weeds in the Park.
Space and time force me to stop here, but the work of the Advisory Group has continued since that time under a number of chairs. Two members, Gil Hopkins and Don Carter have served for all that time.