"The past is never fully gone. It is absorbed into the present and the future. It stays to shape what we are and what we do."
Sir William Deane, Governor-General of Australia, Inaugural Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture, August 1996.
Barrie Dexter
Barrie graduated from the VSF in 1954, and then attended The University of Melbourne to obtain his BSc Forestry in 1960 and a MSc Forestry in 1970. He became a Fellow of the Institute of Foresters in 2015.
From 1955 to1966 he had postings with the FCV in the Research Branch and forest districts, and then he was involved with silvicultural research and development in both native and exotic forests, and factors affecting bushfire behaviour for application in wildfire control and the planned use of fire until 1975.
In 1975 he was appointed Chief Park Management Officer of the National Parks Service,Victoria before returning to the FCV in 1976 as Chief Forest Research Officer. In 1980 when he was appointed as the Chief Silvicultural Officer, FCV and then CFL, and in1985 he became Assistant Director, Lands and Forests Division, CFL.
From October 1983 to March 1991 Barrie was directly involved in the development and operation of the Dharnya Centre in the Barmah Forest, and Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for the Centre from 1984 to 1991.
From 1989 to 1991 he represented the Victorian Department of Conservation and Environment on a Steering Committee oversighting a consultancy let by the Murray Darling Basin Commission for the development of a Water Management Plan for the Barmah-Millewa (River Red Gum) Forests.
He participated in the revision of TAFE curriculum for the Associate Diploma of Applied Science - Natural Resources, and was an Occasional Lecturer at both Monash University and the University of Melbourne.
From 1991 to 1992 he was the Executive Director, Trees for Profit Research Centre, set up under the auspices of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, the University of Melbourne.
Between 1992 and 2001 Barrie was one of two representatives of Timber Communities Australia on a Community Reference Group set up by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission to further develop and advise on the implementation of a water management plan for the Barmah-Millewa Forests. He was also a Member of the Forum set up by the Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council to advise on water management of the Barmah-Millewa Forests.
Other involvements included being a Member of the Board of Management of the Natural Resources Conservation League of Victoria (2002-2006), a Member of Forest Fire Victoria Inc. (2002–2008) and a Member of the Parks Victoria Scientific Advisory Committee. (2009-2012)
Graeme Suckling
Graeme graduated from the VSF in 1968, completed his BSc in Forestry at the University of Melbourne in 1971 and graduated with a PhD in Zoology from Monash University in 1981. He spent the first thirteen years of his career working on various areas of flora and fauna ecological survey and research, including his PhD. The title of his PhD thesis was “The effects of fragmentation and disturbance of forest on mammals in a region of south Gippsland, Victoria”.
Alan Eddy
Alan gained the Dip For (Cres.) on graduation from the VSF in 1948. He was then awarded the BSc For (Melb) in 1953, and the MF (Calif) in 1959.
Barry Marsden
Barry joined the FCV at Orbost in 1966 after qualifying as a motor mechanic, and he first worked on the Errinundra Road project prior to becoming responsible for maintaining the Orbost District vehicle fleet.
He then had a short period at Bruthen, maintaining that District's heavy plant, before transferring to the FCV Main Plant Workshop at Newport.
Gerry Fahey
Gerry is a librarian at the University of Melbourne, and manager of the Creswick Campus Historical Collection. He is researching the early history of the Victorian School of Forestry.
Mark Stump
Mark graduated from the VSF in 1948. As a student he was, among other things, noted for being a determined footballer, and a strong swimmer.
Leon Bren
Leon grew up in Mirboo North and entered VSF in 1965. After graduation he worked in assessment and then completed a degree in Forestry at Melbourne University.
Bernie Evans
Bernie graduated from the VSF in 1959 with an Associate Diploma of Forestry, and then went on to obtain the Diploma of Forestry in 1975. With the FCV he was first engaged in assessment and district work in a number of Gippsland locations and Mansfield, before becoming Silvicultural Officer from 1975 to 1978.
Peter Evans
Peter studied Applied Chemistry at RMIT before running away to the circus, spending the next forty years in the technical side of the theatrical arts.
Peter McHugh
Peter graduated from the Victorian School of Forestry at the end of 1977 and his first postings with the FCV were to Mirboo North and then later to Kallista/Gembrook.
Roger Smith
Roger was employed in 1958 as a research technician by CSIRO in their Division of Forest Products, and then graduated from the VSF in 1961. After spending 1962 in Biological Survey FCV (mapping phasmatid insects in NE Vic), Roger graduated from Melbourne University in 1964.