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One of the strangest was contained in an account of the Park 

 over the initials "R.O.C." in The Begister of October, 1901, in 

 which the whole credit for obtaining the Park — and with some- 

 what fulsome praise — was given to Mr. Walter Gooch, whose 

 abortive Act of 1883 was actually ignored by the Government 

 when Mr. Robin's paper originating this Committee was read. 

 I wish in this place to bear testimony to Mr. Robin's active and 

 ceaseless exertions as Secretary, for he not only organized three 

 deputations but conducted a voluminous correspondence, colonial 

 and abroad, and his resignation in 1895, followed by his long 

 illness and death, was very deeply regretted by myself and col- 

 leagues. But the first idea of a Park originated in the late seven- 

 ties or early eighties with Mr. James Page, of Mitcham, who 

 became aware that the then Commissioner of Lands was taking 

 steps to offer the Government Farm for sale. He went straight 

 to the Chief Secretary, who at once put a stop to it, and thus 

 the property was saved to the community. All these full details 

 were printed in October 7, 1901, and a copy sent to each Com- 

 missioner. Hence they cannot plead ignorance of the true facts 

 when they permitted a booklet to appear containing misleading 

 statements, published by their authority last year, in which no 

 mention Avhatever is made of the continuous and prolonged 

 labours of my committee, quite forgetting the fact that Sir E. T. 

 Smith and Mr. W. Gooch owe their appointments to our 

 nomination. 



Flinders Chase. 



In 1893 the late Professor Tate, Mr. Robin, and myself at- 

 tended the Hobart meeting of the Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science, and we carried my motion asking our Govern- 

 ment to dedicate the Cape Border Lighthouse reserve for our 

 objects. In 1896 the Marine Board reported to the Commissioner 

 of Lands that the Cape Border reserve was required as affording 

 fresh food to the keepers, but in 1906 we received a letter from 

 the Secretary of the Marine Board asking for reasons why a 

 lease of the reserve for a cattle-run should not be granted. On 

 July 26 of that year a meeting was called by us in the Mayor's 

 Parlour, the Mayor (the late Mr. Theo. Bruce) in the chair. 

 After a sympathetic letter from His Honor Sir S. J. Way had 

 been read I laid a scheme before the meeting for vesting in trusr- 

 tees the whole of the western end of Kangaroo Island. The 

 speakers were Drs. Verco, Stirling, F.R.S., Rennie, and Rogers, 

 also Messrs. W. H. Selway and Mellor, Councillor Isaacs, and 

 Mr. Kreusler (A.N. A.). Subsequently on August 8 these gentle- 

 men and others waited upon the late Hon. T. Price, who pro- 

 mised that the 67 square miles at Cape Border should be at once 

 reserved, and that the Government was in full sympathy with 

 us and would consider the request. Subsequently we presented 

 a plan asking for all the land west of the line from Castle Hill 

 due south, containing 300 square miles, and including Rocky 

 River, Snug Cove, and several lagoons and smaller streams. Mr. 

 Price requested a plan for appointing trustees, and we suggested 

 eight trustees — one for each branch of natural history, namely, 

 general zoology, ornithology, marine zoology, and botany, to be 

 nominated by the University and the Royal Society respectively. 

 At a subsequent interview arranged by Major Smeaton, 

 Mr. Aehby and myself were informed that the lessees 

 paying an annual rent of £28 10s. demanded in round 



