Latest news with #UniversityofWA
West Australian
26-05-2025
- West Australian
WA's top botanist goes to ‘heaven' and wins gold at Chelsea Flower Show with local flower
As Queen Camilla walked around the Chelsea Flower Show in London this week, she was particularly taken with the sight of a striking blue sun orchid, attributed to renowned Perth botanist and Waroona local, Kingsley Dixon. Its appearance at the world-famous flower show was remarkable for a number of reasons. It was the first time native Australian bushland orchids had been displayed at the show, and it was only possible due to a months-long international collaboration which nearly came unstuck at the last minute. Professor Dixon played an integral role in the Orchids in the Wild – The Orchids of Asia and The Pacific exhibit which won a gold medal at the prestigious show. The exhibit, a partnership of more than 25 global institutions including the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens and the University of WA where Professor Dixon is professor of Botany, displayed orchids from Hong Kong, South China, Singapore, Hawaii and Australia. The blue sun orchid flowers in Australia between September and December, meaning months of planning and help from a contact of Professor Dixon's in Germany were required to make the display possible. While the plants couldn't be transported from Australia due to the differing seasons, his friend in Germany happened to have some on hand and after months of paperwork and preparation, they were flown to London late last week. 'It was on a knife edge, there was paperwork and road blocks, it wasn't for the faint-hearted. It was like the plant Olympics,' Professor Dixon said. 'The display looked beautiful, it was amazing, we managed to get hold of some native plants and sand, and it looked just like WA's landscape. 'It was wonderful to win the gold, and Camilla was quite taken with the West Australian plants, she spent quite a lot of time looking at them.' Professor Dixon said the blue orchids which 'bewitched' the British public with their dazzling colour were a fairly common sight when travelling through the jarrah forests near Waroona and Harvey. 'We take our extraordinary bushland for granted, we take our plants for granted; even simple things like this orchid are bewilderingly wonderful to the world,' he said. Alongside the impressive orchid, the display showcased banksia cones opened by the terrible bushfire which ripped through his renowned garden at Cypress Farm in Waroona last year. 'They were a smash hit, people thought, 'what are these?' and then you tell the story and even the relic of a terrible fire was absolutely fascinating,' Professor Dixon said. 'They are sitting on centre stage, being looked at by the king and queen — from Waroona to Royalty.' It was the professor's first time exhibiting at the prestigious event, and only his second time at the show overall. For a botanist being around the displays was akin to 'going to heaven,' he said. Waroona shire president Mike Walmsley said he was deeply impressed with Professor Dixon taking the gold at the competition. 'We're very proud he's been able to put little old Waroona on the global stage,' Cr Walmsley said. 'It's lovely that there's some small parts of our bit of the world have made it onto the world stage and managed to get gold.'
West Australian
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
WA native plant wins gold at the Chelsea Flower show in London
As Queen Camilla walked around the Chelsea Flower Show in London this week, she was particularly taken with the sight of a striking blue sun orchid. Its appearance at the world-famous flower show was remarkable for a number of reasons. It was the first time native Australian bushland orchids had been displayed at the show, and it was only possible due to a months-long international collaboration which nearly came unstuck at the last minute. Renowned Perth botanist Kingsley Dixon played an integral role in the Orchids in the Wild – The Orchids of Asia and The Pacific exhibit which won a gold medal at the prestigious show. The exhibit, a partnership of more than 25 global institutions including the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens and the University of WA where Professor Dixon is Professor of Botany, displayed orchids from Hong Kong, South China, Singapore, Hawaii and Australia. The blue sun orchid flowers in Australia between September and December, meaning months of planning and help from a contact of Professor Dixon's in Germany were required to make the display possible. While the plants couldn't be transported from Australia due to the differing seasons, Professor Dixon's friend in Germany happened to have some and after months of paperwork and preparation they were flown to London late last week. 'It was on a knife edge, there was paper work and road blocks, it wasn't for the faint-hearted. It was like the plant Olympics,' Professor Kingsley recalled. 'The display looked beautiful, it was amazing, we managed to get hold of some native plants and sand, and it looked just like WA's landscape. 'It was wonderful to win the gold, and Camilla was quite taken with the West Australian plants, she spent quite a lot of time looking at them.' Also in the display are banksia cones salvaged from Professor Dixon's renowned garden at Cypress Farm in Waroona, which was devastatingly destroyed during a bushfire last year. 'The garden is looking sensational and the forest has recovered,' he said. 'There is a little bit of Waroona on display (at Chelsea) and it shows something nice has come from the ashes.'
Perth Now
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Aussie native orchid wins gold at world-famous flower show
As Queen Camilla walked around the Chelsea Flower Show in London this week, she was particularly taken with the sight of a striking blue sun orchid. Its appearance at the world-famous flower show was remarkable for a number of reasons. It was the first time native Australian bushland orchids had been displayed at the show, and it was only possible due to a months-long international collaboration which nearly came unstuck at the last minute. Renowned Perth botanist Kingsley Dixon played an integral role in the Orchids in the Wild – The Orchids of Asia and The Pacific exhibit which won a gold medal at the prestigious show. The exhibit, a partnership of more than 25 global institutions including the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens and the University of WA where Professor Dixon is Professor of Botany, displayed orchids from Hong Kong, South China, Singapore, Hawaii and Australia. The blue sun orchid flowers in Australia between September and December, meaning months of planning and help from a contact of Professor Dixon's in Germany were required to make the display possible. While the plants couldn't be transported from Australia due to the differing seasons, Professor Dixon's friend in Germany happened to have some and after months of paperwork and preparation they were flown to London late last week. 'It was on a knife edge, there was paper work and road blocks, it wasn't for the faint-hearted. It was like the plant Olympics,' Professor Kingsley recalled. The award winning orchid from Australia at the Chelsea Flower Show. Credit: Supplied 'The display looked beautiful, it was amazing, we managed to get hold of some native plants and sand, and it looked just like WA's landscape. 'It was wonderful to win the gold, and Camilla was quite taken with the West Australian plants, she spent quite a lot of time looking at them.' Also in the display are banksia cones salvaged from Professor Dixon's renowned garden at Cypress Farm in Waroona, which was devastatingly destroyed during a bushfire last year. The award winning orchid at the Chelsea Flower Show. Credit: Supplied 'The garden is looking sensational and the forest has recovered,' he said. 'There is a little bit of Waroona on display (at Chelsea) and it shows something nice has come from the ashes.'
ABC News
17-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Australia's beaches show off the unique journey and makeup of sand
Aussies love the beach and with our nation ringed by coastline, it's easy to see why. But have you ever looked closely at the sand and wondered how it got there? Every grain tells a story of time and transformation. While it may look pale from afar, up close it's a colourful mix of minerals and fragments. University of WA school of earth sciences professor Annette George says, in geology terms, sand refers to "particles between 0.6 and 2 millimetres". To unlock its secrets, you need to magnify it. Professor George says much of our beach sand starts as inland rock, broken down and carried by rivers to the coast. "Once that sediment reaches the coast, the material gets distributed by waves and currents." In Geraldton, 420 kilometre north of Perth, the beach near Chapman River has pink, sparkly grains that have come from rocks further inland carried by the river — linking bush to beach in a dynamic cycle. Under the microscope, these grains resemble tiny, intricate rocks. Marine engineer Wade Greenaway says about 60 per cent of Geraldton's fine sand is biogenic (produced by living organisms) and is formed from marine life in seagrass meadows. "Little creatures break down in seagrass beds. Seagrasses are really important. They're a sediment source," Mr Greenaway says. "Limestone is a bit more of an ancient material but that does break down as well." No two beaches are the same. "For nine months of the year the sand moves from south to north and that's typical of the WA coastline," Mr Greenaway says. "As the infrastructure on the coast has built up, it causes that interference with that long shore drift." He says to restore balance, Midwest Ports transfers sand each year between beaches. "When the port and wharf expanded, it blocked that natural flow, causing sand to build up," Mr Greenaway says. "It's like a conveyor belt — we now have to manually feed it to restore natural sediment pathways." Midwest Ports also monitors sand composition annually. "We're measuring the size and makeup of the sand to understand beach conditions like wind or wave energy," Mr Greenaway says. "It supports our sand bypassing program and helps maintain consistency across the coastline." Geraldton's coastal dynamics have long shaped its development. Mr Greenaway's late grandfather, Gordon Greenaway, recalled sediment issues as far back as the early 20th century, when the railway jetty first altered natural sand movement. Chosen as a port in the 1850s for its natural harbour, Geraldton has evolved, with deeper berths and regular dredging to suit larger ships. Wade Greenaway says people often overlooked the complex, shifting nature of beaches. "You always hear people say the beach isn't where it used to be, but it's always changing. We only see a small snapshot in our lifetimes," he says. The story of sand doesn't stop at the shoreline. Professor George says, over time, sand grains may become sandstone, rise again through geological uplift, and erode, starting the cycle anew. "Once buried [1.5 to 2km below the Earth's surface] the sand basically becomes a rock and it keeps being buried," she says. "Then eventually if it's lucky enough it will come back up to Earth's surface and then that process begins again." As Mr Greenaway puts it, managing sand sustainably is vital: not just for ports, but for preserving the natural beauty we all love.
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Perth Now
Expert ‘95 per cent' certain Amy Wensley didn't kill herself
A biomechanics expert says he wants a criminal trial where witnesses can be cross-examined about Amy Wensley's death because he is '95 per cent' certain she did not take her own life. Speaking to investigative journalists Liam Bartlett and Alison Sandy in the latest episode of The Truth About Amy, University of WA applied anatomy and biomechanics professor Dr Timothy Ackland said he believed the 24-year-old 'did not kill herself'. 'In science we're always dealing with probabilities, we test hypotheses,' he said. 'There are some limitations to our tests and those have to be acknowledged and that's why we never say with 100 per cent certainty that A equals B. 'If you asked me for a percentage, I would say (with) 95 per cent confidence . . . that my suggestion that she did not kill herself is true.' A biomechanics expert says he wants a criminal trial where witnesses can be cross-examined about Amy Wensley's death because he is '95 per cent' certain she did not take her own life. Credit: Unknown / Facebook Ms Wensley was found dead in her Serpentine bedroom in 2014 with a fatal shotgun blast to the head. Her and her two young daughters' belongings were found inside her car, indicating she was planning on leaving her partner, David Simmons. And despite police initially treating the death as suspicious, detectives later deemed it a suicide and cleaned the bedroom, destroying any forensic evidence. Ms Wensley's friends and family reject the idea she took her own life. Dr Ackland — who analysed the biomechanics of Ms Wensley's death — said there were 'about 20 things' in relation to the death which looked 'unusual and extraordinary'. UWA applied anatomy and biomechanics professor Dr Timothy Ackland believes Amy Wensley 'did not kill herself'. Credit: Supplied 'There was so much inconsistency in the witness statements and in what people had said had occurred and the evidence,' he said. 'The whole thing from the start did not ring true. Not much of the witness statements information made sense to me. 'The only thing that made sense was the report of the attending uniformed officers who were the first people on the scene apart from those witnesses.' Amy's mother, Nancy Kirk, has revealed she phoned her daughter and listened to her as she hysterically sobbed on the day she died. Amy had claimed that Mr Simmons had 'grabbed me by the throat and thrown me on the ground' during an argument. The argument — which was heard and seen by witnesses — happened just moments before the fatal shot was fired. Mr Simmons has vehemently denied any suggestions that he was holding the gun when it went off. A coronial inquest in 2021 was unable to determine how Ms Wensley died. 'I have considered all of the available evidence . . . and I have concluded that there is not enough evidence for me to make a formal finding as to how Amy died,' Deputy Coroner Sarah Linton said at the time. 'I regret that I am unable to provide all of the answers that Amy's family are seeking, but I am required to base my findings on the evidence, and there are too many unknowns in this case.' Dr Ackland said he felt 'troubled' by Ms Wensley's death and said he wanted the witnesses to be 'cross-examined and interrogated' at a criminal trial. Amy Wensley. Credit: Unknown / Supplied 'There is a lot of politics around this . . . the longer this goes on, it troubles me more and more that I believe that an injustice has been done, and it's part of the reason why I'm sitting here today,' he said. 'I just get the feeling that the evidence hasn't been weighted in the best way possible to get Amy justice. 'I think it can progress if those various players who were witnesses on the scene have an opportunity to present themselves and be cross-examined and interrogated.' Anyone with information can email thetruthaboutamy@ or leave an anonymous tip at Lifeline 13 11 14
