Whipstick insects creep into BCHS clinic

VISITORS to the new-look Bendigo Community Health Services (BCHS) clinic in Eaglehawk are being treated to a rare glimpse into the hidden world of the Whipstick Forest, thanks to the efforts of field naturalist Michael Barkla.

Drawing on the innumerable amount of photos he’s taken throughout the close-by bushland over the years, large digital screens within the facility’s foyer are displaying a selection of some of the 500-plus invertebrates he has managed to personally identify during his time.

The striking images have become a much-appreciated addition to the foyer, showcasing a kaleidoscope of colorful local critters discovered by Barkla, an almost 50-year client of BCHS.

According to the former draftsman, his passion for the natural world began early while growing up outside of Castlemaine.

“I literally lived in the bush,” he said.

“I’d nick off from home, I’d be away for a day or two, sometimes three days.

“I had a dog and a knife, sometimes I’d have a box of matches, that was about it.

“I felt very comfortable there, that was just instilled in me.”

He said after moving to Eaglehawk as an adult for work, then finding the Whipstick nearby, things felt somehow different.

“Coming up here and walking in the bush wasn’t comfortable, it was a completely different type of environment,” he said.

“It had been abused and abused and abused.

“Around here, because of the gold mining, the only trees that survived were where there were eucalyptus stores.

“They were the ones who looked after them, they were the only ones who appreciated them.

“Everyone else just saw a dollar sign on them.”

He said a chance discovery of a group of remnant (old-growth) trees changed everything.

“They were here before we were, and they were as rare as anything as well,” he said.

“I just thought, oh my god, I can feel it, and that’s what got me going. This might sound a bit strange, but it made me become friends with the bush again.

“I’d walk into it and feel comfortable again.

“I went out there and I cried, I literally cried because of what I had found.”

Speaking of the new display at the Seymoure Street clinic, Barkla said he’d collected thousands of photos of insects and believed that people should know about them.

“I was sitting down in the waiting area and there’s these big pictures of artists and stuff,” he said.

“I thought, geez, my insects would look pretty good up there.

“That’s when I got in touch with Lauren (Mitchell, BCHS communications and marketing officer) and she was delighted.

“So, she’s now got 364 of my hand-picked photos.”

Barkla reckons he does what he does because of his curious mind.

“There’s a big world out there that’s unknown, and it’s fascinating too,” he said.

“When you find these things out, when you go out and you actually see them, this is what I like to show people.”

Barkla is happy to be contacted on 0459 301 847.