“He hung up on me quite abruptly; then five minutes
later rang back and said, ‘Sorry, I just had a
moment,’” Professor Gardner remembers.
Tragically, only a few months later in February
2017, Dale Burzacott passed away as a result of a
brain aneurism. He was 58.
legacy that is reflective of his work as a renowned
scientist and revered mentor, donations will be used
to support a scholarship or medal for academic
excellence, together with the ongoing biological
survey of Shinglebacks.
Despite the obvious
importance of the
project at Bundey
Bore, continued fund-
ing remains uncertain.
Flinders University
has set up a page for
donations on their
website (see below) and iHerp Australia has
decided to pitch in by producing a number of
signed, limited edition Shingleback posters, featur-
ing the work of some of Australia’s top wildlife
photographers, all of whom donated their images to
this cause. For further details, visit our website.
“This is probably the longest-running
lizard survey in the southern
hemisphere, if not the world.”
If the Shinglebacks
of Bundy Bore are
capable of grief, they
would certainly have
been mourning the
loss of these two
dedicated research-
ers. For his part, Mike Gardner (himself a former
colleague and student of Mike Bull) moved quickly
to allay any doubts about the project’s immediate
future; committing to undertake fieldwork and draw-
ing together a group of Professor Bull’s former
students and assistants to lend their expertise to
this task.
“It’s vital that we continue this,” said Professor
Gardner. “Long-term data sets are extremely rare,
and this one is probably the longest-running lizard
survey in the southern hemisphere, if not the world.”
A special symposium was organised to recognise
the research and mentorship of Professor Michael
Bull at Flinders University in early October 2017,
featuring speakers from around Australia and the
world. In conjunction with his family, a group of
colleagues have set up The Mike Bull Scholarship
Organising Committee. In order to create a lasting
What is it about Shinglebacks
and old cars? Image by Scott
Eipper.
See also:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-16/life-death-
and-grief-of-the-sleepy-lizard/8442252
Donations:
The Professor Mike Bull Research Fund for
Emerging Young Nature Scientists.
https://www.naturefoundation.org.au/support-us/
professor-mike-bull-research-fund
Flinders University
https://www.flinders.edu.au/giving/give-to/give-to-
resear ch