Ministerial Statement: Museum honours for Queensland achievers

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Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Rod Welford
04/02/2008

Museum honours for Queensland achievers

Former Chief Executive of Queensland Rail, Vince O'Rourke, and one of Australia's most respected mammalian biologists, Dr Steve Van Dyck, have been honoured by the Queensland Museum.

Arts Minister Rod Welford presented each of them with a Queensland Museum Medal this evening, which honours individuals who have made a significant contribution in a field relevant to the Museum.

"Vince O'Rourke, while successfully modernising QR, played a pivotal role in keeping Queensland's significant rail heritage alive," Mr Welford said.

"He was a key player in the development of The Workshops Rail Museum in North Ipswich.

"Since opening in 2002, the Rail Museum has displayed the rich stories of rail in Queensland and is home to Australia's oldest continually operating railway workshops.

"Dr Steve Van Dyck's considerable scientific talent has seen him discover many new species and pioneer ecological and behavioural studies of Australian mammals.

"A significant contribution of his career to date is the rediscovery of the Mahogany Glider (Pretaurus gracilis), averting the dwindling population's extinction.

"More recently he has spent 18 months as editor-in-chief of the soon to be released landmark publication, Mammals of Australia."

Chair of the Queensland Museum Board, Anne Jones, said the awarding of the Queensland Museum Medals commemorated the anniversary of the museum's founding 146 years ago.

Curator at The Workshops Rail Museum Veronica Macno was also announced the recipient of the Queensland Museum Scholarship.

Ms Macno will take a study tour of some of the major railway workshop sites and heritage railways in NSW, Victoria, South Australian and Western Australia.

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The Workshops Rail Museum --> http://www.theworkshops.qm.qld.gov.au/