Editor's Comment

Many thanks to those of you who came forward with suggestions about the Rolls Royce I was thinking of buying a few issues back. Unfortunately, the vehicle I had my eye on was remodelled during the negotiation process and turned into a Ferrari, pricing it well out of my reach. It didn't help that the Traffic Authority stepped in after I had made the first down payment and said that I wouldn't be allowed to drive it, even if I could afford to pay for it. Something about protecting the interests of other road users?

Anyway, I've moved on to another venture. Inspired by the debate on the Zone of Co-operation at the recent APPEA Conference in Hobart, I thought it was time to try to resolve a long-running boundary dispute with my neighbour.

At the moment, we both have houses on our blocks but we don't have a fence separating the properties. Fortunately, we can both see where the corner survey pegs are, and there is no dispute about their location. Anyway, the dispute isn't about where the corners are, it's about how we run the fence between the corners. For some crazy reason, the neighbour wants to run it in a straight line, from corner to corner, which would basically put it half way between our houses. That doesn't sound very fair to me, especially as my lawn extends well past the half-way mark, and there are even a few scattered flower beds in it that I've been looking after for quite a number of years. Anyhow, the bottom line is that I think the fence should start and end at the agreed corner points but should deviate around the perimeter of the lawn. Admittedly, that means that the fence will bulge out towards the neighbour's house, and will give me about three quarters of the intervening land, but that is not the issue. The issue is that I surely have a right to the bulk of the land by virtue of the extensive lawn that I have growing around my house (and the flower beds).

Of course, a bore, gazebo and swimming pool, which are over near the neighbour's house, were there before either of us moved in, so I'll get them too. But that's only fair because I have such a big lawn. I'm quite prepared to give my neighbour some of the grass clippings when I mow the lawn (a 50-50 split is more than generous, don't you think?). After all, they will be quite valuable to him because then he can use them to mulch his own little patch of garden and, who knows, over time, he may even be able to grow his own lawn (and flower beds).

Needless to say, all that pales in to insignificance in comparison to the bounty available in this issue:

JC for President!
No, it's not the second coming (although John Carmody, Pesa's new Federal President, is a hard man to keep down). You can get all the scuttlebutt on our new leader.

Silly mid off?
While on the subject of resurrections, you might be interested to know that the time honoured tradition of beach cricket amongst the Perth oil companies and contractors is back in all its glory.

Who's Who in PESA
It's the time of year when the PESA committees shuffle around. First of all, the Federal Executive is now based in NSW for the next two years and some of the branches have enthusiastic new committee members lining up for the slaughter, sorry, I mean, to offer their services.

The Big Guns in Seismic
Talking of change, IAGC has recently appointed a new Executive Board for the Austral Branch and the association is playing a significant role in discussions between industry and government relating to data release and seismic acquisition around marine animals.

Serious Work but Share the Laughs
Managing operations onboard Woodside's Cossack Pioneer is certainly serious work as our 'People at Work' profile shows, but Offshore Superintendent, Don Fraser, makes sure that it isn't just another day at the office.

Softly Softly Does it
Our cover story this month proves that world-class research and development in Australia is alive and kicking – or in this case showing that the lighter touch is best for the environment. Desert Explorer is set to make less of an impact than its predecessors, which will shake up the industry.

Life's a Gas
Australia's southeastern region is in the spotlight with plenty of gas being found in the Otway Basin, and even if none of it will find its way to the apple isle, Duke Energy is making sure our southern most state will soon be cooking with gas. Industry News, covers these stories and more.

EABS Countdown
While looking at things eastern, papers are coming in thick and fast for the inaugural Eastern Australasian Basins Symposium, to be held in Melbourne during November. Our EABS update gives details of the programme and a glimpse of some of the papers to be presented.

Shift your finances into top gear
This month's 'Money Matters' feature by Laurence Kirk focuses on the use of gearing to enhance investment returns. Whilst not a strategy for the risk averse, handled in the right way it can speed your journey down the road to wealth.

Eh?
Eh? What? Nothing…. Ay? What? Confused? 'Words' will set you straight.