Denis Gibbons (1937 – 2011) Trained with the Australian Army, before travelling to Vietnam in January 1966, Denis stayed with the 1st Australian Task Force in Nui Dat working as a photographer. For almost five years Gibbons toured with nine Australian infantry battalions, posting compelling war images from within many combat zones before being flown out in late November 1970 after sustaining injuries. The images held within the National Vietnam Veterans Museum make up the Gibbons Collection.A black and white photograph of 2Lt Tom 'Rockets' Guivarra, a fixed wing pilot with 161 (Indep) Recce Flight at the controls of his Cessna fixed wing aircraft, as he carries out yet another mission over the jungle of Phuoc Tuy Province searching for signs of NVA/VietCong operations.photograph, 2lt tom "rockets" guivarra, 161 recon flt, cessna, phuoc tuy province, nva/vc, gibbons collection catalogue, 161 (indep) recce flt, fixed wing pilot, jungle, nva/vietcong, denis gibbons

Red Headed Woodpeckers can be found in Southern Canada and a large portion of the United States of America, generally migrating to the south if they originated in the northern regions. Their habitat is open forests or savannahs. They are classed as omnivores, finding food from pecking at wood or in flight. The Red Headed Woodpecker is threatened in Canada and some areas of the United States due to deforestation, lack of deadwood for nesting, competition with other birds, and a lack of food. They are an important part of the ecosystem, controlling insect populations and pollinating flora. Red Headed Woodpeckers typically have a beautiful, vibrant red neck and head, a stark white chest, black back, and black wings with white secondary remiges. They have a large chisel-like beak, suitable for foraging for their food. Their heads are rounded and they have short tails. This specimen is part of a collection of almost 200 animal specimens that were originally acquired as skins from various institutions across Australia, including the Australian Museum in Sydney and the National Museum of Victoria (known as Museums Victoria since 1983), as well as individuals such as amateur anthropologist Reynell Eveleigh Johns between 1860-1880. These skins were then mounted by members of the Burke Museum Committee and put-on display in the formal space of the Museum’s original exhibition hall where they continue to be on display. This display of taxidermy mounts initially served to instruct visitors to the Burke Museum of the natural world around them, today it serves as an insight into the collecting habits of the 19th century.This specimen is part of a significant and rare taxidermy mount collection in the Burke Museum. This collection is scientifically and culturally important for reminding us of how science continues to shape our understanding of the modern world. They demonstrate a capacity to hold evidence of how Australia’s fauna history existed in the past and are potentially important for future environmental research. This collection continues to be on display in the Museum and has become a key part to interpreting the collecting habits of the 19th century.This Red Headed Woodpecker is a small to medium-sized bird found in North America. This specimen is tricoloured: it has a red head and neck, a white chest, a black back, and black wings with white secondary remiges. It has a large chisel-like beak. This specimen has pest or humidity damage on the neck and head area. This specimen is standing on a wooden mount with a swing tag attached to it's leg.Swing-tag: 151a. Unnamed / Catalogue page, 60 /taxidermy mount, taxidermy, animalia, burke museum, beechworth, australian museum, skin, reynell eveleigh johns, bird, red headed woodpecker

About the author: Born in Melbourne, David Crotty has worked in museums since 1984. He has a long-standing interest in aviation history and has worked as a curator with the Australian War Memorial and the RAAF Museum. He is currently (2010) a curator in the History and Technology Department of Museum Victoria. Story of John Robertson Duigan and his flying creer, from his early years as a Melbourne school boy to his heroic activities as a pilot on the Western Front in World War One. He was the first Australian to fly a powered Australian-made aeroplane in Australia.Front cover: Top - Duigan's aeroplane in flight, Spring Plains Station, Mia Mia, Victoria, in 1911. Below - John Duigan at the controls of his aircraft at Spring Plains Station, Mia Mia, Victoria, in 1911.

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