A successful night of homage to Nathan

Written By: admin on March 17, 2011 No Comment

Original story: “Crowd goes wild in homage to keeper Nathan” by Patrick Billings 14 March 2011, in Daily Liberal, www.dailyliberal.com.au

The mourner’s customary minute of silence was replaced with sixty seconds of noise when it came to remembering the life and times of former Dubbo zoo keeper Nathan Jamieson. Not to mention more than $9000 being raised on Friday night when over a 100 people turned out for the Nathan Jamieson Memorial fundraiser at Dubbo’s Western Star Hotel. It was “a really fun night, with good atmosphere and a few old stories”, his girlfriend Jennifer Conaghan said yesterday.

Auctioneer Greg Kirk and keeper Heidi Quine during the memorial fundraiser for Nathan

The elephant conservationist died last year after being struck by one of the animals in Botswana where he was working at the time. He met Ms Conaghan almost six years before his death when they both worked at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Mr Jamieson finished up his post at the zoo in March 2010.

Despite his death his devotion to elephants lives on with the money raised on Friday going to a fund named in his honour at Elephants Without Borders (EWB).

“At first we thought we were only going to raise $2000 to $3000,” Ms Conaghan said. She admitted to being “shocked” at the final tally. “ There was a good vibe and everyone was laughing. We were going to have a minute’s silence but decided to have a minute’s noise instead. Nathan was the ‘life of the party’ kind of guy,” she said.

The Botswana based EWB runs programs to secure safe wilderness habitats on an often war torn continent. Mr Jamieson became a strong advocate for EWB after working alongside its founder and director, elephant ecologist, Dr Mike Chase. Money raised on Friday night will go to EWB’s Nathan Jamieson Memorial fund. The money will fund a unique collaring program which monitors the movement of wild bull elephants in and around Botswana. Ms Conaghan plans to travel to the African nation next month to visit the project, a trip she admitted would be hard without her partner. “We usually travelled a lot. It will be difficult travelling by myself for the first time,” she said.

Ms Conaghan thanked Dubbo businesses which donated more than 50 auctions items along with Annemaree Hillermann and Greg Kirk who helped organise the night. To learn more about the Nathan Jamieson Memorial Fund or you would like to donate, please logon to http://www.elephantswithoutborders.org/Nathan_Jamieson_Memorial_Fund.php

Sincere appreciation to all the sponsors for the evening’s event:

All About You Beauty
Andrew O’Brien
Annemarie Hillerman
Mr & Mrs Hillerman
Awakening
Bakhitas cafe TWPZ
Commercial hotel
Dare Wheeler Cycles
Dominos
Don Crosby vet surgeons
Dubbo Meat & seafood Centre
Dubbo RSL club
Dubbo Ten Pin Bowling
Ducan McGuiness vet surgery
Escape Beauty
Furneys
Greig Tonkins
In Visible – men only
Jane Burgess
Javo Hairdressers
Jen Conaghan
Paul & Judy Conaghan
Janet Jackson
Jodie Milton
Karen Ellis
Mel Friedman
Jackie Stuart
Bec Jones
Mon Counihan
Midwest Foods
Milestone hotel
Mitre 10
Oz Ark Cultural hertiage P/L
Pastoral bar & Grill
Phil Cameron
Readings Cinemas
Red Earth Healing Centre
Roger Brogan
Sids Bottle shop
Smasht Handmade glassware jewellery
South Dubbo Tavern
Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo
Sticks & stones woodfire pizza
Tamara Keeley
Tamworth Street Bottle shop
Village Hot bake
West Dubbo Bottle Shop
West Dubbo Bowling Club