Welcome to the Australian Entomological Society’s 39th Annual General Meeting & Scientific Conference

Invitation from the Organising Committee: The Organising Committee extends a warm invitation to members of the Australian Entomological Society to visit Orange in the beautiful Central Tablelands of NSW for the 39th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Society. The themes we have chosen to highlight during the conference are Insect Conservation and Insects as Environmental Indicators but we also welcome contributions on any other aspect of the study of insects and their relatives. Orange has established an excellent reputation for high quality entomological research and education with a campus of Charles Sturt University, NSW DPI's Orange Agricultural Institute, Agrisearch Services P/L and NSW DPI's Head Office. Orange, a bustling city of over 40,000 people, also boasts the largest gold and copper producer in New South Wales (Cadia Valley Operations) and a well deserved reputation for its high quality local produce and exceptional cool climate wines. Delegates will have opportunities to sample the local goodies as part of the conference social program, especially the conference dinner which we hope will be a memorable one.

The Conference Emblem: We have chosen the Purple Copper Butterfly, Paralucia spinifera, also known as the Bathurst Copper, one of Australia's rarest species of butterfly. The original photo was taken by Simon Nally, former Senior Threatened Species Officer with the DEC.  The species is restricted to a small area above 900m altitude within the Central Tablelands of NSW and represents Insect Conservation, one of the major themes of our conference. Information on the species and the recovery program currently underway to ensure its preservation can be found on the DEC website at http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/Purple+copper+butterfly/