John Burch is a PhD candidate at Federation University Australia, Ballarat. After a career in the public service, he is pursuing his interests in the ecology and human use of the Victorian Mallee. In 2017 he was awarded the Victorian Premier’s History Award for Returning the Kulkyne, an exploration of the history of land use of the Hattah–Kulkyne National Park. He is currently researching Aboriginal land use in the back country. He is supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Fee-Offset Scholarship through Federation University Australia.

Author email: johnburch@students.federation.edu.au