My Memories of ACRSs

Bruce Forster Visiting Professor School of Geomatic Engineering University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia

While I have not attended all the conferences of the AARS over the past 20 years, all my memories of those attended are filled with great friendships, great fun and great contributions to the science, technology transfer and applications of remote sensing. The continued success of the Association and the annual conferences is due primarily to Shunji Murai and also Chiwako Fujino who together as a team combined wit, humour, diplomacy, administrative and entertainment abilities, as well as firmness when required. Others who have made a significant contribution, and who I call friends, include Suvit Vibulsresth, Manu Omakupt, Ryutaro Tateisi, Nik Nasruddin and M.U. Chaudhury, among a host of others.

Due to its mainly European background Australia was initially not considered to be part of an Asian Association, even though geography placed us just to the south and east of Indonesia, and we had a strong interest in remote sensing. As early as 1986 I suggested to Shunji that Australia be allowed to become a member. In his special way, so as not to offend, Shunji suggested that an associate member class with Australia as a member might be more appropriate. Such a membership was duly established and many countries including the Netherlands and Canada joined. Still I was not satisfied. If Australia could not be a full member of an Asian association when we were a stones throw away from one of the largest Asian nations, what association could we join. I raised the matter again in 1989 and Shunji promised it would be on the agenda at the conference in China in 1990.

It was apparent at the Guangzhou meeting that most member countries were supportive of Australia also being a member - but how to change the constitution - how to get the right words for who could be a member! "All Asian and Pacific countries" - No, too broad ! Asian and South West Pacific countries" - No - Professor Chen Shupeng of China felt it must only have the word Asian in the qualification for membership, as it was an Asian association. In the Asian way we circled ever closer to a compromise, all wanting it but not sure how to get there without offending anyone. Again Professor Shupeng, with a flash of brilliance, "All Asian and Near Asian" countries could be members. Solution reached and a unanimous vote then made Australia a full member. Later in 1992 in Washington DC for the ISPRS congress, I was an ACRS delegate. American friends asked "how are you Australians Asian ". I informed them that we were "Nasians" (ie. near Asians). What is that they asked - "Asians with a nasal accent" I replied. They left believing that this was a reasonable explanation !

Other conference moments spring to mind. On the bus to Mysore from Bangalore during the conference in India. Too many delegates and not enough seats. Sitting up the front beside the driver on a tiny seat looking back down the bus, my backside bouncing around, I felt that the name of our destination "Mysore" had special meaning, as "mine was sore".

Men on horses galloping through Ulaanbaatar, rounding up the cattle in the evening, was a special memory of Mongolia and the conference there. And the train from Beijing across the Gobi desert, with many of the attendees from China. Dennis Puniard, an Australian delegate to the Mongolian conference, decided that he would take the train back from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing, having flown from Beijing to the conference. However he only had one entry visa to China, which was used up, so he was turned back at the Chinese border, losing most of his luggage in the process, and put on a slow train back to Ulan Bator. Needless to say, Dennis, now President of the Australasian Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Association, is now not so keen on train travel.

Special mention must be made of the conference dinners and in particular the contributions of the various country delegates to the "special performances". From my perspective special prizes should be given to the varied, unusual, funny and always entertaining performances of the "Murai Students", and the contribution of the Thai delegation, which was always the same each year, but a singing and dancing event that all delegates joined in. Australian delegates mainly contributed by singing some traditional songs, particularly Waltzing Matilda, that most people know, but also a special performance of a beer drinking "boat" race at the conference in India, where a group of mid to aging Australians beat a younger Japanese team.

Again my very special thanks to all my friends and colleagues, over the years, who have contributed to making the Asian Remote Sensing conference a special place in my memories. Let us hope that the next 20 years, on and into the 21st century, is equally rewarding for the member countries and individuals that make up the association.