The Australasian Plant Pathology Society (APPS) celebrated its 50^th anniversary at their 22^nd Biennial conference in Melbourne from 25-28 November.  The meeting started with some soothing music played on a Digeridoo by a member of the local Aboriginal tribe (although we did learn that his one grandfather was Scottish). In attendance were FABIans Prof. Brenda Wingfield, Prof. Teresa Coutinho and Dr Janneke Aylward.  Teresa and Janneke both gave presentations at the meeting.  Janneke talked about the work she has done on mating type genes in Teratosphaeria.  We coincidentally also heard that a manuscript which includes some of this work was accepted in the journal Fungal Genetics and Biology.  This is Minette Havenga’s first publication from her PhD work. Teresa presented on the emergence of bacterial diseases of Eucalyptus due to host range expansions.  Brenda also attended the International Society of Plant Pathology executive meeting which was held a few days before the APPS meeting started.

They met up with a number of FABIans at the meeting.  Conrad Trollip and Bianca Rodrigues Jardin are currently doing PhD studies in Melbourne at La Trobe University; Dr Alistair McTaggart and Dr Louise Shuey, who spent many years in FABI and are now back in Australia, came down from Queensland to attend.  Dr Gavin Hunter who is now based in Canberra also attended.  The meeting gave Brenda, Teresa and Janneke an opportunity to catch up with “old” friends and make new ones.  Some of whom FABIans may remember: Vera Andjic, Prof. Rosie Bradshaw, Prof. Carolee Bull, Dr Angus Carnegie, Prof. Andre Drenth, Prof. Rob Park, Prof. Brett Summerell (to name just those people who made presentations at the meeting).  All have previously visited FABI and engaged in many different ways with the Institute.