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The annual litterfall and decomposition rate of litter in three semi-arid vegetation communities (forest, mallee and broom) in the Pilliga State Forests, New South Wales, Australia, were measured over a period of 3 years. Annual litterfall was found to vary widely between the communities, ranging from 1005 to 3409 kg ha 'year '. Decomposition rates were measured and the half lives obtained ranged from 2.5 to 5.3 years. In many forests fire removes much of the accumulated litter at regular intervals. Two of the three study sites (the forest and mallee) had reached steady state after 36 years of litter accumulation after fire, while the broom, with only 20 years accumulation, was not in steady state. Between fires decomposition of the litter dominates. In the mallee soil fauna were most active, burying the litter under mineral soil before comminution commenced, demonstrating a cycling of litter which differs markedly from that in more humid climates.

Changes in the vegetation of Australia since white settlement have been much discussed in recent times. In particular, the changes that have been reported to have occurred in the Pilliga forests in northern New South Wales have been used as a reference for other areas of the State. Two periods of pine regeneration are believed to have occurred in the Pilliga, but preliminary research concerning the history of these forests has uncovered various sources of information indicating that the story is a more complex. Climatic data, archival records and the biology and ecology of various flora and fauna are examined in this paper in a preliminary attempt to gain a more accurate picture of change or stability in the vegetation of this region.

My first experience with breast cancer as a nurse was in 1974. I was a 23-year-old nursing student and working as an operating room technician. A radical mastectomy was being performed on a 52-year-old woman. As I passed clamps and scissors to the two surgeons, I struggled to conceal the shock I was experiencing. "Is it really necessary to remove so much tissue for such a small lump?" "Yes," the doctor replied, "It's either this or she'll die." It was 10 years later that I would begin my work with patients undergoing breast reconstruction. During the 7-1/2 years that I worked as an operating room supervisor and assistant to a plastic surgeon, I responded to the needs of a number of women during their time of crisis. We would see each other every week or two for a year, become friends, and treatment would come to an end. Their lives would go on, and I would continue my work with a new patient, then another and another. My work with reconstruction patients continues as Patient Information Coordinator for Mentor H/S, a breast implant manufacturer. Hundreds of women who have had breast cancer call me each year. I provide information, answer questions, and help educate. Etched in my memories are emotion-filled faces and voices of shock, fear, confusion, sorrow, and resignation followed by acceptance. Individual women of various lifestyles and personalities as well as different levels of financial and social status, all have one thing in common--breast cancer, mastectomy, decisions, and reconstruction. Many were experiencing an interruption in their lives, a stress on their relationships and a drain on their finances. But the even greater challenge they faced was the life and death crisis of an illness that is both life threatening an disfiguring. Researchers such as Schain, Goldberg and Kasper have documented the psychological effects of breast-loss for women and their relationships (Schain, 1991; Goldberg, Stoltzman, & Goldberg, 1984; Kasper, 1995). Jones, Matheson, and Rowland looked at psychological adjustment, counseling needs and patients' response to their altered body image (Jones & Reznikoff, 1989; Matheson & Drever, 1990; Rowland, Holland, Chaglassian, & Kinner, 1993). The alteration of body image first occurs with mastectomy and continues with reconstruction. Goin, Cederna and Wellisch provide insight into the effects of various types of reconstruction (Goin & Goin, 1988; Cederna, Yates, Chang, Cram, & Ricciardelli, 1995; Wellisch, Schain, Noone, & Little, 1987). The following article is a compilation of my personal experience, and excerpts from literature presented as an overview of the psychological effects of mastectomy and reconstruction.

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