I must have made an impression because one of the dining room cashiers remembered this 10 years later when I returned to the university to do research on El Nino and climate change.

In a way I was reliving the 1970s, a time of free thinking and big ideas. The bipartisan support at the rally and later was particularly gratifying to us little penguins. Next day we were able to hand over a petition with 21,000 signatures to Federal Parliament.

Three weeks later, on May 22, Prime Minister Bob Hawke announced that Australia would not ratify the Antarctic Minerals Convention (thereby vetoing it), but would instead work for an Environment Convention for the Fifth Continent.

Now we needed to make sure the convention came about and for this we needed big names. First up was David Suzuki, who attracted a large gathering at the Melbourne Arts Centre that raised thousands of dollars. Jacques Cousteau came to Australia to spread the word against mining. We little penguins were very impressed.

The Antarctic Action Group invited him to a private reception. When he walked into the room it was like magic. Cousteau's talk was fascinating and scintillating. I particularly remember his explanation of how Antarctica operates like a giant fridge for the whole southern hemisphere.

Cousteau eventually collected two million signatures against mining, which made our total of 53,000 look insignificant, except that we know they were not.

His take on his visit was interesting. When I asked him in French, if he liked Australia he replied "C'est travail", meaning "It's work". Meeting him was one of the highlights of my work at the Australian Conservation Foundation.

At an action group meeting on May 2, 1991, it being clear that the Minerals Convention was well and truly dead and it would be replaced by an environmental instrument providing an indefinite ban on all mineral activity (the Madrid Protocol).

I poured each member present a drink from a bottle of champagne I had brought (Veuve Cliquot, an easy choice considering the strong role the French had played in the campaign) and we raised our glasses to "Antarctica World Park".

Twenty years on - what a victory for democracy, letting the small ones have a say and delivering a just outcome. That is the kind of thing that makes me proud to be an Australian.

Finally, please look after those penguins. Climate change may be affecting their food supply.

*Janet Copland wrote this story as part of a campaign to promote a new book by former ACF chief Geoff Mosley, Saving the Antarctic Wilderness: Lessons for a Battered World.

Dr Mosley says 2009 is the anniversary of two important events in world environmental history - the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 and Australia's decision in 1989 to veto the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities and work instead for a measure that would keep intact the Antarctic wilderness (the Madrid Protocol of 1991).

"My book focuses on the latter event and on the pivotal role played by the Australian conservation movement," he said.

"It's about the power of the community and the possibility of winning through against all obstacles when one sticks to one's ideals and refuses to compromise."

The book costs $19.95 (cheque or money order), post free in Australia from: Geoff Mosley (jandemosley@

bigpond.com), 90 Boyds Road, Hurstbridge 3099 or Janet Copland (janethcopland@hotmail.com), 98 Dominion Road, Mt Martha 3934.