Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria Australian National Herbarium Biographical Notes

Clarke, George H. (1895 - )

Born 22 September 1895.

G.H. Clarke, B. Sc. (possibly University of Sydney). Appointed April 1936 as Systematic Botanist at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute specialising in the morphology and methods of control of noxious weeds. Prior to this he held the position of Lecturer in Botany and Mathematics at Roseworthy Agricultural College (1931-1936).

Clarke resigned in March 1939 after a drawn out dispute with the University over his duties. He may have gone on to work for the Woods & Forests Department - he wrote to the University in 1943 using a Woods and Forests letterhead and continued to use a c/o Woods and Forests return address in his many messages to the University throughout the ‘forties. This may not be reliable, however, as the content of his letters suggest he may have been mentally unstable at this time.

Source: Extracted from email correspondence with Andrew Cook, Archives Officer, University of Adelaide (13/3/2014);
Nomination as a Fellow of the Royal Society of SA, 13 April 1933, https://archive.org/stream/TransactionsRoy57Roya#page/219/mode/2up
Portrait Photo: Extracted from a group photo, the Chronicle newspaper, Adelaide, Thursday 28 April 1932, p.15


Clarke is author of a booklet 'Important Weeds of South Australia', with illustrations by "C. Wall", published in 1949 by the Dept of Agriculture of SA, printed by the SA Government Printer, first published as articles in the Agricultural Journal in 1936 and 1939. It appears that C. Wall is the "Supervising Government Lithographic Artist", Mr Clifford Wall, according to the Personal notice of appointments in The Advertiser, Adelaide, SA, Friday 18 October 1918.

Example plates from booklet 'Important Weeds of South Australia', with illustrations by 'C. Wall':

Gomphocarpus cancellatus (weed)
Oxalis pes-caprae (weed)
Solanum linnaeanum (weed)

Quote from the Chronicle newspaper, Adelaide, Thursday 28 April 1932, in an article on Roseworthy Agricultural College on page 15:

"Mr. G. H. Clarke is the lecturer in mathematics and botany at the college. He spends much time in instructing first year students on fungal parasites that cause plant disease, and in dealing with families of flowering plants, which include agricultural types as far as possible. Second year students do systematic botany, dealing with the character of various crop and fodder plants, noxious weeds, and such like. Third year students study plant pathology and disease of plants."

Source: Trove, seen 17/3/2014

Quote from The Student, Roseworthy College magazine, Vol.27, May 1931:

"It is with great pleasure that we welcome to the staff Mr. G. H. Clarke, B.Sc., who has been appointed Lecturer in Botany and Maths. Mr. Clarke comes to us from the Sydney University, where he was Demonstrator in Botany. He has had wide experience in teaching, having also been Tutor at St Andrew's College and a teacher at North Shore Grammar School. He has already given evidence of his keenness and ability, and has reorganized the Botany syllabus. We hope that his stay will be both long and enjoyable.

"THIRD YEAR NOTES
We wish to extend to Mr Clarke welcome to this world-famed College. He has come suitably equipped, for everyone realizes what a valuable asset that great big cherrywood pipe is. We all appreciate the delicate way he handles the tiny little sporophylls which so securely enclose “ze leetle seeds”.

Source: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/records/archives/roseworthy/student/Vol_27_No_01_May_1931.pdf

Collecting locations for 'Clarke, G.H.' from AVH, viewed 17.3.2014