Gasteen, Wrixon James (Jim) (1922 - 2017)

Born in Brisbane, Queensland in 1922; died 29 Aug 2017 in Lismore, NSW.

Jim Gasteen was an Australian farmer and conservationist, responsible for the establishment of a number of National Parks in Queensland and New South Wales.  

He grew up on farms around Thrushton, Queensland where his father used the mulga lands as feedstock. Gasteen educated himself in a number of subjects including land management, geology, botany, biology and wood-turning. The family farm completely regenerated over time and Gasteen petitioned the Queensland government to make it a national park.  

Gasteen's book Under the Mulga (2005) reflected his early life on the land.  

In the 1960s and 1970s Gasteen was involved in surveying and promoting National Parks proposals across Queensland. This was unpopular with many graziers and politicians. He worked to protect remnant patches of Central Queensland scrub but also surveyed land from the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queenland's north to the Scenic Rim on the Queensland/New South Wales border. His survey work or reports led to the establishment of Expedition National Park, Nuga Nuga National Park, New England National Park, Lakefield National Park, Boodjamulla National Park, Northern Rivers National Park and Border Ranges National Park.

Source: Extracted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gasteen
https://www.ancestry.com.au/genealogy/records/wrixon-james-jim-gasteen-24-bgw2zc
Portrait Photo: Extracted from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gasteen

Collecting localities for 'Gasteeen, W.J.' from AVH (2023)

Data from 59 specimens