Volck, Herbert Edgar (Ed) (1922 - 2006)
(also as Volck, Edgar Herbert, with given names reversed)
Born on 14 January 1922 in Brisbane, Qld., died on 8 May 2006, "late of Nambour", Qld. (aged 85)
Passed his Junior Public Examination in Brisbane, 20 January 1937.
Was awarded an 'Extension Scholarship' on 3 February, 1937.
Completed Senior Examination at Brisbane Boys Grammar School, on 23 December 1938.
Was successful for Appointment to the Third Division of the
Commonwealth: Public Service on 12 January 1939.
Completed first year Forestry at University of Queensland on 21 March, 1940, and completed Second Year on 11 December 1940.
He enlisted in the Army on 11 May 1943 as Warrant Officer Class 2.
During this time he was attached to a Malaria/Forestry Unit & served two terms in New Guinea.
He was discharged from army on 16 November 1945.
The Handbook of the University of Queensland (1953) lists Volck as having been awarded his B.Sc.For. in 1948.
SIMULATED NUCLEAR EXPLOSION (Iron Range)
From the 'Confidential General Staff Instruction No.1, OPERATION BLOWDOWN' (April 1962)
(NAA, file: 7-441-54)
"Approval has been granted for the Department of Army and the Department
of Supply to conduct a simulated nuclear explosion in NORTH QUEENSLAND using
conventional high explosive. The aim of the experiment is to discover basic
facts about nuclear explosions over tropical rain forest for application to
military planning in South-East Asia. . ."
It must be remembered that Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War began with a small commitment of 30 military advisors in 1962, and continued until our withdrawal in 1972, and that by 1964, US Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was openly proposing using nuclear weapons in the Vietnam conflict. No nuclear weapons were used in Vietnam but the US Military eventually used the controversial herbicide 'Agent Orange' to defoliate the rainforest in the war-zone.
As well as a large contingent of US military officers, the list of personnel involved in 'Operation Blowdown' included:
Queensland Forestry Department,
Senior Silvicultural Research Officer,
H. E. VOLCK, Esq.
(the copy in the Australian Archives has the hand-written comment "spot on character" next to his name)
Part of the final report for 'Operation Blowdown' includes:
"9. Botanical Survey.
In association with a Senior Forester of the
Queensland Department of Forests, an exhaustive botanical
survey was made to determine the specie, grade, height,
girth and foliage characteristics of all trees in the
controlled area. Details of individual trees were entered
in field books and tree count details included on the survey
plan. Suitable trees were selected for measurement of trees
strength and deflection in Phase 2."
In September 1961, before the approval of 'Operation Blowdown', a paper titled:
PROPOSED SURVEY OF SITE by Defence Standard Laboratory proposes:
". . . it is necessary that a site survey be made about
one year before the explosion. . . .
It is proposed that
a detailed tree survey be made of the site with reference to
stand density.
Since the blowdown area could be up to
80 acres (1000 ft. radius) it will be necessary to survey an
area of about this size.
It is known that Forestry authorities have experience in such work and it is proposed that
they be consulted about the survey and, if possible, they
should carry out the work with appropriate assistance from
Army or Supply. . ."
The site of 'Operation Blowdown' is at Iron Range (see map) and we see from AVH records that Volck collected 324 herbarium records with a locality of Iron Range over the period 1962-1963, so it is assumed that Volck was involved with the project from an early stage.
On 18 July 1963, at 8.30 am, 50 tons of TNT (210 GJ) were detonated flattening a considerable area of the test site. Observers (including Volck) were located on a nearby hill 2 miles (3.2 km) away and 650 feet (200 m) above ground zero. Destruction was total within 250 feet (76 m), severe within 400 feet (120 m) and stopped around 900 feet (270 m).
After the explosion, a list of 127 tree species with scientific and common names accompanies the the final report, as APPENDIX II, headed:
"Trees of 13 inches girth and above observed at Iron Range Queensland in a 2¼ acre sample (Total No. of trees surveyed approx 500)."
This list is not credited, but nothing in these reports is, and we can assume it was prepared by Volck.
Personal communication from Bernie Hyland in 2024 (via Frank Zich) states:
"When I was first sent to Atherton in 1960 Ed Volck was the Officer in Charge of the Silvicultural Research Section.
I worked in that section from 1960 until 1972 when I took up a position as Botanist with the Forest Research Institute.
I got to know Ed Volck quite well.
My time with the Forest Research Institute was the best time in my career.
Ed Volck never spoke to me very much about Operation Blowdown.
Occasionally it would come up in conversation but not very often.
I think he did tell me one time that he was bound by the Commonwealth Secrets Act.
He took such matters very seriously."
In 1968 Volk authored a book:
Silvicultural research and management in North Queensland rain forests.
In 1969 Lindsay Smith described Neorites, a new genus in Proteaceae, with the Type Neorites kevediana. He says the species name 'kevediana' is derived from the given names of Kevin White and Edgar Volck who collected the Type in 1955.
An 18 minute film titled:
OPERATION BLOWDOWN SIMULATED RAIN FOREST NUCLEAR BLAST TEST AUSTRALIAN CIVIL DEFENSE 74922
Made by Department of Supply Film Unit at Movietone in 1963
is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S-HASqHHF0
Source: Extracted from:
The Ryerson Index - VOLCK Herbert Edgar
The Telegraph (Brisbane) Wed 20 Jan 1937 Page 22 JUNIOR PUBLIC EXAMINATION RESULTS
The Telegraph (Brisbane) Wed 3 Feb 1937 Page 22 EXTENSION SCHOLARSHIPS
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette Thu 12 Jan 1939 [Issue No.2] Page 67
The Telegraph (Brisbane) Wed 11 Dec 1940 Page 17
University Degree Results
THE HANDBOOK of the UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND Edited by A. K. THOMSON, M.A. 1953
National Archives of Australia: files A6059 7/441/46; A6059 7/441/51; A6059 7/441/54
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Blowdown
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Goldwater
Portrait Photo: 1943 National Archives of Australia, NAA: B883, QX52725, military enlistment photo (blemished negative)
Collecting localities for 'Volck, H.E.' from AVH (2024)
Data from 2,068 specimens
