Baragwanath, William (1878 - 1966)

Summary

William Baragwanath was a geologist who was exceptionally knowledgeable about the geology of Victoria. In 1897 he joined the Geological Survey of Victoria, which at that time came under the Department of Mines and Water Supply, having during the previous few years assisting in topographical and underground surveys in central Victoria. He spent 46 years with the Survey. Among his early projects were investigations the Walhalla goldfield and the La Trobe Valley brown-coal region. Much of the data he collected for the latter was used by the State Electricity Commission to establish the Yallourn open-cut mine. During his career with the Survey Baragwanath was Chief Mining Surveyor for 19 years and appointed Director of the Survey. He was active in scientific organisations, serving in executive positions for long periods: Ballarat School of Mines (Member of Council 1916 - 1950) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (Member of the Victorian State Committee 1920 - 1949). He was also President of the Royal Society of Victoria and a member of council of the Ballarat Science and Field Naturalists Club (the revived Ballarat Field Club and Science Society).

Details

Chronology

1894 - 1897

Career position - Articled land and mining surveyor, assisting with topographic and underground surveys at Maldon, Daylesford and Ballarat

1897 - 1922

Career position - Surveyor, Geological Survey of Victoria

1903

Education - Passed land surveyor's and mining surveyor's examinations

1911

Education - Graduated with Certificate in Geology, Ballarat School of Mines

1915 - 1917

Career position - Member of Committee, Ballarat Science and Field Naturalists Club

1916 - 1950

Career position - Member of Council, Ballarat School of Mines

1920 - 1949

Career position - Member, Victorian State Committee, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

1922

Career event - Elected Member (Geology), Australian National Research Council

1922 - 1924

Career position - Director, Geological Survey of Victoria

1924 - 1939

Career position - Chief Mining Surveyor, Geological Survey of Victoria

1932 - 1934

Career position - Secretary, Victorian Mines Department

1934 - 1943

Career position - Chief Mining Surveyor, Geological Survey of Victoria

1943 - 1944

Career position - President, Royal Society of Victoria

1943 - 1950

Career position - Consultant to the Mines Department

1952

Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

1958 - 1966

Award - Fellow, Victorian Institution of Surveyors

Related entries

Archival resources

Victorian Department of Mines Library

• William Baragwanath - Records; Victorian Department of Mines Library. Details

Published resources

Books

• Baragwanath, William, The Ballarat gold-field (Melbourne: Department of Mines, 1923), 257 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Talent, John A., 'Baragwanath, William (1878-1966), surveyor, geologist and public servant' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), pp. 167-168. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/baragwanath-william-5122. Details

Edited Books

• Johns, R.K. ed., History and role of government geological surveys in Australia (Adelaide: South Australian Government Printer, 1976), 111 pp. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q8005026. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/94655715. Details
• 'Baragwanath, William (1878-1966)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-626710. Details

See also

• Hill, Dorothy, 'Edwin Sherbon Hills, 1906-1986', Historical Records of Australian Science, 7 (1) (1987), 79-95. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9870710079. Details
• Kruss, Susan, 'A voice for nature: a history of the Field Naturalists' Club of Ballarat', PhD thesis, Federation University Australia, 2024, 594 pp. Details