Person
Morris, Albert (1886 - 1939)
- Born
- 13 August 1886
Bridgewater, South Australia, Australia - Died
- 9 January 1939
Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Botanist
Summary
Albert Morris obtained a diploma in metallurgy from Broken Hill Technical College, but spent his working life studying ways to revegetate eroded and barren lands. He experimented with plants from other arid countries, but found that local species thrived and survived the best. Morris went on numerous expeditions to study and collect local vegetation specimens and in the end had a collection of over 5000. He also spent much time and money giving away free plants to schools and public bodies to encourage revegetation with suitable plants. His biggest fight was to convince mining companies to adopt his green belt plan which involved planting local vegetation which could survive the harsh conditions, stopping animal grazing in the area and setting up fences to protect the existing vegetation and soil from the strong and drying winds. In May 1936 his dream was realised when Zinc Corporation Pty. Lyd. Set up Albert Morris Park and allowed Morris to put his ideas into action. Within eighteen months the park was a great success and his conservation principals were adopted by other mining companies and government bodies alike. Although Albert Morris did not live to see it, his project lead to the greening of Broken Hill and established a new phase in Australian conservation.
Details
Chronology
- 1920 - 1939
- Career position - Co-founder and Secretary, Barrier Field Naturalists' Club
- 1936 -
- Career position - Albert Morris Park established by Zinc Corporation Ltd and maintained by Morris
Archival resources
Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science
Published resources
Book Sections
- Kennedy, B. E., 'Morris, Albert (1886-1939), botanist and assayer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 10: 1891 - 1939 Lat-Ner, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1986), p. 591. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100575b.htm. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4710866. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/41054568. Details
- 'Morris, Albert (18860813-19390109)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-463913. Details
McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 21 August 2013
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education