Person
Meston, Archibald Lawrence (1890 - 1951)
- Born
- 5 June 1890
Launceston, Tasmania, Australia - Died
- 21 December 1951
Glenorchy, Tasmania, Australia - Occupation
- Anthropologist, Anthropological Historian and Educator
Summary
Archibald Meston began his professional career as a primary school teacher then moved into secondary teaching and eventually became government education officer in charge of high schools. Through this latter role, he greatly changed the face of education in Tasmania. Apart from teaching, Meston's other main interests were in the anthropology and history of Tasmania. He wrote numerous books and articles in the field and was a trustee of the Launceston Library Board and the Tasmanian Museum. His two biggest contributions to Tasmanian anthropology were the discovery of rock carvings in Mount Cameron West (1933) and the large-scale shell midden excavation in South Cave, Rocky Cape. Meston was also an activist for the conservation of Tasmania's natural bush and his efforts helped establish the Cradle Mountain Reserve.
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Details
Chronology
- 1906 - 1908
- Education - Teacher training at the Teachers' College in Hobart
- c. 1909 - c. 1914
- Career position - Primary School Teacher at various schools in Tasmania including ones in Battery Point, Queenstown and Gormanston
- 1914
- Career position - Promoted to secondary school teaching
- 1914
- Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Tasmania
- 1921 -
- Career position - Member, Royal Society of Tasmania
- 1922
- Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Tasmania
- 1929 - 1932
- Career position - Headmaster of Devonport High School
- 1932 - c. 1938
- Career position - Headmaster of Launceston High School
- 1933
- Career position - Discovered and described rock carvings at Mount Cameron West, Tasmania
- 1934
- Career position - A Junior History of Australia commissioned and published by Oxford University Press
- 1938 -
- Career position - Government Education Officer for Hobart then Education Officer for High Schools
- 1944 -
- Career position - Member of the Tasmanian Schools Board
Published resources
Book Sections
- Plomley, N. J. B., 'Meston, Archibald Lawrence (1890-1951), educationist, historian and anthropologist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 10: 1891 - 1939 Lat-Ner, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1986), pp. 489-490. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/meston-archibald-lawrence-7563. Details
Journal Articles
- Plomley, N. J. B.; and Meston, A. L., 'Miscellaneous notes on the culture of the Tasmanian Aboriginal', Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, 20 (1956), 191-200. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q24036506. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/94724154. Details
- 'Meston, A L (1890-1951)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1269464. Details
McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 31 January 2023
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education