Caulfield, Harold (1918 - 1994)

Summary

Harold Caulfield was a horticulturist who spent most of his career working in Australia's Botanic Gardens. Starting as Assistant Propagator at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens in the 1930s, he joined the Adelaide Botanic Garden in 1950. During the next six years he made extensive trips through South Australia and the Northern Territory, collecting seeds and plants to augment the Garden's native plant collection. On appointment to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Caulfield revitalised the Gardens by planting a native flora section and demonstration plots of grasses and hedges suitable for southeast Queensland, and disbanding the small zoo. Major landscape features, designed by Harry Oakman, were implemented in the 1960s. An overseas study trip to visit botanic gardens in the U.S., Britain and Singapore enabled Caulfield to make major contributions to the planning of a new garden, that would not be flooded by the Brisbane River, at Mt Coot-tha. Caulfield became Curator of this new Botanic Garden in 1980. Much of his time was devoted to making botanical and horticultural information available to the general public. For 15 years he wrote a regular column for the daily newspaper, the Courier mail, and made broadcasts on local radio stations. He also served as judge for regional garden competitions. Caulfield was actively involved with local societies, including the Queensland Council of Garden Clubs, which made him a Life member in 1987, and as founding President of the Queensland branch of the Society for Growing Australian Plants.

Details

Chronology

1940 - 1945

Career position - Served (promoted to sergeant November 1944) with 2/11 Field Artillery, Australian Imperial Force

1950 - 1956

Career position - Plant propagator, Adelaide Botanic Gardens

1956 - 1979

Career position - Curator, Brisbane Botanic Gardens

1957 - 1962

Career position - Foundation President, Queensland Region, Society for Growing Australian Plants

1968 - 1982

Career position - Member, Queensland Branch, Royal Australian Institute of Parks and Recreation

1970

Award - Churchill Fellowship to study botanic gardens in the United States of America, Britain, and Singapore

1980 - 1982

Career position - Curator, Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens

1982 - 1994

Award - Fellow, Royal Australian Institute of Parks and Recreation

1987 - 1994

Award - Life member, Queensland Council of Garden Clubs

1992

Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of service to horticulture

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Caulfield, Harold, What is a garden: occasional talks (Mt Gravatt, Qld: Queensland Council of Garden Clubs, 1994/6), 156 pp. Details
• Caulfield, Harold, Clippings and leaves: A-Z collection of newspaper articles (Mt Gravatt, Qld: Queensland Council of Garden Clubs, 1996), 176 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Steward, Ray, 'Caulfield, Harold William (1918-1994), horticulturist and curator of botanic gardens' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 19: 1991 - 1995 A-Z, Melanie Nolan, ed. (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 2021), pp. 145-146, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/caulfield-harold-william-29609. Details

Resources

• 'Caulfield, Harold (1918-1994)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-529551. Details