Brookes, Helen May (1917 - 2008)

Summary

Helen Brookes was one of South Australia's top entomologists. Due to the depression and later her work commitments, she never completed any formal tertiary studies in the field. Instead, Brookes was trained 'on the job', initially starting out as a Laboratory Assistant in the fledgling Department of Entomology at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute (1936). She remained with the institute for almost fifty years, receiving numerous promotions along the way: in 1942 Brookes became the Institute's first female Technical Assistant, in 1964 was given a lecturing role and in 1976 was appointed to the top position of Senior Systemic Entomologist.
At first her duties were broad and varied, but as she proved herself she was given specific projects to work on. In 1940 she helped translate from Latin into English the only book written about Australian grasshoppers and during the war years was engaged in identifying and illustrating wheat-associated pests. Her illustrations were published directly in the Journal of Agriculture of South Australia and used on posters delivered to wheat farmers. Later her work dealt with a range of pests including field crickets and Coccoidea - an insect superfamily that includes scale insects and mealy bugs. Coccoidea became her area of expertise and she gained international recognition in the field. She donated her large specimen collection to the Australian National Insect Collection in Canberra upon her retirement (1982). Throughout her career Helen Brookes wrote several important works and made many key contributions to the field. She was a member of the Royal Society of South Australia and a founding member of the Australian Entomological Society.

Details

Chronology

1936 - 1943

Career position - Laboratory Assistant at Waite Agricultural Research Institute in South Australia

1943 - 1957

Career position - Technical Assistant at Waite Agricultural Research Institute

1950 -

Career position - Member, Royal Society of South Australia

1957 - 1964

Career position - Assistant Systemic Entomologist at Waite Agricultural Research Institute

1964 - 1975

Career position - Systemic Entomologist and Lecturer at Waite Agricultural Research Institute

17 August 1965 -

Career position - Foundation member of the Australian Entomological Society

1971

Career position - Study leave to the British Museum in London (ten months)

1976 - 1982

Career position - Senior Systemic Entomologist at Waite Agricultural Research Institute

1977

Career position - Study and research leave in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Japan and London

1982

Life event - Presented her collection to the Australian National Insect Collection Presented her collection to the Australian National Insect Collection

1982

Life event - Retired

Related entries

Archival resources

State Library of South Australia

• Interview with Helen Brookes [sound recording] Interviewer: Lois Mander-Jones, 2001, SRG 438/29/64; State Library of South Australia. Details
• Interview with Helen Brookes and Coralie Li [sound recording] Interviewer: Brian Dickey, 1995, OH 436/11; State Library of South Australia. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• McCarthy, Gavan; Morgan, Helen; Smith, Ailie; van den Bosch, Alan, Where are the Women in Australian Science?, Exhibition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, First published 2003 with lists updated regulary edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details

Journal Articles

• Gullan, P.J.; and Williams, D.J., 'Helen May Brookes (3.11.1917 - 1.1.2008)', Entomologia Hellenica, 19 (2010), 170-172. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q38260522. Details
• Langham, Terry, Waite Arboretum fact sheet: H. M. Brooks 1917 - 2008, Friends of the Waite Arboretum, Adelaide, 2016. https://friendsofwaitearboretum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/BROOKES-Helen-M-.pdf. Details
• 'Brookes, Helen May (1917-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-765079. Details