Goss, Olga May (1916 - 1994)

Summary

Olga Goss was a highly-respected plant pathologist with the Western Australian Department of Agriculture for 35 years. For much of that time she was the only professional female staff member of the Department. The fact that she joined at a time when women were precluded from participation in field trips and earned less than men did not deter her from pursuing a research career in agriculture. Goss's main interest was in diseases in agriculture and horticulture. Her work had a direct impact on the yield and viability of many of Western Australia's crops. She developed an expertise in nematodes (she was a pioneer in the field), discovering problems with crops caused by nematodes and treatments for these. Bacterial diseases on which she worked included canker in tomatoes and apple scab. Other significant contributions concerned cereal eelworm, annual rye grass toxicity, and the movement of infections stemming from inadequate quarantine measures. One of Goss's main achievements was overcoming the interdiction on field work. She needed to observe first-hand the field conditions and talk directly to the farmers, many of whom came to respect greatly what she was doing. Later in her career Goss specialised in horticultural and floricultural problems, especially nursery hygiene. Her book Practical guidelines for nursery hygiene came to serve as a basis for nursery accreditation in Western Australia. Many of her more that 50 papers were published in the Department's agricultural journal.

Details

Chronology

1937

Education - Bachelor of Science with honours, (BSc (Hons)), University of Western Australia

1938

Career position - Laboratory Assistant, University of Western Australia

1939 - 1943

Career position - Demonstrator, University of Western Australia

1943 - 1945

Career position - Pathologist, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth

1945 - 1980

Career position - Pathologist (later Senior Pathologist), Western Australian Department of Agriculture

1978

Award - Australian Nurseryman of the Year

1980

Life event - Retired

2017

Award - Inducted (posthumously) into the Western Australia Women's Hall of Fame

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Goss, Olga M., Practical guidelines for nursery hygiene (Parramatta: Australian Nurserymen's Association, 1983), 78 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Fitzpatrick, E. N., 'Significant People of the Department' in In response to need : a history of the Western Australian Department of Agriculture : 1894 to 2008, Fitzpatrick, E. N., ed. (South Perth, Western Australia: Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australian Government, 2011), https://www.appsnet.org/Awards/goss.pdf. Details

Journal Articles

• Allen, Nessy, 'Plant Pathology in Western Australia: the Contributions of an Australian Woman Scientist [Olga May Goss]', Prometheus, 15 (3) (1997), 387-398. http://doi.org/10.1080/08109029708632083. Details
• Brown, A. G. P. and MacNish, G. C., 'Obituary: Olga May Goss 1916 - 1994', Australasian plant pathology, 23 (3) (1994), 120. Details

Resources

• 'Goss, Olga May (1916-19941231)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1772613. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Olga May Goss', in International Women's Day WA Women's Hall of Fame, International Women's Day WA Women's Hall of Fame, http://wawomenshalloffame.com.au/halloffame/inductees-2017.html?start=14. Details

See also

• Fenner, Frank ed., History of Microbiology in Australia (Melbourne: Australian Society for Microbiology, 1990), 624 pp. Details