Smith, Leslie Walter (1928 - 2018)

Summary

Les Smith was a research chemist with the CSIRO, specialising in alkaloids in plants, to reduce the damage that pest plants caused to farm animals. His work to eradicate Patterson's Curse was controversial - farmers supported the work but bee keepers wanted to keep it as a source for honey. Prior to moving from England in 1953, he was a research chemist at the Westcott Rocket Research Laboratory, near Aylesbury, England. However Les was best known for his lifetime of voluntary environmental activism, protecting and educating the community about the value of remnant indigenous bushlands.

Details

During the War, in England, traditional rambler's rights-of-way were fenced and closed. After the War, Les became active in cutting fences to restore these pathways.

From the 1960s he was involved with the 'Blackburn and District Tree Preservation Society' and served on the committee in many roles for well over fifty years. In the 1960s he was associated with the 'Save the Little Desert' campaign, the establishment of the 'Friends of the Little Desert' and the establishment of 'Conservation Council of Victoria' in 1969 (now known as 'Environment Victoria' ) and in 1973 was a co-founder of the Urimbirra Cooperative in the Wimmera that purchased bushland for conservation.

He also served on the Antonio Park, Yarran Dheran, and the Wandinong Sanctuary bushland park advisory committees in the City of Whitehorse, and was actively involved with the Bungalook Nursery (Whitehorse Indigenous Plant Project, formerly the Nunanwading Indigenous Plant Project).

Through the 1980s and 1990s he was involved in the campaign against the freeway through the Koornung and Mullum Mullum valleys, and the establishment of the Mullum Mullum Festival.

In 2017, in recognition of his community work, Les was awarded an Honorary Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the environment.

Chronology

1948

Education - Diploma of Science, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London

1948 - 1953

Career position - Rocket Research Department, Department of Supply, Westcott, Buckinghamshire, England

1953

Life event - Migrated to Australia from England

1953 - c. 1990

Career position - Research Chemist, CSIRO

1961

Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Melbourne

1975

Award - Nunawading Citizen of the Year

2014

Award - Pride of Australia Medal (awarded by NewsCorp), for service to the environment

2015

Award - Best Friend Award, Victorian Environmental Friends Network

2017

Award - Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the environment

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Kaptein, Helen, 'Les Smith, Best Friend', Park watch (2015), 26, https://vnpa.org.au/publications/park-watch-september-2015-no-262/. Details

Theses

• Smith, Leslie Walter, 'Some pyrrolizidine alkaloids from Australian plants', M.Sc., University of Melbourne, 1961. Details