Person

Aston, Helen Isobel (1934 - 2020)

Born
1934
Died
26 March 2020
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Ornithologist and Taxonomic botanist

Summary

Helen Aston is a botanist recognised as an authority on Australian vascular aquatic plants. She started her research in this neglected field after joining the staff of the National Herbarium of Victoria in 1957. Her papers were often illustrated with her own botanical drawings. In 1973 she published the landmark Aquatic plants of Australia. For ten years she was Curator of the Herbarium. Aston is equally well-known as an ornithologist, being an active member of several ornithological organisations and participating regularly in bird population surveys. She published A bird atlas of the Melbourne region in 1978. The genus Astonia was named in her honour.

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Details

Chronology

1957
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne
1957 - 1964
Career position - Assistant Botanist, National Herbarium of Victoria
1964 - 1965
Career position - Botanist, National Herbarium of Victoria
1965 - 1982
Career position - Senior Botanist, National Herbarium of Victoria
1971 - 1973
Career position - President, Bird Observers' Club
1973 - 1974
Career position - Australian Botanical Liaison Officer, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
1978 - 1988
Career position - Editor, Muelleria
1979
Award - Australian Natural History Medallion
1982 - 1991
Career position - Curator, National Herbarium of Victoria

Related Corporate Bodies

Related Journals

Published resources

Journal Articles

  • Aston, H. I., 'The herbarium and plant collections of Norman A. Wakefield (1918-1972)', Muelleria, 4 (1972), 251-63. Details
  • Aston, H. I., 'Dr David M. Churchill', Botanic magazine, 4 (1991), 31-2. Details
  • Aston, H. I., 'Obituary: Dr James Hamlyn Willis A.M. 28 January 1910-10 November 1995', Muelleria, 10 (1996), 21-5. Details
  • Aston, H. I., 'Jean Galbraith 28 March 1906-2 January 1999: a tribute', The Victorian naturalist, 116 (1999), 73-5. Details
  • Aston, Helen, 'Publication Dates of Early Scientific Journals in Victoria', Muelleria, 5 (1984), 281-288. Details
  • Aston, Helen, 'Villarsia - One of Mueller's Puzzles', The Victorian naturalist, 113 (1996), 151-152. Details
  • Presland, Gary, 'Helen Isobel Aston 26 March 1934 - 17 March 2020', The Victorian naturalist, 137 (3) (2020), 90-1. Details
  • Ross, Jim; and Walsh, Neville, 'Helen Aston 26 March 1934 to 17 March 2020', Australasian Systematic Botany Society newsletter, 186 (2021), 33-4. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

Helen Cohn

Created: 12 March 2019, Last modified: 21 December 2021

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