Person
Loftus-Hills, Clive (1885 - 1967)
MBE
- Born
- 31 March 1885
Deloraine, Tasmania, Australia - Died
- 13 December 1967
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Geologist
- Alternative Names
- Hills, Loftus (Former name, 1885 - c. 1926)
Summary
Dr Loftus-Hills MBE DSc MAusIMM was Government Geologist in Tasmania from 1919 to 1923, having joined the Geological Survey of Tasmania in 1912. He made numerous reports on the stratigraphy and mineral resources of Tasmania, especially on coal and the zinc-lead ores in western Tasmania. In the 1923 restructure of the Department of Mines, Loftus- Hills was for a brief time Director of the Survey, based in Launceston. His relations with his Department heads were less than comfortable. When his disagreement with statements made by oil companies as to the extent of Tasmania's reserves precipitated an inquiry into his management of the Survey, it was recommended that his position be abolished. Loftus- Hills resigned. As a geological consultant for the next 15 years he worked in many parts of Australia and in Fiji. Between 1938 and 1946 he was Chief Chemist of the Commonwealth Department of Supply.
He was prominent in the campaign against the use of nuclear weapons immediately after the Second World War, and was Chairman of the Victorian Division, Australian Association of Scientific Workers.
The Loftus Hills Memorial Reserve, near Queenstown in Tasmania has been created due to its interesting geological features and is named in his honour.
Details
Chronology
- 1907
- Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Tasmania
- 1912 - November 1919
- Career position - Assistant Government Geologist, Geological Survey of Tasmania, Tasmanian Department of Mines
- 1913
- Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Tasmania
- 1916 - 1919
- Military service - First Worls War. Lieutenant, Tunnelling Company, Australian Imperial Forces
- 1919
- Career event - Foundation Councillor (Geography), Australian National Research Council
- 1919
- Award - Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) - Army - Engineers - France
- Nov 1919 - 1923
- Career position - Government Geologist, Geological Survey of Tasmania, Department of Mines
- 1923
- Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Tasmania [First doctorate awarded by the University. Sir Douglas Mawson was examiner]
- 1924
- Award - David Syme Research Prize, University of Melbourne
- 1924 - 1938
- Career position - Geological Consultant in Australia and Fiji
- 1938 - 1946
- Career position - Chief Chemist, Commonwealth Department of Supply [Chief wartime technical officer on dangerous cargoes]
Related entries
Children
Published resources
Book Sections
- Banks, Maxwell R., 'Loftus-Hills, Clive (1885-1967), Geologist' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds, vol. 10 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1986), p. 132. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A100123b.htm. Details
Journal Articles
- Bacon, Carol, 'Clive Loftus-Hills: an uncompromising geologist', Newsletter, Earth Sciences History Group, 45 (2018), 29-32. Details
- Loftus-Hills, Clive, 'The progress of geological research in Tasmania since 1902', Papers and proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 1902 (1921), 111-146, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/10375393. Details
Resources
- CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office, 'NAA: B2455, Hills L Lieutenant', B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=5455065. Details
Theses
- Hills, Loftus, 'The metallogenic epochs of Tasmania', DSc thesis, University of Tasmania, 1923, 93 pp. http://eprints.utas.edu.au/20828/. Details
See also
- Johns, R.K. ed., History and role of government geological surveys in Australia (Adelaide: South Australian Government Printer, 1976), 111 pp. Details
Helen Cohn; Ken McInnes
Created: 6 August 2019, Last modified: 28 March 2024