Person

Semmens, Edwin James (1886 - 1980)

OBE

Born
20 January 1886
Toongabbie, Victoria, Australia
Died
31 December 1980
Creswick, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Forester and Teacher

Summary

Edwin Semmens was a teacher for over 25 years before becoming Principal of the Victorian School of Forestry in 1928, a position he held until retirement in 1951. He succeeded in prevented the closure of the School and established a new and rigorous academic course. A number of students from this period went on to eminent careers in botany and forestry. The School's herbarium was greatly expanded under Semmens's leadership. In 2019 this herbarium of over 5,500 specimens was incorporated into the School of Botany Herbarium at the University of Melbourne. Semmens also conducted research on the composition of eucalyptus oils. He had a distinguished record of community service in the School's local area of Creswick.

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Details

Chronology

1902 - 1926?
Career position - Primary school teacher in Victoria
1925
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne
1927
Career position - Teacher, Shepparton High School, Victoria
1928 - 1951
Career position - Principal, Victorian School of Forestry
1935 - 1980
Award - Fellow, Linnean Society, London
1951 - 1975
Career position - Councillor, Shire of Creswick, Victoria
1956
Career position - Shire President, Shire of Creswick, Victoria
1968
Award - Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) - Local government
1977
Award - Doctor of Forest Science (DForSc), honoris causa, University of Melbourne

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Books

  • Youl, Rob; Fry, Brian and Hateley, Ron, Circumspice: One Hunded Years of Forestry Education centred on Creswick, Victoria (South Melbourne: Forest Education Centenary Committee, 2010), 278 pp. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

  • Moulds, Francis Robert, 'Semmens, Edwin James (1886 - 1980), forester, local historian and community leader', in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 16: 1940 - 1980 Pik-Z, John Ritchie and Diane Langmore, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2002. https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/semmens-edwin-james-11657. Details

See also

  • Carron, L.T., A History of Forestry in Australia (Sydney: Pergamon Press, 1985), 371 pp. Details
  • Moulds, Frank R., 'Victorian School of Forestry: Forestry Education', in Australia's Ever-Changing Forests II: Proceedings of the Second National Conference on Australia's Forest History, Creswick, 1992 edited by John Dargavel and Sue Feary (Creswick: ANU Society, 1992), pp. 129-134.. Details

Helen Cohn

Created: 4 February 2020, Last modified: 3 March 2020

EOAS ID: biogs/P006804b.htm

This Edition: 2026 February - 1926 Centenaries
Kooyang - Gariwerd calendar - Late summer: late January to late March - season of eels
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Publisher: Swinburne University of Technology.

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