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.
Details
Chronology
- a956 - 1956
- Career position - Shire President, Shire of Creswick, Victoria
- 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
- 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 entries
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
- 'Awarded honorary DForSc, 1977', Honorary degree holders, University of Melbourne, 2023, https://about.unimelb.edu.au/notable-alumni-staff/honorary-degree-holders. Details
Resource Sections
- Moulds, Francis Robert, 'Semmens, Edwin James (1886 - 1980)', in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 16: 1940 - 1980 Pik-Z, John Ritchie and Diane Langmore, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2002. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/semmens-edwin-james-11657/text20825. 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