Australian National Research Council (ANRC) (1919 - 1954)

Summary

Provisionally established in 1919 as the "Australasian Research Council" for the purpose of representing Australia on the International Research Council, in 1921 it was formally established by the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science as the "Australian National Research Council" (ANRC). Over next few decades it provided a valuable service, but despite continued efforts and internal reforms, it struggled to influence government policy and secure adequate funding. It was basically funded by its members. In 1951, following a Conference on Science in Australia, organised by the Australian National University, an "Australian Academy of Science" was proposed. The general view was that the ANRC "had failed to achieve the status that was required of a national body with such weighty responsibilities". Once the Academy was established in 1954, the ANRC was dissolved, and the Academy assumed many of its functions.

One of its early initiatives was to successfully organise and host the 2nd Pan-Pacific Science Congress in Melbourne and in Sydney 1923.

Another initiative was the "Australian Science Abstracts" [ISSN: 1835-9329], published separately from August 1922 v.1 until 1937 v.17, and as a supplement in its "Australian Journal of Science" from 1937 to 1956/57, v.35.

As Australian membership of the various International Scientific Unions was effected through the ANRC, appropriate National Committees were appointed as the Australian Committee of each International Union. By 1949, there were seven National Committees:
* Astronomy;
* Chemistry;
* Biological Sciences;
* Crystallography;
* Geodesy and Geophysics;
* Pure and Applied Physics;
* Radio Science.

After the ANRC was dissolved in 1954, the "Australian Science Abstracts" were continued by ANZAAS for a few years, until superseded by the CSIRO "Australian Science Index" 1957-1983. The "Australian Journal of Science" was also continued by ANZAAS from 1955 until 1969/70.

Details

At the suggestion of the Royal Society of London, delegates representing the Australian Scientific Societies held a meeting in Sydney on 21 August 1919 to consider forming an "Australasian Research Council", to act as the Australian Branch of the International Research Council. At this meeting a Provisional Council was appointed, and it was resolved that the selection of members of the Permanent Council be left in the hands of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at its next meeting in January, 1921. The members of the Provisional Council appointed in 1919 were:-
Sir Harry Allen,
Dr. J.M. Baldwin,
Mr. R.H. Cambage (Hon. Secretary),
Prof. H.S. Carslaw,
Prof. H.G. Chapman, (Hon. Treasurer),
Prof. W.E. Cooke,
Sir Edgeworth David (Chairman),
Mr. A.J. Gibson,
Prof. W.A. Haswell,
Mr. C. Hedley,
Mr. L. Hills,
Mr. H.A. Hunt,
Prof. T.R.Lyle,
Mr. J.H. Maiden,
Prof. Orme Masson,
Sir D. Mawson,
Prof. W.A. Osborne,
Prof. J.A. Pollock,
Prof. H.J. Priestley,
Mr. A.E.V. Richardson,
Prof. E.W. Skeats,
Sir Balwin Spencer,
Prof. J.D. Stewart,
Dr. T.G. Taylor,
Prof. R.D. Watt,
Prof. D.A. Welsh,
Prof. N.T.M. Wilsmore,
Prof. H.A. Woodruff.

---

At the AAAS General Council Meeting, scheduled for Hobart but held in Melbourne on 15 January 1921, under the heading 'Australian National Research Council' the following resolutions were agreed to:-
1. The Resolutions of the Conference held in Sydney on the 21st August, 1919, shall cease to be operative from this day, 15th January, 1921.
2. The National Research Council shall consist of not more than 100 members, and shall contain two or more representatives of each of the following branches of Science and of such others as may be determined from time to time by the General Council of the Australian Association for the Advancement of Science:- Agriculture, Anthropology, Astronomy, Botany, Chemistry, Economics and Statistics, Engineering, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Mental Science and Education, Meteorology, Mining and Metallurgy, Pathology, Physics, Physiology, Veterinary Science, Zoology.
3. The members of the Provisional Council are hereby elected members of the Research Council, together with Mr. G.H. Knibbs and Mr. G. Lightfoot (representing Economics and Statistics), Professor Laby (representing Physics) and Messrs. R. Sticht and G.C. Klug (representing Mining and Metallurgy).
4. The members (as defined in Clause 3) shall co-opt additional members within the numerical limit prescribed in Clause 2, and shall select such additional members in consultation with the Presidents of the more important scientific, technical, and learned Association and Societies of the Commonwealth.
5. The Council may appoint as associate members scientific workers resident in Australia who are deemed likely to confer benefit by their researches.
6. The Council may appoint such Standing Committees and Special Committees as it deems requisite for national or international purpose.
7. The Council may appoint such office-bearers as it may determine. These shall hold office for a term of two years and be re-eligible.
8. A meeting of the members (as define in Clauses 3 and 4) shall be held in Sydney not later than May, 1921, for the purposes indicated in Clause 4, and a meeting of the whole Council so constituted shall meet as soon as possible thereafter for the purposes indicated in Rules 5, 6, and 7, and for the formulation of by-laws and any other necessary business.
9. Members unable to attend any such meeting may communicate their views beforehand in writing to the Hon. Secretary, and all such communications shall receive full consideration at the meeting.
10. Every member and associate member shall retain his membership for life unless it be terminated (1) by his resignation, (2) by his ceasing to reside in Australia, or (3) by vote of at least two-thirds of the members.
11. The Council shall submit a full report of its work and proceedings to the Australian Association for the Advancement of Science on the occasion of each meeting of the Association.
12. Until other arrangements are made for the financial support of the Council, each member thereof shall be liable to contribute the sum of £2 2s. per annum, and each associate member £1 1s. per annum.

---

At a meeting in Sydney in July 1921, additional members were selected to ensure representation of the pure and some applied sciences. The full list of council members as reported in the newspapers were:
* Agriculture - Prof R.D.Watt, Messrs F.B.Guthrie, A.J.Perkins, A.E.V.Richardson;
* Anthropology - Sir Baldwin Spencer, Profs R.J.A.Berry and F.Wood-Jones, Messrs. C.Hedley, J.Mathew, and G.E.Smith;
* Astronomy - Prof W.E.Cooke, Dr. J.M.Baldwin, Mr. G.F.Dodwell, Father E.F.Pigot;
* Botany - Profs T.G.Osborn, A.J.Ewart, A.A.Lawson, A.H.Lucas, Messrs. R.T.Baker, R.H.Cambage, J.H.Maiden;
* Chemistry - Profs D.Orme-Masson, C.E.Fawsitt, J.Read, E.H.Rennie, N.T.M.Wilsmore, B.D.Steele, Messrs. J.B.Henderson, A.E.Leighton, H.G.Smith, Dr. D.Rivett;
* Economics and Statistics - Messrs. G.H.Knibbs and G.Lightfoot;
* Engineering - J.J.C.Bradfield, A.G.M.Michell, A.J.Gibson, Professor R.W.Chapman;
* Geography - Sir Douglas Mawson, Prof W.Howchin, Captain J.K.Davis, Mr. L.Hills;
* Geology - Sir Edgeworh David, Profs E.W.Skeats, H.C.Richards, Messrs. E.C.Andrews, B.Dunston, A.G.Maitland, F.L.Stillwell, L.K.Ward;
* Mathematics - Profs H.S.Carslaw and H.J.Priestley, Messrs. A.McAulay, J.H.Michell, E.M.Wellish;
* Mental Science - Profs F.Anderson and W.Mitchell;
* Meteorology - Prof T.G.Taylor, Mr. H.A.Hunt;
* Mining and Metallurgy - Messrs. G.D.Delprat, G.C.Klug, R.C.Sticht, W.E.Wainwright;
* Pathology - Sir Harry Allen, Profs J.B.Cleland and D.A.Welsh, Drs. A.W.Campbell, S.W.Patterson, and W.J.Penfold;
* Physics - Profs K.Grant, T.H.Laby, T.R.Lyle, T.Parnell, J.A.Pollock, Dr. E.F.Love, and Mr. O.Vonwiller;
* Physiology - Profs H.G.Chapman, W.A.Osborne, T.B.Robertson, Dr. E.H.Embley;
* Veterinary Science - Profs J.D.Stewart and H.A.Woodruff, Drs. S.Dodd, J.A.Gilruth;
* Zoology - Profs W.A.Haswell, T.H.Johnston, W.E.Agar, Drs. Georgina [?], J.J.Fletcher, Messrs. W.W.Froggatt and A.Waterhouse.

The first meeting of the Australian National Research Council was held in Melbourne in August 1921, when the first Executive Committee were elected.

Related entries

Timeline

 1919 - 1954 Australian National Research Council (ANRC)
       1954 - Australian Academy of Science

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Australian Academy of Science - Records, 1935 - 2007, MS 039; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details
• Australian National Research Council - Records, October 1948 - November 1951, MS 202; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details
• Australian National Research Council - Records, 1945 - 1952, MS 068; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

• Australian National Research Council - Records, 1919 - 1954, NLA MS 482; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

• Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, 2012, http://www.eoas.info/basser_browse.html. Details

Edited Books

• Lightfoot, Gerald ed., Proceedings of the Pan-Pacific Science Congress, Australia, 1923 : Melbourne Meeting 13th to 22nd August, 1923, Sydney Meeting 23rd to 3rd September, 1923 (Melbourne: Australian National Research Council, 1924), i-xix, 1-1677 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• 'Research in the Social Sciences', Australian Journal of Science, VI (2) (1943), 60-61. Details
• Elkin, A. P., 'The Australian National Research Council', Australian Journal of Science, 16 (6) (1954), 203-11. Details

Newspaper Articles

• 'Organising Science', The Argus (1921), 17, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4691866. Details

Resources

• Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal, Australian Academy of Science, Canberra, 2023. https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/awards-and-opportunities/thomas-ranken-lyle-medal. Details
• Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-580478. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_a.html. Details
• Elkin, A. P., 'Centenary oration: the challenge to science, 1866; the challenge of science, 1966, part 1', Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales, 100 (3/4) (1966), 105-18. Details
• Jones, P. G., 'South Australian anthropological history: the Board for Anthropological Research and its early expeditions', Records of the South Australian Museum, 20 (1987), 71-92. Details
• MacLeod, Roy and Rehbock, Philip F., 'Developing a sense of the Pacific: the 1923 Pan-Pacific Science Congress in Australia', Pacific science, 54 (3) (2000), 209-25. Details