Donald, Colin Malcolm (1910 - 1985)

Summary

Colin Donald was Professor of Agronomy at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute, University of Adelaide 1954-1973. Earlier he had been the Assistant Chief of the CSIR/O Division of Plant Industry 1934-1954. He profoundly influenced pasture development in Australia by understanding the limitations to pasture growth imposed by soils and environment, and advanced our understanding of competition between plants when grown in communities. Donald is commemorated by the C.M. Donald Medal established in 1984 by the Australian Society of Agronomy.

Details

Chronology

1928

Education - Diploma in Agriculture completed at Hawkesbury Agricultural College

1932

Education - Bachelor of Agricultural Science (BAgSc) completed at the University of Sydney

1933 - 1934

Career position - Researcher at the Agrostology Branch of the New South Wales Department of Agriculture

1934 - 1939

Career position - Mineral deficiency Investigator at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute in Adelaide

1934 - 1954

Career position - Research Officer at CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) / CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)

1939

Education - Master of Agricultural Science completed at the University of Adelaide

1939 - 1941

Career position - Pawlett Overseas Scholar studying pasture development in the UK, USA and New Zealand

1942 - 1945

Career position - Seconded to the Department of War Organization of Industry, later Assistant Director of the Department, in charge of the Rural Industries Division in Melbourne

1943 - 1945

Career position - Chairman of the Commonwealth Rural Production Goals Committee

1945 - 1954

Career position - Assistant Chief of the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry in Canberra

1946 - 1948

Career position - President of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, Australian Capital Territory branch

1954 - 1973

Career position - Professor of Agriculture at the University of Adelaide and Head of the Department of Agronomy at Waite Agricultural Research Institute

1955 - 1973

Career position - Member of the Advisory Council of Roseworthy Agricultural College

1956 - 1957

Career position - President of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, South Australian branch

1960

Career position - President of the South Australian Branch, Australian Society for Animal Production

1961 - 1965

Career position - Member of the CSIRO Advisory Council

1961 - 1985

Award - Fellow of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science (FAIAS)

1962

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the University of Sydney

1963

Career position - President of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science

1964

Award - Australian Medal of Agricultural Science, Australian Institute of Agricultural Science

1965

Career position - President, Section K (Agricuture and Forestry), Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science

1965

Award - Farrer Memorial Medal, Farrer Memorial Trust

1968 - 1985

Award - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

1973 -

Career position - Emeritus Professor and Honorary Research Associate at the University of Adelaide

1979

Award - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)

1984

Award - C.M. Donald Medal established by the Australian Society of Agronomy

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Colin Malcolm Donald - Records, 1943 - 1975, MS 141; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Waite Agricultural Research Institute

• Colin Malcolm Donald - Records, 1929 - 1970; Waite Agricultural Research Institute. 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

Book Sections

• Radcliffe, John C., 'Donald, Colin Malcolm (1910 - 1985), agricultural scientist' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Langmore, Di, ed., vol. 17 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2007), pp. 327-8. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/donald-colin-malcolm-12430. Details

Journal Articles

• Knight, R.; and Quirk, J. P., 'Colin Malcolm Donald 1910-1985', Historical Records of Australian Science, 10 (1) (1994), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9941010051. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21536556. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/308239291. Details
• 'Donald, C M (1910-1985)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-571860. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Donald, Colin Malcolm - Ms 141', in Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings, Australian Academy of Science, 1994, http://www.science.org.au/basser/manuscript-collection/ms141.html. Details
• Knight, R.; and Quirk, J. P., 'Colin Malcolm Donald 1910-1985', in Australian Academy of Science Biographical Memoirs, Australian Academy of Science, 2006, http://www.science.org.au/fellows/memoirs/donald.html. Details
• Ward, C., 'Colin Malcolm Donald', in CSIROpedia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 2011, https://csiropedia.csiro.au/Donald-Colin-Malcolm. Details