Biographical entry Cambage, Richard Hind (1859 - 1928)

Summary

Richard Hind Cambage worked for the Department of Mines 1885 to 1924, retiring as superintendent of explosives. He made plant collections in 1880-1890 for William Woolls, who gave him botanical lessons. He made significant studies on Eucalyptus and Acacia, and Acacia cambagei and Eucalyptus cambageana were named after him.

Details

Born Applegarth, near Milton, New South Wales, 7 November 1859. Died Sydney, 28 November 1928. CBE 1925. Pupil-teacher, Ulladulla Public School; trained as a surveyor 1877-82; helped to survey National Park 1880; draftsman, Department of Lands 1882-85; mining surveyor, Department of Mines 1885-1902, chief mining surveyor 1902-16, under-secretary and warden 1916-17, superintendent of explosives 1917-24. Member of the board of examiners for licensed surveyors 1903-18, lecturer on surveying, Sydney Technical College 1909-15. President, Institution of Surveyors, New South Wales 1907-09, president, Royal Society of New South Wales 1912 and 1923, president, Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia 1913, president, Linnean Society 1924, president, (Royal) Australian Historical Society 1924, president, New South Wales branch, Australian Forest League 1928; founding honorary secretary, Australian National Research Council 1919-26, president 1926-28, organised the Second Pan Pacific Science Congress held in Melbourne and Sydney 1923. Attended the conference on reorganisation of the Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry 1925, presided over the Hobart meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1928.

Published resources

Book Sections

• McMinn, W. G., 'Cambage, Richard Hind (1859-1928), surveyor and botanist', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 7, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1979, pp. 529-530. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070533b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Cambage, R., 'Richard Hind Cambage, 1859-1928', Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, vol. 59, 1934, pp. 435-447. Details
• Cambage, R. H., Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, vol. 53, no. 1, 1928, p. 6. Details
• Cambage, R.H., 'Biographical Sketches of Some of the Members of the Philosophical Society of Australasia', Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. lv, 1921, pp. xxxiii-xlii. Details
• Cambage, R.H., 'Exploration Between the Wingecarribee, Shoalhaven, Macquarie and Murrumbidgeee Rivers', Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, vol. 7, 1921. Details
• Maiden, J.H. and Cambage, R.H., 'Botanical, Topographical and Geological Notes on Some Routes of Allan Cunningham', Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. xliii, 1909, pp. 123-138. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Cambage, R H', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-628088. Details