Biographical entry Albiston, Harold Edward (1897 - 1994)

Summary

Harold Albiston, was a veterinary scientist, lecturer, administrator and a man of phenomenal commitment. He was the longest-serving member of the Veterinary Science Faculty of the University of Melbourne (48 years), the longest-serving member of the board of the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens (43 years) and the longest-serving honorary editor of the "Australian Veterinary Journal" (23 years). He was also the director of the Veterinary Research Institute at Parkville for 32 years, making it the premier veterinarian research facility in Australia, and he was a member of the Veterinary Board of Victoria for 33 years. To honour his outstanding career and unceasing dedication, Harold Albiston was appointed a Commander of Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1963.

Details

After graduating from university with first class honours, Harold Albiston went to England and France in 1918 with the Army Veterinary Corp. When the war ended he returned to Australia and in 1920 was awarded a Fellowship from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. This saw the start of a fruitful career in veterinary science research. Albiston also become a renowned educator, teaching veterinary anatomy, pathology, bacteriology and parasitology at the University of Melbourne. He also developed and taught the first postgraduate veterinary course in Australia. In 1959, the Australian Veterinary Association bestowed Albiston with their highest award - the Gilruth Prize.

Events

1918

Education - Bachelor of Science? (BSc) completed at the University of Melbourne

1918 - 1920

Career position - Military service with the Army Veterinarian Corp

1920 - 1923

Award - Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Fellowship received

1920 - 1927

Career position - Lecturer in Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne

1923 - 1929?

Career position - Victorian Milk Testing Laboratory

1929

Education - Doctor of Veterinary Science (DSc), The University of Melbourne

1929 - 1963

Career position - Director of the Veterinary Research Institute in Parkville, Victoria

1933 - 1934

Career position - President of the Australian Veterinary Association

1934

Career position - President of the Victorian Veterinary Association

1938 - 1981

Career position - Board member of the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens

1939 - 1962

Career position - Honorary Editor of the Australian Veterinary Journal

1957

Career position - Chair of the Committee recommending the reopening of the veterinary school

1959

Award - Gilruth Prize for Meritorious Service to Veterinary Science received from the Australian Veterinary Association

1963

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

Published resources

Book Sections

• Albiston, Harold E., 'Cameron, Samuel Sherwen (1866-1933)', in Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 7, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1979, p. 539. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070541b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Albiston, H.E., 'Selected Bibliography of Scientific Papers by Dr. J. A. Gilruth', Australian Veterinary Journal, vol. 13, 1937, pp. 118-120. Details
• Albiston, H.E., 'Veterinary Education in Victoria', Australian Veterinary Journal, vol. 27, 1951, pp. 258-261. Details

Theses

• Clarkson, G., 'The Life and Veterinary Contribution of Dr Harold E. Albiston', MA Ed thesis, University of Melbourne, 1992. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Albiston, H E', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1241486. 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/scripts/tia-dynindex.php3?EID=P002250. Details
• French, E. L. and Stewart, D.F., 'Lionel Bately Bull, 1889-1978', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 5, no. 4, 1983, pp. 90-110. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9830540090.htm. Details
• French, E. L. and Sutherland, A. K., 'Arthur William Turner 1900-1989', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 9, no. 1, 1992, pp. 49-63. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9920910049.htm. Details
• Price, J. R., 'Alexander Thomas Dick 1911-1982', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 6, no. 3, 1986, pp. 393-397. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9860630393.htm. Details