Biographical entry Sprigg, Reginald Claude (1919 - 1994)

Summary

Reginald Claude Sprigg was a South Australian geologist who was interested in geological surveys, mining and conservation. In 1962 he formed Beach Petroleum, incorporating his former company Geosurveys of Australia Pty Ltd, a company which became international by the late 1960s. In 1968 he bought Arkaroola, a derelict pastoral lease and turned it into a wild life sanctuary and wilderness reserve. Sprigg was Foundation President of the Australian Petroleum Exploration Association and winner of their Lewis G. Weekes Inaugural Gold Medal, and at age 17 became the youngest Fellow of the Royal Society of South Australia. Sprigg was educated at the University of Adelaide where he took geology classes taught by Douglas Mawson (q.v.), who said that "Sprigg was his best ever student".

Details

Events

1942

Career position - Master of Science (MSc) completed at the University of Adelaide

c. 1942 - c. 1945

Career position - War service in the Soils Department of the Waite Agricultural Institute and South Australian Department of Mines

1954 - 1960

Career position - Consultant to SANTOS

1954 - 1962

Career position - Geosurveys of Australia Pty Ltd established

1962

Career position - Beach Petroleum NL established

1968 -

Career position - Arkaroola (Mount Painter) Pastoral lease obtained and a wild life sanctuary and wilderness reserve established

1968

Award - Verco Medal received from the Royal Society of South Australia

1983

Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)

Published resources

Conference Papers

• Turner, S. and Vickers-Rich, P, 'Reg Sprigg, Martin F. Glaessner, Mary Wade and the Ediacaran Fauna', in IGCP 493 Conference, Prato Workshop, Monash University Centre. August 30-31, 2004, 2004, p. 1. Details

Journal Articles

• Sprigg, Reg C., 'The Adelaide Geosyncline: a Century of Controversy', Earth Sciences History, vol. 5, no. 1, 1986, pp. 66-83. Details

Online Resources

• 'Sprigg, Reg C', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-464544. Details