Biographical entry Marchant, Stephen (1912 - 2003)

Summary

Stephen Marchant was a geologist with the Bureau of Mineral Resources 1963-72 and an active amateur ornithologist. He edited The Emu 1969-81 and was Chief Editor of Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds (HANZAB) vols 1 and 2. Both volumes of HANZAB won the Whitley Award for the Best Zoological Handbook (in 1990 and 1993). He has been a major driving force in Australian ornithology.

Details

Born England, 11 August 1912. AM 1994. Educated University of Cambridge (studied geology, botany and zoology, BA (hons) 1938). Asiatic Petroleum Company, London ca 1931-34; Petroleum geologist, Shell Company, in Egypt ca 1938-39, Nigeria ca 1939-40, 1946-50, Ecuador ca 1954-58 and Iraq 1959-62; Australian Imperial Forces 1943-45, serving as a Coast Watcher in New Guinea and New Britain; lecturer in geology, Birmingham University 1950-54; arrived Australia 1963; Supervising Geologist, Bureau of Mineral Resources 1963-69, Exploration Manager, Woodside, 1969-71. Union Medal, British Ornithologists Union; Fellow, Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union 1975; John Hobbs Medal 1997. Founding member, ACT Group of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union (later called the Canberra Ornithologists Group) and Chairman 1968; established the RAOU's Nest Record Scheme; editor, The Emu, 1969-81; Chief Editor, Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds (HANZAB) vols 1 and 2; established the Eurobodalla Natural History Society 1986.

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Davies, Stephen, 'Obituary - Stephen Marchant 1912-2003', Emu, vol. 104, pp. 89-90. Details
• Marchant, S., 'Critical History of 'Emu'', Emu, vol. 72, no. 2, 1972, pp. 51-69. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Marchant, S', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-553409. Details

See also

• Robin, Libby, The Flight of the Emu: a Hundred Years of Australian Ornithology 1901-2001, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2001, 492 pp. Details