Biographical entry Pennefather, Reginald Richard (1905 - 1957)
- Born
- 4 May 1905
Camberwell, Victoria, Australia - Died
- 2 February 1957
Parkville, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Agricultural scientist
Summary
Reginald Pennefather was an agricultural scientist who worked to find solutions to problems caused by salinity and declining soil fertility. His research into properties of soils in the Murrumbidgee irrigation area, and the infiltration of water through them, led him to formulate principles to guide irrigation techniques. Implementation of these principles prevented irreparable damage to the region's agricultural land. As foundation secretary of the CSIR's irrigation research and extension committee Pennefather was able to advocate for sustainable irrigation practices to the wider agricultural community. His extension work included regular articles published in farmers' magazines and radio broadcasts. He successfully forged closer relationships between farmers, scientists and public.
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Details
Events
- 1927
- Education - Bachelor of Agricultural Science, The University of Melbourne
- c. 1927 - c. 1932
- Career position - Investigating Officer and Surveyor, Prime Ministers Department, Australian Federal Government
- 1932 - 1940
- Career position - Field Research Assistant, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Griffith, New South Wales
- 1940 - 1944
- Career position - Foundation Secretary of the Irrigation Research and Extension Committee, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
- 1944
- Career position - Research Officer-in-Charge, Soils and Irrigation Extension Service, CSIRO
- 1945 - 1951
- Career position - Agricultural Extension Service, Department of Agriculture, New South Wales Government
- 1951 - 1957
- Career position - Officer-in-Charge, Agricultural Research Liason Section, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne Victoria
Published resources
Book Sections
- Boardman, N. Keith, 'Pennefather, Reginald Richard (1905-1957), Agricultural Scientist', in John Ritchie (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 15, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2000, pp. 588-589. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150687b.htm. Details
Newspaper Articles
- 'Surveyors', Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales, 3 January 1930, p. 26. Also available at http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223072805. Details
- 'Death of C.S.I.R.O. Officer', The Canberra Times, 13 February 1957, p. 5. Also available at http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91234192. Details
Helen Cohn and Elizabeth Daniels
Created: 25 July 2017, Last modified: 28 March 2018