Disney, Henry John de S. (John) (1919 - 2014)

Summary

John Disney came to Australia in 1962 to become Curator of Birds at the Australian Museum. Previously he had spent over 15 years as a zoologist in Africa. As Curator he began a research project aimed at identifying the sex and age of Australian birds. He improved the Museum's birds collections by ensuring specimens were accompanied by far more detailed notes than had previously been the case. This enabled him to undertake studies on moult, cranial pneumatisation and cloacal protuberances. He played a leading role in the survey of the Lord Howe Woodhen, the result of which was the instigation of management program that has seen an increase in population size. Disney joined the Bird Banders' Association of New South Wales (later Australia) on its inception, and made the most of the opportunities thus provided to learn about the Australian avifauna. He served terms as President of the Association (and its successor) and edited its journal for 13 years.

Details

Chronology

1946 - 1948

Career position - Science Assistant to the Director, Kaffarian Museum, South Africa

1948 - 1953

Career position - Scientific officer, Cotton Research Station, British Tanganyika Territory

1953 - 1962

Career position - Zoologist, Department of Agriculture, Tanganyika

1962

Career position - Foundation Member, Bird Banders' Association of New South Wales

1962 - 1974

Career position - Editor, The bird bander

1962 - 1979

Career position - Curator of Birds, Australian Museum

1963 - 1976

Career position - Member, Bird Banders' Association of Australia

1966 - 1967

Career position - President, Bird Banders' Association of Australia

1968 - 1969

Career position - President, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales

1971 - 1994

Career position - Advisor, National Photographic Index of Australian Birds

1977 - 1978

Career position - President, Australian Bird Study Association

1979- -

Career position - Research Associate, Australian Museum

1980 - 1981

Career position - Member of Committee, Australian Bird Study Association

Related entries

Published resources

Book Sections

• Boles, W. E., '180 Years of Stuff[ed] Birds: Ornithology at the Australian Museum, Sydney' in Contributions to Contributions to the History of Australasian Ornithology, volume 2, Davis, William E., Recher, Harry F. and Boles, Walter E., eds (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Nuttall Ornithological Club, 2012), pp. 141-266. Details

Resources

• 'Disney, Henry John de S.', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1477047. Details

See also

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