P000945 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human McCarthy, G.J., Moje, C. & Walsh, N. updated 2026-03-31 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000945b.htm person Cambage Richard Hind AACR2 7 November 1859 28 November 1928 Place of Birth Applegarth, New South Wales, Australia Place of Death Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Surveyor Botanist Public servant Richard Cambage had a distinguished career in surveying and mining in New South Wales. Following several years as a pupil-teacher at the Ulladulla Public School he qualified as a surveyor in 1882. After a period with the Lands Department , he joined the Department of Mines, retiring in 1924 as Under-Secretary of the Department. During his time with Mines he surveyed the abandoned Newcastle works running under harbour and sea-bed, and was involved in the inquiry into the Mount Kembla mining disaster which resulted in considerable loss of life. Cambage played a central role in the scientific societies, including as President of the Royal and Linnean Societies of New South Wales, the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia. He also served for ten years on the Australian National Research Council. Cambage was an enthusiastic botanist and collector of plant specimens, collaborating with leaders in the field including Joseph Maiden, William Woolls and Henry Deane. Often in conjunction with Maiden, Cambage published descriptions of new species, notably Acacia and Eucalyptus. He was particularly interested in the physiology and morphology of Acacia, and the relationship of the chemical composition of soils to the distribution of Eucalyptus. Between 1901 and 1928 he published 31 papers in local scientific journals titled: "Notes on the botany of the interior of New South Wales"; "Notes on the native flora of New South Wales"; and "Acacia seedlings". Most of his plant collections are held by the National Herbarium of New South Wales.

A number of plant species were named in honour of Cambage. These include: Acacia cambagei R. T. Baker and Eucalyptus cambageana Maiden.

Cambage published descriptions of new species, particularly eucalypts (sometimes in association with Joseph Maiden), and collected numerous type specimens. These include:
1899 Eucalyptus oreades R.T.Bak. Cambage was joint collector of the type specimen
1905 Eucalyptus moorei Maiden & Cambage
1909 Eucalyptus parvifolia Cambage ( = Eucalyptus parvula L.A.S.Johnson & K.D.Hill)
1915 Eucalyptus benthamii Maiden & Cambage
1915 Eucalyptus kybeanensis Maiden & Cambage
1919 Eucalyptus mitchelliana Cambage
1919 Eucalyptus blaxlandii Maiden & Cambage
1919 Eucalyptus pumila Cambage
1920 Eucalyptus cullenii Cambage
1922 Eucalyptus yarraensis Maiden & Cambage; Cambage also collected the type specimen
1926 Eucalyptus x bucknellii Cambage

1879 1880 Career event - Participated in survey of the National Park, New South Wales 1882 1882 Education - Qualified as licensed surveyor 1882 1885 Career position - Draftsman, New South Wales Department of Lands 1885 1891 Career position - Mining Surveyor, New South Wales Department of Mines 1891 1902 Career position - Mining surveyor, New South Wales Department of Mines and Agriculture 1896 1928? Career position - Member, Linnean Society of New South Wales 1902 1907 Career position - Chief Mining Surveyor, New South Wales Department of Mines and Agriculture 1903 1918 Career position - Member, Licensed Surveyors Examination Board 1906 1923 Career position - Member of Council, Linnean Society of New South Wales 1907 1909 Career position - President, Institution of Surveyors, New South Wales 1907 1916 Career position - Chief Mining Surveyor, New South Wales Mines Department 1909 1915 Career position - Lecturer on surveying, Sydney Technical College 1912 1912 Career position - President, Royal Society of New South Wales 1913 1913 Career position - President, Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia 1914 1922 Career position - Secretary, Royal Society of New South Wales 1916 1924 Career position - Under-Secretary, New South Wales Mines Department 1917 1924 Career position - Superintendent of explosives, New South Wales Mines Department 1919 1926 Career position - Foundation Councillor (Botany), Honorary Secretary, Australian National Research Council 1923 1923 Career position - President, Royal Society of New South Wales 1923 1923 Career position - Chair, organising committee, 2nd Pan Pacific Science Congress, Melbourne and Sydney 1924 1924 Career position - President, Australian Historical Society 1924 1924 Career event - Retired 1924 1925 Career position - President, Linnean Society of New South Wales 1925 1925 Career event - Attended the conference on reorganisation of the Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry 1925 1925 Award - Commander of the Order of the British Empire 1925 1928 Career position - Trustee, Australian Museum 1925 1928 Career position - Secretary, Royal Society of New South Wales 1926 1928 Career position - President, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1926 1928 Career position - President, Australian National Research Council 1928 1928 Career position - President, New South Wales Branch, Australian Forest League Woolls, William (1814 - 1893) Deane, Henry (1847 - 1924) Maiden, Joseph Henry (1859 - 1925) New South Wales Mines Department, State of New South Wales (1908 - 1978)

Chief Mining Surveyor 1907- 1916; Under Secretary for Mines 1916 - 1924

 New South Wales Department of Lands, Colony and State of New South Wales (1859 - 1981)

Draftsman 1882 - 1885

 New South Wales Department of Mines and Agriculture, Colony and State of New South Wales (1891 - 1908)

Chief Mining Surveyor 1902 - 1907

 National Herbarium of New South Wales, Colony and State of New South Wales (1896 - )

The Herbarium holds a significant number of Cambage's collections

 Australian Forest League, New South Wales Branch (1923 - ?)

President 1928

 Linnean Society of New South Wales (1874 - )

President 1924 - 1925

 Royal Society of New South Wales (1866 - )

President 1912 and 1923

 Institution of Surveyors, New South Wales (ISNSW) (1891 - )

President 1907 - 1909

 Australian National Research Council (ANRC) (1919 - 1955)

President 1926 - 1928; Foundation Hon.Secretary 1919 - 1926; Foundation Member (Botany) 1919 - 1928

 Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science (1888 - 1930)

President 1926 - 1928

 Conference convened by the Prime Minister, S.M. Bruce, to consider the reorganisation of the Commonwealth Institute of Science and Industry, 30 May and 1 June 1925

Representative of New South Wales

 Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia (1909 - )

Presidnet 1913

Wikidata

VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Cambage, R H (18591107-19281128)

Trove

 'Cambage, Richard Hind', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Cambage, Richard Hind Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Book Section: Cambage, Richard Hind (1859-1928), surveyor and botanist McMinn, W. G. Cambage, Richard Hind (1859-1928), surveyor and botanist Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1979 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle 529-530 Book: A critical revision of the genus Eucalyptus Maiden, J. H. A critical revision of the genus Eucalyptus Sydney Government Printer 1903 - 1933 Journal Article: Botanical, Topographical and Geological Notes on Some Routes of Allan Cunningham Maiden, J. H.; and Cambage, R.H. Botanical, Topographical and Geological Notes on Some Routes of Allan Cunningham 1909 Journal and Proceedings of The Royal Society of New South Wales xliii 123-138 Journal Article: Biographical Sketches of Some of the Members of the Philosophical Society of Australasia Cambage, R.H. Biographical Sketches of Some of the Members of the Philosophical Society of Australasia 1921 Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales lv xxxiii-xlii Journal Article: Exploration Between the Wingecarribee, Shoalhaven, Macquarie and Murrumbidgee Rivers Cambage, R.H. Exploration Between the Wingecarribee, Shoalhaven, Macquarie and Murrumbidgee Rivers 1921 Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society 7 Journal Article: Chairman's address Cambage, R. H. Chairman's address 1928 Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 53 1 i-viii Journal Article: Mr R. H. Cambage, C.B.E. Walkom, A. B. Mr R. H. Cambage, C.B.E. 1929 Nature 123 3095 286-7 Journal Article: Richard Hind Cambage, 1859-1928 (memorial series, no. 4) A., E. C. [ie Andrews, E. C.] Richard Hind Cambage, 1859-1928 (memorial series, no. 4) 1934 Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 59 435-447 Book: The Origins of CSIRO: Science and the Commonwealth Government, 1901-1926 Currie, George; Graham, John The Origins of CSIRO: Science and the Commonwealth Government, 1901-1926 Melbourne CSIRO 1966 Book: The moth hunters: Aboriginal prehistory of the Australian Alps Flood, Josephine M. The moth hunters: Aboriginal prehistory of the Australian Alps Canberra Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies 1980 Book: Dictionary of Australian biography Serle, Percival Dictionary of Australian biography Sydney Angus & Robertson 1949 Resource: Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators Fagg, Murray Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH) 2010 Book: Australian botanist's companion George, Alex S. Australian botanist's companion Kardinya, W.A. Four Gables Press 2009 Book: Botanists of the Eucalypts: short biographies of people who have named eucalypts, whose names have been given to species or who have collected type material Hall, Norman Botanists of the Eucalypts: short biographies of people who have named eucalypts, whose names have been given to species or who have collected type material Melbourne CSIRO 1978

Source used to compile entry

 Australian Botanists - Biographies Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science Australian Botanists - Biographies MS 064 Hunt Institute Biographies. Short biographies, averaging 2 pages, of Australian botanists, botanical collectors or artists. 0.24 m, 3 boxes