Place And Date Of Birth

Southport, Lancashire, England 25 July, 1925

Education and qualifications

Tertiary: Manchester University Cambridge University Secondary: Nelson Grammar School, Lancashire Kirkham Grammar School Queen Elizabeths Grammar School, Blackburn Primary: St Johns Church of England Primary School, Lancashire

Career positions held

Professor of Soil Science, The University of Sydney Associate Professor of Soil Science, The University of Sydney Director of Studies, Cambridge University Senior Research Scientist, Cambridge University University Demonstrator, Cambridge University Research Assistant, Cambridge University Visiting Professor at University of California (Berkeley), Université de Paris, Cambridge University, Lancaster University, Oxford University and Université de Grenoble.

ASSSI position held

NSW Branch President Federal Vice President J.A. Prescott Medal of Soil Science (1979)

Video interview

 

When did/why did soil science first appeal to you?

I had a farming background My Masters degree was in clay chemistry - colloid physics The transfer to soil physics was painless

What were the most significant developments in soil science during your career?

John Philips' contributions The development of atomic absorption analysis Northcote's classification scheme

What were your main contributions to soil science?

Some papers worthy of mentioning Active in early days of the society Built up a department A lot of time taken up with introducing up-to-date concepts and developing strong 3rd and 4th year courses