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The Sydney Ornithological Fraternity, 1930S-1950: Anecdotes of an Admirer Allen Keast Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada

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The Sydney Ornithological Fraternity, 1930S-1950: Anecdotes of an Admirer Allen Keast Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada The Sydney ornithological fraternity, 1930s-1950: anecdotes of an admirer Allen Keast Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada (Allen Keast, now Professor emeritus from Queen's University, Kingston, Canada, is an internationally recognized ornithologist. An early part of his experience was as a member of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. It is fitting that this oral history of his early years is published in the Society's journal. Ed.) The centre of Sydney ornithology 50 years discussions of bird observations, joint trips Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/australian-zoologist/article-pdf/30/1/26/1475436/az_1995_003.pdf by guest on 27 September 2021 ago was the Ornithological section of the would be planned: the talk would be about birds Royal Zoological Society that met monthly and nothing else. The Sydney ornithological (originally on Friday, then Thursday, nights) fraternity was smaller 50 years ago, the city jointly with the New South Wales Section of was compact and travel around it easier; inter- the Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. changes of home visits were frequent. The meeting place was the 6th floor of Bull's Chambers, 28 Martin Place. We were the most My ornithological career was to be inspired active of the half a dozen Sections, that and shaped by this late 1930s-1940s ornitho- included Aviculture, Conchology, Entomology, logical fraternity. Knowledge was freely etc. The meeting room was graced by a dispensed and I absorbed it all. Keith magnificent set of Neville Cayley paintings: Hindwood's city office was always available for these are now housed at Taronga Zoo. visiting - I do not know bow he ever got any work done - and I did not hesitate to call I became a member of the Society at the frequently on Roy Kinghorn and Tom Iredale age of 16 after attending an evening lecture at the Australian Museum. Michael Sharland, at the Australian Museum by Keith Hindwood: on learning of my wishing to become a bird I subsequently wrote him and he invited me to photographer searched the second-hand join. What I experienced at my first meeting shops for a quarter-plate double-extension would set any teenage bird enthusiast agog. camera, bought it on approval for £5.10.0, The Chairman was the distinguished bird tested it, and handed it over to me. I was artist Neville W. Cayley. The 40 members "hooked on bird photography. Such kind- present represented the cream of Sydney's ness was general: I cannot speak too highly of ornitholopical palaxv: Alex Chisholm, Michael it in mv case. ~harland,kom-hedale,Keith ~indwood,Dom Serventy, Perc Gilbert. Gilbert captivated us I have long since forgotten details of the with his account of continuing weekend many and diverse lectures at the monthly studies of the little-known Topknot Pigeon at Society meetings. They covered the widest Bola Creek, Royal National Park, and fielded range of subjects: sea-birds, birds-of-paradise, questions on his Blue Mountains to coast bird breeding seasons, the structure of bird feathers, migration findings (Gilbert 1935, 1936). Keith photographic field trips. A memorable feature exhibited a series of early Watling bird prints. was a 20 minute "discussion" and "observa- Dom reported on derelict seabirds recently tions" period at the end of the meeting when washed up on Cronulla beach. Tom regaled the many subjects of interest were explored. Leg- audience with witty anecdotes on ornithology pulling was rampant at this time. Three at the British Museum. I am not sure if I took examples are still vivid in my memory. out a Life Membership to the Society that first A visiting American ornithologist, Professor evening or not, but I am sure it was soon John Hough of the University of Colorado, after!. recounted with delight how he had encountered At the end of the meeting we retired to a an Emu in Central Australia. "How do you nearby coffee shop. Here, and at subsequent know it was an Emu" Alex Chisholm such gatherings, ardent photographers Nonnan demanded to know. "From the way it flew" Chaffer, Roy Cooper, Jack Waterhouse, and countered Hough. This confirmed to Alex others, exhibited bird photographs taken that John merited being made into a friend. since the last meeting. Admiration would be On another occasion Jock Marshall (later to unlimited; many bird species were then being be Professor Marshall of Monash University) taken for the first time. There would be wrote to the Section announcing that he had 26 Australian Zoologist, Vol. 30(1) December 1995 seen an Eastern Bristlebird in the mountains The Section's ornithological lore was also behind Kiama. No Bristlebird had then been dispensed at the meetings. I was assured that seen for 40 years. Tom Iredale jumped to his the suburb "Crow's Nest" got its name when feet and announced that he saw them all the a Raven condescended to grace the first tele- time: they were coloured red, white, and blue, graph pole with a nest. I learnt how Sydney's and whistled "Waltzing Matilda". Needless to only specimen of the Forest Kingfisher came say Marshall obviously had seen a Bristlebird to be. In the 1920s "D'Ombrain", I have . the Barren Grounds are now a Bristlebird always assumed it was the distinguished reserve. ornithologist Dr E. A. D'Ombrain, sighted the But Johnno Rhodes delivered the ultimate bird on telegraph wires from a tram in in bizarre "put-downs". Johnno had always Willoughby Road, Chatswood. He leapt out, been an unlikely contender in the "elegant" produced a catapult, shot the bird, and ran member stakes. He would today be referred after the tram yelling for the driver to stop to as a rugged country boy. He and his friend and let him back on. I have often wondered Ernie Woods hailed from the famous birding if every forward-looking ornithologist carried Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/australian-zoologist/article-pdf/30/1/26/1475436/az_1995_003.pdf by guest on 27 September 2021 Doonside area and he knew more about bird a catapult in the 1920s. On a more sober note nesting than the rest of us put together. He I learnt the story of how, I think it was in had been a side-show boxer in his youth, played 1933, Keith Hindwood had led home the New First Grade Rugby League for Newtown, and South Wales delegates from the R.A.O.U. professionally belonged to the wharf labourer camp-out at Mallacoota after George Mack, fraternity, a group not admired for their then ornithologist at the National Museum, respect for authority. From these diversions Victoria, had collected a Scarlet Robin near Johnno had acquired a cauliflower ear, a the camp. Back in Sydney the press picked up certain gnarled appearance, a tenderness to the story and it eventually led to enforcement ornithologists, and an advanced sense of of regulations against egg-collecting that had humour. In his youth Johnno had been an been in place since about 1919 and never egg-collector, an evil habit that it was really enforced. Years later, after I joined the rumoured he had never completely shaken. staff of the Museum I was to catch up with some On the basis of his skill at nest-finding more of the illegal collections of eggs confiscated at than one eminent Sydney bird photographer, that time. looking over his shoulder to make sure One-day Saturday, or Sunday, field excursions nobody was watching, asked Johnno where he were part of the activities of the Ornithological might find the nest of a so-and-so to photo- Section. In those days few people had cars and graph. Thus challenged Johnno more than we travelled by train or boat. An interesting once went out and found one for him. But weekend excursion was organized by Michael hack to the relevant incident. In the 1940s Sharland in the early October weekend to the the Cumberland Plain supported a high then National Park Trust cabin at Gundamain. density of Paperbarks (Melaleuca) with the On the ferry trip downstream from Audley mistletoe Ayema gaudichaudi and, when these many of us saw Mangrove Herons for the first fruited annually in January-February, of time. The heathland around Gundamain was breeding Mistletoebirds. One February meet- abloom. Brown Thornbills were common and ing Johnno announced that this was a good several nests with newly laid eggs were year for Mistletoebirds and that he had found found. 30 nests. None of us had ever seen a Mistletoe- bird nest, they were hard to find; and An outstanding excursion was the regular Johnno's announcement brought the house annual one by boat to Lion Island at the down. The following month Johnno arrived mouth of the Hawkesbury. We travelled with with two hessian sacks. He stood up and said Keith Hindwood's in-laws, the Goddards, who "You didn't believe I could find Mistletoebird at this time operated the passenger ferry nests. here!" With the flip of a wrist he around Pittwater. The short journey from upended the sacks over the table and startled Palm Beach to the Island, landing on the the Chairman who was temporarily lost in a sea sandy beach on the lee side of the island, and of Mistletoebird nests. Rhodes had spent the soon being greeted by the Fairy Penguins of previous weeks finding every derelict Mistletoe- the rocky shore and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters bird nest he could. From mernory there were of the top of the island, were delights. On one 44. Thereafter Johnno was taken seriously. of these trips we found the New Zealand Sooty (Needless to say the wonderful Cumberland Shearwater breeding, the first authenticated Plain Mistletoebird habitat has long since been record for the New South Wales coast (Keast given over to housing!).
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