Anthelme Thozet (25 May 1826 – 31 May 1878) was a French-Australian

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and

ethnographer Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

Early life

He was born 25 May 1826 in Chegnieu-la-Balme (Register of Contrevoz), and fled

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

for London (giving his profession as engineer) in September 1854 as a political refugee following the

1848 French revolution The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation ...

. He migrated to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia in late 1854/early 1855 as part of a French gold digging expedition to Bathurst. He then moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in early 1856 where he worked as a clerk at the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government ar ...

before being drawn to

Rockhampton, Queensland Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

by the

Canoona gold rush During the Australian gold rushes, starting in 1851, significant numbers of workers moved from elsewhere in Australia and overseas to where gold had been discovered. Gold had been found several times before, but the colonial government of Ne ...

. While living in Sydney he met Maria Isabella Berthold, a German immigrant, and they had a son, Auguste who was born on 7 July 1857.

Life in Rockhampton

Thozet established the second hotel in

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

, the Alliance, but driven by a never failing professional interest in botany he commenced researching native

Australian plants The Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) (ANPSA) is a federation of seven state-based member organisations for people interested in Australia's native flora, both in aspects of conservation and in cultivation. A national conference is h ...

used by

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

people of

Northern Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

including the

Darumbal The Darumbal people, also spelt Dharumbal, are the Aboriginal Australians that have traditionally occupied Central Queensland, speaking dialects of the Darumbal language. Darumbal people of the Keppel Islands and surrounding regions are sometime ...

clans around Rockhampton. Thozet is credited with pioneering research into

bush tucker Bush tucker, also called bush food, is any food native to Australia and used as sustenance by Indigenous Australians, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, but it can also describe any native flora or fauna used for culinary or ...

. In 1866 he published ''Notes on Some of the Roots, Tubers, Bulbs and Fruits Used as Vegetable Food by the Aboriginals of Northern Queensland, Australia'', W H Buzacott, Rockhampton.
This pamphlet includes a description of midamo, a mixture of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

roots and berries made by baking the root of the common

(''Avicennia Tomentosa'') called ''Egaie'' by the tribes of

Cleveland Bay The Cleveland Bay is a breed of horse that originated in England during the 17th century, named after its colouring and the Cleveland district of Yorkshire. It is a well-muscled horse, with legs that are strong but short in relatio ...

, and ''Tagon–Tagon'' by those of Rockhampton. Thozet established his own plant nursery in

North Rockhampton North Rockhampton is the common name for the suburbs of Rockhampton located on the north-east side of the Fitzroy River in Queensland, Australia. It may also refer more specifically to the location of the North Rockhampton railway station or th ...

on which are today bounded by Thozet Creek, Thozet Road, Rockonia Road and the

Fitzroy River Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

in Koongal. Thozet was instrumental in developing the

Rockhampton Botanic Gardens Rockhampton Botanic Gardens is a heritage-listed botanic garden at 100 Spencer Street, The Range, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1873 to 1930s. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 23 ...

founded in 1861, the

South Rockhampton Cemetery South Rockhampton Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at Upper Dawson Road, Allenstown, Queensland, Allenstown, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1860 to 1970. It is also known as Dawson Road Cemetery and Rockhampt ...

, and the tree plantings along the Fitzroy River in the

Rockhampton CBD Rockhampton City is the central suburb of the city of Rockhampton in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the . Rockhampton City had a population of 1,953 people. It is informally known as Rockhampton central business district (CBD ...

area. He supplied plant and seed specimens to other botanists and Botanical Gardens, including

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

, Victorian government botanist and director of the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are botanic gardens across two sites–Melbourne and Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was reserved on the south side of the Yarra River for a new botanic garden. It extends across ...

. Thozet named his sprawling 66-acre Rockhampton property "Muellerville" in honour of von Mueller. In 1875, he was made a fellow of the

Royal Colonial Institute The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting confli ...

. The website

Bionomia Bionomia (formerly Bloodhound Tracker) is a database and database entry tool which permits the name strings of collectors, and of taxonomists who determine specimen data, to be assigned to the unique person who collected or identified the specim ...

shows that the specimens he collected continue to contribute to scientific knowledge with (as of June 2020) six publications having used his specimens. In 2011, there was some suggestion that Thozet may have planted Australia's first

mango trees ''Mangifera indica'', commonly known as mango, is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is a large fruit tree, capable of growing to a height of . There are two distinct genetic populations in modern mangoesthe "Indian type ...

on "Muellerville", sourcing them from explorer

Charles Nicholson Sir Charles Nicholson, 1st Baronet (23 November 1808 – 8 November 1903) was an English-Australian politician, university founder, explorer, pastoralist, antiquarian and philanthropist. The Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney is name ...

who may have picked them up as seedlings in India. However, this claim has been disputed. Thozet was active in promoting the interests of Rockhampton overseas, and in the

Separation League The Separation League was a political alliance in Burma. History The alliance was formed to contest the 1932 general elections by parties that were in favour of Burma being separated from British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rā ...

, attempting to have the northern portion of Queensland recognised as a separate State. The family travelled overseas between 1869 1872 which included an extended stay in France where Thozet gave lectures and raised more money to continue his research. They also visited England where Anthelme and Maria were married in a

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

registry office on 22 November 1872. By March 1873, they had arrived back in Rockhampton.

Awards

Thozet was awarded numerous medals throughout his career. At the

1862 International Exhibition The International Exhibition of 1862, or Great London Exposition, was a world's fair. It was held from 1 May to 1 November 1862, beside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London, England, on a site that now houses ...

in London, Thozet received silver medals for his exhibits on tobacco grown and cigars manufactured in Rockhampton. He was awarded silver medals at the 1862 Lyon International Exhibition, the 1865 Royal Prussian Exhibition in Berlin, and the 1875 Society d'Acclimatisation in Paris. Thozet also won two bronze medals at the 1866-67 Melbourne Intercolonial Exhibition of Australasia. In January 1921, Thozet's widow Maria presented a collection of 15 medals to the

Rockhampton School of Arts Rockhampton School of Arts is a heritage-listed former school of arts at 230 Bolsover Street, Rockhampton City, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William (Walter) Cherry built in 1894 by Walter Adam ...

. In 2012, a private collector presented the collection of medals to

Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (alternatively known as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campus ...

to be displayed in the library at the university's Rockhampton campus. A special morning tea was held to celebrate the university taking custodianship of the medals.

Death

Anthelme Thozet died in 1878 from

bilious fever Bilious fever was a medical diagnosis of fever associated with excessive bile or bilirubin in the blood stream and tissues, causing jaundice (a yellow color in the skin or sclera of the eye). The most common cause was malaria. Viral hepatitis and b ...

contracted on an expedition to Blackwater and was buried in the garden of his property Muellerville. Thozet's son Auguste and daughter-in-law Lucy Anne (née Nobbs) were buried beside him in 1902 and this small family cemetery is located on Codd Street, North Rockhampton. Lucy Thozet had died from natural causes on 24 February 1902, with her husband dying from suicide on 11 March 1902. In December 1922, Anthelme Thozet's widow Maria sustained injuries in a fall at her home where she lay for 13 hours before being found the next morning by her neighbours and then taken to hospital. She never recovered and died on 4 August 1923. Maria Thozet was buried in the

North Rockhampton Cemetery The North Rockhampton Cemetery is a cemetery in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, which was established in 1879. It is situated approximately 11 hectares of land beside the Bruce Highway at the junction of Yaamba Road and Moores Creek Road in N ...

despite wanting to be buried the family cemetery on "Muellerville" alongside her husband, son and daughter-in-law. After Maria Thozet's death, Muellerville was gradually sold off as residential allotments, the first 30 of which went to auction on 31 July 1926. Apart from some parkland, the original Muellerville property is now a completely residential area. In 2010,

Rockhampton Regional Council The Rockhampton Region is a local government area (LGA) in Central Queensland, Australia, located on the Tropic of Capricorn about north of Brisbane. Rockhampton is the region's major city; the region also includes the Fitzroy River, Mount Ar ...

and the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

conducted archeological investigations, locating three graves at the north end of Norris Park, which lies on land that was part of the original Muellerville property. In 2012, there was a push to have Norris Park renamed to Muellerville Park. Situated on Thozet's original Muellerville property, Norris Park was named as such as a tribute to William Norris, a long serving employee of

Rockhampton City Council The City of Rockhampton was a local government area in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing most of the suburban area of the regional city of Rockhampton. The city covered an area of , and existed as a local gove ...

. However, a petition was submitted to the council's parks and recreation committee to have it changed to Muellerville Park in recognition of Thozet's contribution to botany. Although council decided to keep the name Norris Park, they revealed a commemorative stone would be installed in the park to give recognition of Thozet's pioneering work. As a result, the council subsequently installed a new headstone for the graves, and a memorial marker informing visitors that "this parkland is the last remaining portion of the 66 acre experimental garden known as 'Muellerville', once owned by Frenchborn botanist and botanical pioneer Anthelme Thozet".

Legacy

No photographs of Thozet are known to exist. There was a

pen-and-ink drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

of Thozet which was previously displayed in the Rockhampton School of Arts but as of 2010 its whereabouts were unknown. However, numerous landmarks in Rockhampton bear Thozet's name or refer to his French heritage such as Thozet Road, Thozet Creek, Little Thozet Creek, Frenchmans Creek and the suburb of Frenchville. The Rockhampton Historical Society installed a historical marker is located on Quay Street crediting Thozet with planting native plum trees along the banks of the Fitzroy River in 1867 which are still standing. Botanist

Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze (23 June 1843 – 27 January 1907) was a German botanist. Biography Otto Kuntze was born in Leipzig. An apothecary in his early career, he published an essay entitled ''Pocket Fauna of Leipzig''. Between 1863 and 1866 he ...

in 1891,

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every polyg ...

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

genus (in the family Chaetosphaeriaceae) and named in Thozet's honour. The tree species, '' Eucalyptus thozetiana'' was also named in his honour in 1906. Muellerville Walk was developed in 2014 to guide visitors around the western boundary of what was once Thozet's vast property, with the starting point being at Thozet's grave in Norris Park. Muellerville Walk was upgraded in 2017 with interpretive signage and a fully connected pathway. ThozetBuilding3

Building 7 on the North Rockhampton campus of

was named the Thozet Building in 2003. The three-storey structure was one of the three original buildings to be constructed on the campus in 1964. With the building housing the Primary Industries Research Centre (Plant Sciences) and the Centre for Environmental Management, it was named the Thozet building on 9 October 2003 in honour of Thozet's outstanding contribution to pioneering plant science and research and in the development of horticulture in Rockhampton and Central Queensland. The building's plaque officially unveiled by Dr Joe Baker. However, it's unclear whether the building has retained the name of Thozet Building after the installation of two murals on the eastern side of the building in 2017. Artists Bill Gannon, Luke Gannon and Jon Watson created murals of Aunty Ollie (a custodian of the Darumbal people) and Malcolm Mann (a Darumbal traditional owner) which were officially unveiled in September 2017. The "Thozet Building" signage was removed from the exterior of the building prior to the murals being painted and it has since been simply referred to as "Building 7" in the university's own online articles. In a 2019 online article, the university stated that the structure is "now known as building 7". In 2019, Thozet's name was short-listed as one of the top three names to be considered for the new riverside art gallery in

Rockhampton City Rockhampton City is the central suburb of the city of Rockhampton in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the . Rockhampton City had a population of 1,953 people. It is informally known as Rockhampton central business district (C ...

. After a period of public consultation, the Rockhampton Museum of Art was chosen as the winning name with 101 votes compared to eight votes received from those who preferred the name of the Thozet Art Gallery.

References

*Queenslander 8 June 1878 p302d, obituary