Dr Douglas Frew Waterhouse CMG AO

ForMemRS Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematics ...

(3 June 19161 December 2000) was an Australian

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

. Originally published in ''Historical Records of Australian Science'', vol.13, no.4, 2001. Waterhouse was the chief of the

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...

entomology division from 1960 to 1981. He is best known for the invention of the active ingredient in

Aerogard Aerogard is an Australian brand of outdoor insect repellent (that is applied directly to the skin). It comes in aerosol sprays, bottled creams and roll-ons, the manufacturer is owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Reckitt Benckiser. Active ingredient ...

, an Australian

insect repellent An insect repellent (also commonly called "bug spray") is a substance applied to skin, clothing, or other surfaces to discourage insects (and arthropods in general) from landing or climbing on that surface. Insect repellents help prevent and cont ...

. He also gave his consent to the Australian Dung Beetle Project (1965-1985) which saw the introduction of

dung beetle Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night. Many dung beetles, known as ''rollers'', roll dung into round balls, which are used as a food source or breeding cha ...

s to Australia as a fly control measure. While this was a risky decision because of the threat that the dung beetles could themselves become pests or disrupt the delicate ecological balance, it proved very successful and reduced the population of bush flies by 90%.Bornemissza, G. F. (1976), The Australian dung beetle project 1965-1975, ''Australian Meat Research Committee Review'' 30:1-30

Early life

Waterhouse was born to

Eben Gowrie Waterhouse Eben Gowrie Waterhouse (1881–1977) was an Australian who had three distinguished careers. Starting out as an innovative teacher of languages, he became one of Australia's most prominent Germanists when classical German culture still commanded ...

and Janet Frew Waterhouse in Sydney in 1916. He grew up at

Eryldene ''Eryldene'' is a heritage-listed former family residence and now house museum located at 17 McIntosh Street in the Sydney North Shore suburb of Gordon, Ku-ring-gai Council, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by William Hardy Wilson ...

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

, a northern suburb of

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 ...

. The house is now preserved by a trust and open to the public. Douglas was introduced to entomology by his uncle Athol, who would take him on butterfly collection trips. His early schooling was at Brisbane Church of England Grammar School.

Career highlights

* Educated

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

(BSc 1937, MSc 1938, DSc 1952) * CMG 1970, AO 1980. Assistant Research Officer, Division of Economic Entomology, CSIR 1938 * Captain,

Australian Army Medical Corps The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian coloni ...

, World War II, working in the CSIR laboratories as a CSIR officer, research, Division of Entomology *

1946-53, Assistant Chief, Division of Entomology *

1953-60, Chief 1960-81, Honorary Research Fellow 1981 * Inaugural Chairman,

Canberra College of Advanced Education The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...

, 1968-90 * Consultant in Plant Protection to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research 1983 * Secretary (Biological Sciences), Australian Academy of Science 1961-66 * President,

Australian Entomological Society Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

1969-72 * President, 14th

International Congress of Entomology The International Congress of Entomology (ICE) is the largest in-person conference for the science of entomology. It generally meets every 4 years, and has been held in locations around the world since 1910. Initially conferences were organized by ...

1974 * President,

International Bee Research Association The International Bee Research Association is a charity based in the United Kingdom which exists to promote the value of bees and provide information on bee science and beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies ...

1977-78 * President, ACT Branch,

National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...

1983 * Inaugural Chancellor,

University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. UC ...

, 1990-92

Honours and awards

* 1953

David Syme Research Prize The David Syme Research Prize is an annual award administered by the University of Melbourne for the best original research work in biology, physics, chemistry or geology, produced in Australia during the preceding two years, particular preference ...

* 1954 Fellow,

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

* 1972

Mueller Medal The Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS) is an organisation that was founded in 1888 as the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science to promote science. It was modelled on the British As ...

* 1973 Farrer Medal * 1979 Adventures in Agricultural Science Award * 1983 Medal of the International Congress of Plant Protection * 1983 Foreign Associate, U.S. National Academy of Sciences * 1988 Australian Bicentennial Award for most outstanding living contributor to New South Wales agriculture

References

External links

Eryldene Trust
- website featuring Waterhouse's boyhood home

- National Portrait Gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Waterhouse, Doug 1916 births 2000 deaths Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Fellows of the Royal Society Officers of the Order of Australia Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Australian military doctors Australian military personnel of World War II