Edgar Frederick Riek (1920–2016) was an Australian entomologist and invertebrate zoologist known for his research on fossil insects and the taxonomy of freshwater crayfish. He later became known as prominent

viticulturist Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

and

winemaker A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

. Affiliated with the CSIRO for over 30 years, he wrote the first pocket field guide to Australian insects, described over 230 species, and is commemorated in the names of over 80 species. After retiring from the CSIRO he became a noted figure in the Australian wine industry, co-founding the Canberra and District Vignerons Association and receiving the

Order of Australia Medal The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(1996) for his work. Edgar Riek was born 1 May 1920 in Napier, New Zealand, to Australian parents. He was raised in

Caboolture, Queensland Caboolture () is a town and suburb in Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Caboolture had a population of 26,433 people. It is located on the north side of the Caboolture River, which separates the town from Mora ...

, attended Brisbane Grammar School, and entered 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 ...

in 1939 where he worked as an assistant in the Geology Department. He majored in Geology and Biology, earned a B.S. from the University of Queensland in 1942, and taught zoology there from 1943 to 1945 while earning a M.S. on freshwater animals of Queensland, awarded 1946. In 1945 he joined the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, a precursor to the CSIRO, as an assistant in the Division of Economic Entomology in Canberra. He retired in 1976.

References

External links

Edgar Riek 1998 interview
at the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

* 1920 births 2016 deaths Australian entomologists Australian carcinologists Australian paleontologists Australian winemakers 20th-century Australian zoologists Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia University of Queensland alumni People from Napier, New Zealand Scientists from Queensland People educated at Brisbane Grammar School CSIRO people Viticulturists {{Australia-scientist-stub