On 22 June 1883, the Geographical Society of Australasia started at a meeting in

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 ...

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. A branch was formed in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in the same year. In July 1885, both the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and the

South Australian South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

branches started. In July 1886 the society became the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. The New South Wales branch's new constitution in 1886 widened its scope to encourage interest in scientific, commercial, educational and historical aspects of geography. The Society sponsored several important expeditions, notably the New Guinea Exploration Expedition in 1885, whose members included zoologist

Wilhelm Haacke Johann Wilhelm Haacke (23 August 1855 – 6 December 1912) was a German zoologist born in Clenze, Lower Saxony, who served as Director of the South Australian Museum in Adelaide from 1882 to 1884. Career He studied zoology at the University ...

, erstwhile director of the

South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultu ...

. The Victorian branch amalgamated with the Victorian Historical Society, while the New South Wales branch had ceased to function by the early 1920s. The South Australian and Queensland branches continue as the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia and Royal Geographical Society of Queensland respectively .

South Australia

The South Australian branch was formed on 10 July 1885. In 1905 they acquired the York Gate Library, following the death of Stephen William Silver a prosperous London merchant who had branched out into publishing information for colonial settlers alongside clothes, furniture and other equipment for use in the

British colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

Members

The founding members were: * His Honor the Chief Justice

S. J. Way Sir Samuel James Way, 1st Baronet, (11 April 1836 – 8 January 1916) was an English-Australian jurist who served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia from 18 March 1876 until 8 January 1916. Background Way was born in P ...

* Sir

Henry Ayers Sir Henry Ayers (now pron. "airs") (1 May 1821 – 11 June 1897) was the eighth Premier of South Australia, serving a record five times between 1863 and 1873. His lasting memorial is in the name Ayers Rock, also known as Uluru, which was en ...

, KCMG. (President of the Legislative Council) * Sir

Samuel Davenport Sir Samuel Davenport (5 March 1818 – 3 September 1906) was one of the early settlers of Australia and became a landowner and parliamentarian in South Australia. Davenport was fourth son of George Davenport, a wealthy English banker, an ...

* Sir

Thomas Elder Sir Thomas Elder, (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897), was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure. Amongst many other things, he is notable fo ...

* Hons.

George W. Cotton George Witherage Cotton (1821–1892) was a South Australian land dealer and Member of the South Australian Legislative Council. He was especially notable for being a champion of a scheme in South Australia to put working men onto small blocks ...

* David Murray * Henry Scott * Robert Alfred Tarlton, M.L.C. *

Bishop Kennion George Wyndham Kennion, Doctor of Divinity, DD (5 September 184519 May 1922), was the Anglican Anglican Diocese of Adelaide, Bishop of Adelaide, and later Bishop of Bath and Wells. Birth and education George Wyndham Kennion, the son of Georg ...

, D.D. *

Archdeacon Farr The Ven. George Henry Farr, M.A., LL.D. (2 July 1819 – 7 February 1904) was a British born Australian Anglican priest; headmaster of St. Peter's College from 1854 to 1879. History Farr was born in Tottenham, London, a son of John Farr, and was ...

, M.A., LLD, Rev. F. Williams, M.A. *

Peter Egerton-Warburton Colonel Peter Egerton-Warburton (16 August 1813 – 5 November 1889), often referred to as Major Warburton, was a British military officer, Commissioner of Police for South Australia, and an Australian explorer. In 1872 he sealed his legacy th ...

* F. E. H. W. Krichauff, M.P. *

Edwin Thomas Smith Sir Edwin Thomas Smith (6 April 1830 – 25 December 1919) was an English-born South Australian brewer, businessman, councillor, mayor, politician and philanthropist. Early years Smith was born on 6 April 1830 at Walsall, Staffordshire, ...

, M.P. * William Bundey (Mayor of Adelaide) * J. A. Hartley, B.A., B.Sc. (lnspector-General of Schools) * James W. Jones (Conservator of Water) * J. Langdon Bonython *

J. F. Conigrave John Fairfax Conigrave (c. 1843 – 20 June 1920), generally referred to as J. F. Conigrave or J. Fairfax Conigrave, was a businessman in South Australia. Conigrave was born in Rundle Street, Adelaide, the son of a Benjamin Conigrave, a cabinetmak ...

* T. Evans Jr. *

William Everard William Everard may refer to: *Wiliam Everard (14th century MP) for Norwich (UK Parliament constituency) *William Everard (Digger) (c. 1602 – d. in or after 1651), early leader of the Diggers *William Everard (Victorian politician) (1869–1950), ...

* Tom Gill * C. Hope Harris * E. Holthouse * A. T. Magarey * C. M. McKillop F.R.G.S. * C. J. Sanders * Samuel Tomkinson * W. H. Tietkens, F.R.G.S. * W. B. Wilkinson * Thomas Worsnop * F. S. Wallis. Later prominent members were: *

Simpson Newland Simpson Newland CMG (2 November 1835 – 27 June 1925), pastoralist, author and politician, was a pioneer in Australia who made significant contributions to development around the Murray River. He was also an author of practical works and novel ...

(president 1895–1900 and 1920–1922) * A. M. Simpson * A. A. Simpson (president 1925–1930) *

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

(president 1913–1920) * A. W. Piper KC (president 1910–1913) * Clive M. Hambidge (president 1944–1947). * T. S. Reed (secretary 1903–1914) * F. L. Parker (secretary 1922–1932; president 1934–1936) * A. A. Lendon MD.

References

External links

Royal Geographical Society of Queensland websiteRoyal Geographical Society of South Australia websiteRoyal Geographical Society of South Australia blog site

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

Geographic societies {{Australia-org-stub

South Australia

Members

See also

References

External links