Sir George Alexander Currie (13 August 18964 May 1984) was an agricultural scientist, university professor and administrator. He was born in

Grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to a monastery Geography Australia * Grange, South Austral ...

Banffshire Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

on 13 August 1896.Sir George Edward Currie
by D.E. Hutchison, ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' Retrieved 2015-04-23 After serving in the

Gordon Highlanders 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, ...

during the first world war, Currie studied at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

, graduating in 1923 with BSc and BAgSc, including First Class Honours in zoology and geology. After graduation, Currie and his wife emigrated to Australia where he managed a sugar-cane plantation in

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_ ...

. In 1926 he joined the

Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is a department of the Queensland Government which aims to maximise the economic potential for Queensland's primary industries on a sustainable basis through strategic industrial development. The sec ...

as an assistant entomologist. In 1929 he moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

to take up a position with the Council for Scientific and Industry Research. He worked in the division of economic entomology and specialized in the biological control of noxious weeds. In 1937 he was promoted to principal research scientist. In 1939 Currie was appointed to the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

as the Hackett professor of agriculture. In the following year he acquired extra duties as part-time Vice Chancellor of the University and served in this role until 1945. Currie served as full-time Vice Chancellor of the University of Western Australia from 1945 to 1952, and Vice Chancellor of the

University of New Zealand The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...

from 1952 until his retirement in 1962. Currie was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

in 1953, and was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in the

1960 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1960 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the '' Lo ...

. Since 1960, one of the University of Western Australia's residential colleges has been named ''Currie Hall'' in honour of the University's second Vice Chancellor.Currie Hall celebrates 50 years
Retrieved 2015-04-23 When Currie retired in 1962 he and his wife returned to Canberra. He chaired a working party on education that recommended in 1967 that the ACT should have its own system of education. Curried died in Royal Canberra Hospital on 4 May 1984, aged 87.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Currie, George 1896 births 1984 deaths Academic staff of the University of Western Australia New Zealand scientists Heads of universities and colleges in New Zealand New Zealand Knights Bachelor British emigrants to Australia Australian expatriates in New Zealand People from Banffshire