George Jobberns (2 June 1895 – 30 August 1974) was a New Zealand geographer and educator. Born in 1895 at

Te Moana Te Moana is a locality in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located about west of Geraldine and bordered by Gapes Valley and Pleasant Valley to the south and Four Peaks to the north. The south branch of the Hae Ha ...

near

Geraldine Geraldine may refer to: People * Geraldine (name), the feminine form of the first name Gerald, with list of people thus named. * The Geraldines, Irish dynasty descended from the Anglo-Norman Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor * Geraldine of Albania, th ...

in the foothills of

South Canterbury South Canterbury is the area of the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand bounded by the Rangitata River in the north and the Waitaki River (the border with the Otago Region) to the south. The Pacific Ocean and ridge of the Souther ...

, New Zealand, Jobberns taught the first Geography I course at

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

in 1934. In 1937 he was appointed lecturer-in-charge of the first independent Department of Geography in New Zealand and in 1942 was elected to the first chair of Geography in New Zealand. On his retirement in May 1960, he was made Professor emeritus of the

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

. In the

1963 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1963 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries ...

, Jobberns was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. Jobberns died in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

on 30 August 1974, at 79 years. The Jobberns room at the University of Canterbury's Department of Geography was opened on 9 April 1976 by Vice Chancellor Professor N. C. Phillips to commemorate George Jobberns and his significant contributions to the subject of geography in New Zealand.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jobberns, George 1895 births 1974 deaths Academic staff of the University of New Zealand Academic staff of the University of Canterbury New Zealand geographers People from South Canterbury New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society 20th-century geographers