Hope Black (''née'' MacPherson, 1919 – 25 January 2018) was an Australian scientist, a marine biologist and

malacologist Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...

. In 1937 she started working at the National Museum of Victoria. Subsequently, she became Curator of Molluscs at the museum in 1946. One of the first four women to carry out research in the

sub-Antarctic The sub-Antarctic zone is a region in the Southern Hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° and 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands ...

in 1959. She was the National Museum's first female curator. When she married in 1965, she was forced to leave the museum, and instead became a science teacher for thirteen years. In 2019 Lake Macpherson on

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 197 ...

was named for her.

Career

Appointed as Curator of Mollusks in 1946, Hope MacPherson was Australia's first female curator at the

National Museum of Victoria National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. Her tenure was brought to a close prematurely, when in 1965 she married and became Hope Black, requiring her retirement from the Victorian public service as a result of the

marriage bar A marriage bar is the practice of restricting the employment of married women. Common in Western countries from the late 19th century to the 1970s, the practice often called for the termination of the employment of a woman on her marriage, especi ...

. Subsequently, Black worked for 13 years as a science teacher.

Work in marine biology

Hope Black was initially employed in 1937 at Museum Victoria by the support of the

Carnegie Corporation The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

. She worked on developing and preparing new display cases for the McCoy Hall

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

s. In 1947 Black collaborated to survey the

Snowy River The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the ...

Gorge on horseback, prior construction of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme. Between 1957–1963, Black carried out biological surveys of

Port Phillip Bay Port Phillip (Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completel ...

, and her results are still used as baseline data from which to measure environmental change in the area. Black investigated the genus '' Teredo'', a group of marine bivalve mollusks known as "shipworms". She also surveyed edible

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

s in Victoria. Ultimately, her mollusc research lead to her writing the book ''Molluscs of Victoria'', which was published in 1962. Notably, Black was also a member of a group of four women (also including

Isobel Bennett Isobel Ida Bennett AO 1984 (9 July 1909 – 12 January 2008) was one of Australia's best-known marine biologists. She (with Elizabeth Pope) assisted William John Dakin with research for his final book (Australian Seashores) regarded by man ...

, Susan Ingham and

Mary Gillham Mary Eleanor Gillham MBE (26 November 1921 – 23 March 2013) was a British naturalist, university lecturer, and writer, who was resident for many years in Gwaelod y Garth and then Radyr, in Cardiff, Wales until her death. Although born in a L ...

) who were the first to carry out research in the

in 1959. She was inducted into the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

in 2012. In 2019 Lake Macpherson on

was named for her.

References

External links

Black, Hope (1919 - )
Encyclopedia of Australian Science {{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Hope 1919 births 2018 deaths Australian women scientists Australian public servants University of Melbourne alumni Scientists from Melbourne Women Antarctic scientists Women marine biologists Australian marine biologists Australian malacologists University of Melbourne women Australian women curators