Sir Jack Keith Murray, (8 February 1889 – 10 December 1979), often cited as J. K. Murray, was an Australian colonial administrator, army officer, and educator. He was Administrator of the Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea, and foundation Professor of Agriculture at the

Queensland Agricultural College University of Queensland Gatton Campus is a heritage-listed university campus of the University of Queensland at Warrego Highway, Lawes, Gatton, Lockyer Valley Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1897 to 1960s. It is also known a ...

(now

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 ...

, Gatton campus).

Early life

Jack Keith Murray was born on 8 February 1889 in Middle

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, Melbourne, Victoria. His parents' marriage ended when he was 2 and his mother moved to Sydney with him, working to find the fees to pay his attendance at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill in 1904. Murray enrolled at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1908, and after serving two years as an agricultural cadet at Cowra, he completed his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in Agriculture in 1914 and

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1915. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1916 and was discharged a year later. He re-enlisted later that year and served with the

Australian Army Veterinary Corps The Australian Army Veterinary Corps (AAVC) was a corps of the Australian Army which was formed in 1909 to replace the veterinary department of the Commonwealth Military Forces. Following the establishment of a number of permanent artillery batt ...

in France from 1918 to 1919. While in Europe, Murray took leave to study dairy science at an agricultural college in Scotland, and visited the United States before returning to Australia.

Career

Murray was appointed a lecturer in dairy bacteriology and technology at

Hawkesbury Agricultural College Hawkesbury Agricultural College was the first agricultural college in New South Wales, Australia, based in Richmond. It operated from 1891 to 1989. It was established on 10 March 1891, and formally opened by Minister for Mines and Agriculture ...

, before taking up a role as Principal of the Queensland Agricultural High School and College in Gatton, Queensland in 1923. He married Evelyn Andrews in 1924, a fellow University of Sydney graduate, before being employed as the first Professor of Agriculture at the

(now known as the University of Queensland Gatton). He worked to improve the standard of education in agricultural science. Murray was Chairman of the Queensland Plant Breeding Committee. He became President of the Royal Society of Queensland in 1936. He was also a member of the Queensland State Committee of CSIR and the Australian National Research Council. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Murray enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force and was made Commanding Officer of the 25th Battalion, Darling Downs Regiment in 1940, managed staff training for Northern Command, and rose to the rank of colonel in charge of AIF training depots. He became Chief Instructor of the Land Headquarters School of Civil Affairs at Duntroon, helping to retrain ex-servicemen after the war. His wife, Evelyn, was also involved with teaching at Gatton. Murray was appointed Administrator of the Australian Territories in Papua and New Guinea from 1945 to 1952, and was knighted in 1978, for his contribution to the development of PNG as it moved toward independence. He returned to the University in 1953, and worked steadily on the project that created

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairn ...

. He was also active on the University of Queensland's Buildings and Grounds Committee, was on the board of Cromwell College and was a member of the University Union House Committee which oversaw the Student Union. He was appointed an

Officer 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 ...

in 1959. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science in 1967, became Emeritus Professor in 1975, and was advanced to

Knight 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 ...

in the

1978 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1978 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, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginn ...

. He was also active in the Scout Association of Australia.

Legacy

Murray died in Brisbane on 10 December 1979 and was survived by his wife. In recognition of his commitment to Gatton and education, his name was given to the J.K. Murray Library at UQ Gatton. His papers are held at the University of Queensland Fryer Library.

References

Notes Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Jack Keith 1889 births 1979 deaths Administrators of Papua and New Guinea Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian military personnel of World War I Australian public servants Members of the Legislative Council of Papua and New Guinea University of Queensland faculty Military personnel from Sydney People educated at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill University of Sydney alumni