John Nelson Hobbs (1923 – October 31, 1990) was a British- Australian career

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

and amateur

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

, best known for his involvement with the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union.

Early life

Hobbs was born in

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

in 1923. During

World War II 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 ...

, he served as a gunner on

tankers Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanke ...

in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. After the war, he joined the

Metropolitan Police Force The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In 1952, Hobbs emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and joined the

NSW Police Force The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...

Career

Hobbs served as a New South Wales police officer until 1980, based in a succession of country towns, including Dareton, Finley, Buronga, Katoomba,

Kyogle Kyogle () is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It falls within the local government area of Kyogle Council. At the 2016 census, Kyogle had a population of 2,751 people. Kyogle is known as a "gateway" ...

, Nowra, and Narrandera. During this period, he developed an amateur interest in ornithology and made detailed studies of local birdlife, including the article "The birds of south-west New South Wales." Hobbs' interest in ornithology also extended into his law enforcement career; he diligently prosecuted illegal bird trappers and shooters in the districts where he was serving. Fellow ornithologist A.K. Morris later described Hobbs during this period as "a large blond police officer with a Kentish accent, bright blue eyes and a wry sense of humour." In 1980, Hobbs retired to Dareton in the south-west of the state, where he studied reed-warblers and small passerines. He served on the Records Appraisal Committee of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) from 1975 to 1989, as well as contributing prolifically to the RAOU's Nest Record Scheme. Hobbs published his ornithological research in ''Australian Birds'', ''The Australian Bird Watcher'', ''British Birds'', ''Corella'' and ''

Emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

''.

Death and legacy

In October 1990, while on a birding trip to

Central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and i ...

with

James Allen Keast James Allen Keast (15 November 1922 – 8 March 2009) was an Australian ornithologist, and Professor of Biology at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Born in Turramurra, New South Wales, he performed war service 1941–1945 in New Gu ...

and others, Hobbs suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

. He died on 31 October 1990, near

Dareton, New South Wales Dareton is a town in the far west of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Silver City Highway, 1,025 kilometres west of the state capital, Sydney and 20 kilometres from the regional centre, Mildura, across the border in Victori ...

.Ian Rowley (1991) "Obituary: J.N. Hobbs" ''

'', 91(3): 194 - 194. He was survived by his wife Shirley and four sons: Peter, Michael, Bruce, and Gregory. Hobbs is commemorated by the J.N. Hobbs Memorial Medal, awarded annually from 1995 for major contributions to amateur ornithology. The medal was initially awarded by the New South Wales branch of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (now BirdLife Australia), before being upgraded to a national award four years later.

References

1923 births 1990 deaths Australian ornithologists Australian police officers Metropolitan Police officers 20th-century Australian zoologists {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobbs, John

Early life

Career

Death and legacy

See also

References