Mary MacLean Hindmarsh (21 July 1921 – 10 April 2000) was an Australian botanist who worked at the

New South Wales University of Technology The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

in Ultimo as a professor of biology. A graduate of the University of New England in

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. I ...

and 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 ...

, she did a doctorate study on the effects of certain substances of cell division and root growth and research on a key to rainforest species south of the watershed of the

Macleay River The Macleay River is a river that spans the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast districts of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Formed by the confluence of the Gara River, Salisbury Waters and Bakers Creek, the Macleay River r ...

. Hindmarsh was a foundation council member of the

Linnean Society of New South Wales The Linnean Society of New South Wales promotes ''the Cultivation and Study of the Science of Natural History in all its Branches'' and was founded in Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) in 1874 and incorporated in 1884. History The Society succe ...

from 1970 to 1974.

Biography

On 21 July 1921, Hindmarsh was born in

Lismore, New South Wales Lismore is a city in northeastern New South Wales, Australia and the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area; it is also a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State. It is situated on a low flood pl ...

. She was the oldest of four children, with three younger sisters. Hindmarsh was raised by her grandmother following the death of her mother. She was enthusiastic about botany, and matriculated to the University of New England in

in 1939 as part of its second intake of students, opting for biology. This followed her secondary education at

Lismore High School , motto_translation = Let us be judged by our actions. , established = , type = Government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school campus , educational_authority = NSW Department of Education , district = Lismore; Re ...

. In 1943, Hindmarsh graduated with a

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 o ...

degree in botany and geology. For a short time, she taught at private schools in Sydney for a year, and conducted a part-time job at the

. Hindmarsh demonstrated botany that included work with former service people under the

Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme (CRTS) was an Australian government scheme started during World War II to offer vocational or academic training to both men and women who had served in the Australian Defence Force. Its purpose was to aid ...

. She won a three-year Linnean Macleay Fellowship at the University of Sydney from 1949 to 1953. Hindmarsh authored a doctorate study on the effects of certain substances on cell division and root growth. She did a year's worth of post-graduate research studying cell division at the Chester Beatty Research Institute of the

Royal Marsden Hospital The Royal Marsden Hospital (RM) is a specialist cancer treatment hospital in London based in Kensington and Chelsea, next to the Royal Brompton Hospital, in Fulham Road with a second site in Belmont, close to Sutton Hospital, High Down and D ...

between 1953 and 1954. Hindmarsh graduated with a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degree in 1955. That same year, she became one of two biology lecturers and the sole female botanist at the

in Ultimo, where she built an herbarium collection for research and teaching and was internationally registered. Hindmarsh was aware of the importance of electron microscopy in biological research. She was promoted to senior lecturer of the School of Biological Sciences's botany department in 1959. In 1972, she was promoted to associate professor of botany, and held the post until her retirement on 31 December 1977. In retirement, Hindmarsh continued conducting botanical research in the New South Wales coastal rainforest, such as working on fieldwork and research on a key to rainforest species south of the watershed of the

. She never finished her work on the project because her colleague John Waterhouse died suddenly in 1983. Hindmarsh worked on making cabinets, woodcarving and playing croquet in her spare time. She also qualified as a croquet coach and referee and was appointed a life member of the Mosman Croquet Club. Hindmarsh was also a foundation council member of the

between 1970 and 1974.

Death

She had systemic lupus erythemathosis for around 45 years since she was in her 30s before developing

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most commo ...

in the final two years of her life. On 10 April 2000, Hindmarsh died of the disease.

Legacy

Ken Anderson of ''The Daily Telegraph'' wrote of her legacy: "Mary Hindmarsh was a pioneering botanist and academic who contributed to the cause of women in science." A rector at the New South Wales University of Technology described Hindmarsh as "a pioneering botanist and academic, a conscientious and caring teacher, a fair and just administrator, and someone who made a contribution to women in science, especially at UNSW."

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hindmarsh, Mary MacLean 1921 births 2000 deaths People from Lismore, New South Wales University of New England (Australia) alumni University of Sydney alumni Academic staff of the University of New South Wales 20th-century Australian women scientists 20th-century Australian botanists 20th-century Australian educators 20th-century women educators Australian women academics Australian academics Australian women botanists