Harold Reginald (Reg) Johnson (2 January 1921 – 22 May 2011) was an Australian

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

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 ...

and

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

Early years

Johnson was born in

Ararat, Victoria Ararat ( Djabwurrung: ''Tallarambooroo'') is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and ...

on 2 January 1921. He was the first child of John Thomas Johnson, a carpenter and Anzac veteran, and Dora Evelyn Johnson (née Clark).Johnson, Reg. (1991), Boiled Wheat and Rabbit: Autobiographical Reminiscences, His father died when he was seven years old; his mother remarried and the family lived in a succession of places in Victoria's Mallee region, with Johnson attending nine different schools. At the age of 16 he began work as a trainee

draughtsman A draughtsman (British spelling) or draftsman (American spelling) may refer to: * An architectural drafter, who produced architectural drawings until the late 20th century * An artist who produces drawings that rival or surpass their other types ...

with the Victorian Department of Crown Lands and Survey, in which he was to serve for 37 years apart from his war service.

War service

In 1942 Johnson enlisted in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

. After pilot training he was sent to Britain and attached to the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

in which he flew Lancaster bombers with 218 Squadron.

Environmentalism

Back in Melbourne after the war, Johnson returned to his job. In 1948 he married Kathleen Hooppell. He was an active member of the Bird Observers Club. With other club members he worked hard towards protecting the critically endangered

helmeted honeyeater The helmeted honeyeater (''Lichenostomus melanops cassidix'') is a passerine bird in the honeyeater family. It is a distinctive and critically endangered subspecies of the yellow-tufted honeyeater, that exists in the wild only as a tiny relict p ...

, found only in one small locality 50 km east of Melbourne. This involved both lobbying the state government to halt private land clearing on public land, and the physical labour of habitat rehabilitation work. His efforts led to the establishment of the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve in 1965 and the designation of the helmeted honeyeater as the state's bird emblem. In 1969 Johnson was instrumental in organising the successful campaign to preserve the land now protected in the

Little Desert National Park The Little Desert National Park is a national park in the Wimmera Mallee region of Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated near Dimboola, approximately west of Melbourne and extends from the Wimmera River in the east to the South ...

in north-west Victoria. In 1974 he took early retirement from the Victorian

Public Service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

and became the executive director of the

Conservation Council of Victoria Environment Victoria, formerly the Conservation Council of Victoria, is an Australian not-for-profit, charitable group and Victoria's peak non-government environment organisation. It works in collaboration with over 150 groups Australia-wide to p ...

. For many years Johnson, along with

Ellen McCulloch Ellen Margery McCulloch OAM (23 April 1930 – 13 November 2005) was a Melbourne-based Australian nature writer and amateur ornithologist who had a long association with Bird Observation & Conservation Australia (BOCA, formerly the Bird Observers ...

, a nature writer and officer of the Bird Observers Club, had lobbied the Victorian Government to sponsor a program to promote and assist in environmental conservation on private land. This eventually succeeded in 1981 with the launch of the

Land for Wildlife Land for Wildlife is a program sponsored by the Department of Sustainability and Environment in the state of Victoria, Australia. It was established in November 1981 to support private landholders and managers who voluntarily provide and enhance h ...

scheme. In 1988 Johnson was awarded the Medal of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

for services to the environment. He died at the age of 90 following an accidental fall, while sharing his bird data with students.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Reg Australian ornithologists Australian environmentalists Australian cartographers 1921 births 2011 deaths Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian World War II pilots Accidental deaths from falls