Robert Endean (1925–1997) was an Australian marine scientist and academic at the

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 ...

Early life

Robert Endean was born in December 1925 in

Abermain, New South Wales Abermain is a town 8 km ENE of Cessnock and 3 km west of Weston, in New South Wales, Australia. Abermain is adjacent to Werakata National Park The Werakata National Park is a state park, protected national park that is located in th ...

, and was raised in

Abernethy Abernethy may refer to: Places Scotland * Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village ** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village * Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy * Abernethy Forest, ...

. He attended Cessnock High School and won a scholarship to study 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 ...

taking a B.Sc. with Honours in zoology in 1948 and a University Gold Medal. He took his M.Sc from the same university in 1949, supervised by the marine biologist, Professor William Dakin. He took his PhD at the University of Queensland in 1958.

Career

Endean worked as a secretary, and later chair and president, of the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

Committee from 1954 to 1975. It was during this time that the Heron Island Research Station passed to the control of the University of Queensland. Endean took up work as an assistant lecturer in 1950, rising to the position of reader in 1964 at the University of Queensland. Endean's primary research was the study of the toxicology of marine organisms. particularly the crown-of-thorns starfish, ''acanthaster planc''i. He became an advocate for the environmental protection of the reef, principally from the crown of thorns starfish, and his publications and outreach work into the impacts of the starfish on coral ecology, led to the formation of the

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. It is a vast multiple-use Marine Park which supports a wide range of uses, including commercial marine tourism, fishing, ports an ...

(GBRMPA) in 1975. Endean accompanied

Hans Hass Hans Hass (23 January 1919 – 16 June 2013) was an Austrian biologist and underwater diving pioneer. He was known mainly for being among the first scientists to popularise coral reefs, stingrays, octopuses and sharks. He pioneered the making of ...

on his first expedition to the Great Barrier Reef. In 1967, Endean accompanied the

Belgian Scientific Expedition Belgian Scientific Expedition was a scientific survey of the Great Barrier Reef, conducted in 1967–1968. The Belgian Scientific Expedition to the Great Barrier Reef was a seven month expedition beginning in 1967, sponsored by the University o ...

that conducted studies of the Great Barrier Reef. In the 1960s, Endean worked with

Roche Laboratories F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX S ...

to establish a research base at the Heron Island Research Station and study a number of active compounds found in marine organisms for medical research. He published 160 scientific papers and books during his career. His report prepared for the Queensland government into the outbreak of the crown of thorns starfish outbreak was dismissed in 1970. A later report to the Commonwealth government was also tabled, for which Endean continued to provide research submissions. Endean was a member of the

World Health Organisation The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

's Expert Advisory Committee on Food Additives. He was deputy chair of the Heron Island board which oversaw the research station. He was a spokesperson on reef ecology, and had advised the community widely on toxins and marine pharmacology and biology. Endean retired from the University of Queensland in 1990, after 40 years of association with the Zoology Department.

Legacy

Endean died on 6 October 1997 on Heron Island, shortly before he was due to give an address at the Australian Coral Reef Society. He was survived by his partner, Dr Ann Cameron, with whom he worked and daughter Dr Coralie Endean. A reef was named for him – the Bob Endean Reef off Mission Beach, Queensland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Endean, Robert 1926 births 1997 deaths Great Barrier Reef Academic staff of the University of Queensland Australian marine biologists University of Sydney alumni 20th-century Australian zoologists