George Althofer
{{short description|Australian botanist and poet}}
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George William Francis Althofer {{post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM}} (1903–1993) was an Australian botanist, nurseryman, author and poet, with a special interest in the mint-bush genus Prostanthera as well as other Australian native plants, who founded the Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum.
Life
Althofer was born at Dripstone in the Wellington local government area of Central West New South Wales. He attended school locally, in Dripstone, then Wellington and Mumbil.
Althofer grew up working on his father's farm and orchard, becoming an orchardist himself. In 1938 he established a native plant nursery at his property "Nindethana" at Dripstone. Inspired by the American example of the Arnold Arboretum, and assisted by his brother Peter, he lobbied for the establishment of a similar institution with a focus on Australian native plants. As a consequence, the {{convert|167|ha|adj=on}} Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum on the foreshore of Lake Burrendong, near Wellington, opened in 1964.
Publications
Books and collections of poetry by Althofer include:NLA Catalogue.
- 1936 – The road to Burrendong and other verses{{Citation | author1=Althofer, George | title=The road to Burrandong and other verses | date=1936 | publisher=G. Althofer | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18708197 | access-date=30 July 2019 }}
- 1937 – Drifting. (Music by Edward H. Tyrrell, words by George Althofer). The Manly Daily: Sydney{{Citation | author1=Tyrrell, Edward H | author2=Althofer, George, 1903- | title=Drifting : song | date=1937 | publisher=The Manly Daily | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18760591 | access-date=30 July 2019 }}
- 1956 – The story of Nindethana and new and enlarged catalogue of Australian native plants. Nindethana Nursery: Dripstone{{Citation | author1=Nindethana Nursery | author2=Althofer, George, 1903- | title=The story of Nindethana and new and enlarged catalogue of Australian native plants | date=1956 | publisher=Nindethana Nursery | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/27256684 | access-date=30 July 2019 }}
- 1966 – Trees to beat the droughts: being a guide to the planting of hardy species on the western slopes and plains. (With "Blue Gum" of "The Land"). Land Newspaper: Sydney{{Citation | author1=Althofer, George, 1903- | author2=Dark, John | title=Trees to beat droughts | date=1986 | publisher=Rural Press | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18552679 | access-date=30 July 2019 }}
- n.d. (1970s) – The dream of Ronal and other verses{{Citation | author1=Althofer, George | title=The dream of Ronal and other verses | date=1970 | publisher=G. Althofer | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/23723252 | access-date=30 July 2019 }}
- 1978 – Cradle of incense : the story of Australian Prostanthera. Stanley Smith Memorial Publication Fund: Australia.{{Citation | author1=Althofer, George W | title=Cradle of incense : the story of Australian Prostanthera | date=1978 | publisher=Society for Growing Australian plants | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/34225338 | access-date=30 July 2019 }}
- 1980 – Ironbark chips of Stuart Town, Mumbil, Dripstone and the Burrendong region. Macquarie Publications: Dubbo.{{Citation | author1=Althofer, George | title=Ironbark chips of Stuart Town, Mumbil, Dripstone and the Burrendong region | date=1980 | publisher=Macquarie Publications | isbn=978-0-9595206-6-8 }}
- 1980 – The flora of Mt Arthur Reserve, Wellington, N.S.W. (Illustrated by G.J. Harden). Trustees of Mt Arthur Reserve: Wellington, NSW.
- 1983 – Laughter and tears from the golden years, or, Some more ironbark chips. Macquarie Publications: Dubbo{{Citation | author1=Althofer, George | title=Laughter and tears from the golden years, or, Some more ironbark chips | date=1983 | publisher=Macquarie Publications | isbn=978-0-949734-06-8 }}
- 1985 – The Dripstone story : being a comprehensive social history of Dripstone and district, from the earliest times to the present day. Wellington Historical Society: Wellington, NSW.{{Citation | author1=Althofer, George | author2=Wellington Historical Society | title=The Dripstone story : being a comprehensive social history of Dripstone and district, from the earliest times to the present day | date=1985 | publisher=Wellington Historical Society | isbn=978-0-9591370-1-9 }}
- 1992 – The collected poems of G. W. Althofer.{{Citation | author1=Althofer, George | author2=Holmes, Netta | title=The collected poems of G. W. Althofer | date=1990 | publisher=G. Althofer? | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/17226275 | access-date=30 July 2019 }}
{{botanist|Althofer|Althofer, Georget}}
External links
- [http://www.burrendongarboretum.org/Burrendong_Arboretum/Welcome.html Burrendong Arboretum]
References
=Notes=
{{reflist}}
=Sources=
- {{cite book |title=Cradle of Incense |author=Althofer, George W. |year=1978 |publisher=Stanley Smith Memorial Publication Fund (Society for Growing Australian Plants) |location=Australia }}
- {{cite web |url= http://www.anbg.gov.au/bot-biog/bot-biog-A.html |title= Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators (A), 1780s-1980s |access-date=2010-11-11 |work= Western Australian Herbarium Research Notes Number 12 |first=J.H.|last=Willis |publisher= Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria |date= August 1986 |display-authors=etal}}
- {{cite web |url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Search/Home?lookfor=author:%22Althofer%2C%20George%2C%201903-%22&iknowwhatimean=1 |title=Results for author: "Althofer, George, 1903-" |access-date=2010-11-11 |work=NLA Catalogue |publisher=National Library of Australia }}
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Category:20th-century Australian botanists
Category:20th-century Australian non-fiction writers
Category:Australian orchardists
Category:20th-century Australian poets
Category:Australian male poets
Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Category:20th-century Australian male writers
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