Dr Gretna Margaret Weste AM

2007·1.4 MB·Volapük

by  Linden Gillbank

Tributes
AM
Dr Gretna Margaret Weste
5 September 1917-30 August 2006
Last year a long-standing and generous MethodistLadies’ College in Hawthorn. In
contributor to the FNCV died- Dr Gretna Victoria’s Leaving examination in
Weste, aClubmemberfrom 1978 until she December 1934 she gained the Exhibition
left Victoria in 2003 to live near her (top marks) in botany and first-class hon-
daughter in Tasmania. Before leaving, ours in enough subjects to win a govern-
Gretnacontributedtomyhistorical investi- ment scholarship to Melbourne’s only
gation ofThe University ofMelbourne’s universityin 1935.
Botany School, with which she had an During her honours-studded science
even longer association. Because we were degree course at the University of
discussing her pre-1975 work, I didn’t ask Melbourne, Gretna studied botany under
her why she joined the FNCV in 1978, several FNCVmembers. DrReuben Patton
somethingI nowregret. taught plant taxonomy and ecology, and
In hindsight, joining the FNCV seems Associate Professor Ethel McLennan
entirely appropriate for someone with taught mycology and plant pathology.
Gretna’s interests and expertise. In the Professor Alfred Ewart was also a FNCV
1970s she was helping an amateur natural- member. Gretna was in his last Botany
ist describe fungi, and teaching and Part III class - in her third year in 1937.
researching in the Botany School, during Ewart died just before Gretna presented
which undergraduate excursions took her her talk on a topic of little interest to her
to Wilsons Promontory, and her research (soil pH measurement), thereby sparing
took her to dying patches of Victoria’s her his usual scathing criticism. Gretna
diverse heathlands, woodlands and forests. Parkin sharedthe exhibition in Botany Part
Gretna was on a quest- to understand the III, and inApril 1938.graduatedBSc.
ways and wiles of a destructive plant A Howitt Natural History Scholarship
pathogen - and this required an ecological allowed her to undertake research for the
understanding ofthe bush it invaded. Her University’s MSc degree in 1938. In the
interest in and love ofthe bush was shaped Division ofForest Products ofCSIR (later
by her childhood and university experi- CSIRO) she investigated the ‘tension
ences, bush-walking, and perhaps her wood’ formed in response to bending in
forester husband. Her parents, Arthur and Australian hardwood trees, her foundation
Grace Parkin, took her bush-camping and investigations gaining her the nick-name
encouraged her love of plants and the ‘Gelatinous Gretna’, due to the gelatinous
bush; and, although their names do not layerinsidethe tension wood. Inthe spring
appear in FNCV membership lists, Gretna of 1938 Gretna and other members ofthe
claimed to have enjoyed FNCV shows and Botany School helpedto introduce Ewart’s
meetings as a child. No wonder shejoined newly-arrived successor, Professor John
the FNCV. By 1978 her three children Turner, to Australia’s tall flammable
were well and truly independent adults, forestsbeyondMarysville.
and, sadly,herhusbandhad died. And then came the January 1939 bush-
World War 1 was responsible for firesandWorldWarII.
Gretna’s Scottish birth and name. In 1917 Early in 1939 Gretna Parkin gained first-
her scientist father was working in the class honours and shared the MSc exhibi-
new. War-provoked munitions factory, tion in the Botany School, and was
‘H.M. Factory Gretna’, near the Scottish appointed a research officer in the Forests
border town of Gretna. At the end ofthe Commission ofVictoria (FCV). Or so the
War, the Parkin family returned to paper-work ofher appointment led her to
Victoria, where Gretna grew up on the believe. She investigated the problem of
edge of suburbia in Surrey Hills. During preserving the timber ofthe huge numbers
the Depression, a scholarship allowed her oftrees killed but not incinerated in the
to complete her secondary education at 1939 fires. Unlike herresearch officer col-
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 183
Tributes
GretnaParkinworkingintheForestsCommissionofVictoria Laboratoryin 1940.
PhotocourtesyofSandraHeardneeWeste.
leagues, all ofwhom were male, hersalary soon lecturing as well as demonstrating in
did not increase incrementally, so she plant pathology and first-year biology. In
appealed to the Public Service Board, August 1969 lecturerWestewasawarded a
whose investigation ofher research reports PhD degree for her agriculturally-impor-
and typewriter-free laboratory somehow tant thesis on a fungal disease of wheat.
concluded that, as awoman, her classifica- That year two timely events redirected Dr
tion and salary were those ofa temporary Gretna Weste’s research focus to
typist. And that was that. Her research led Victoria’s indigenous vegetation - the
to the FCV’s policy ofkeeping salvaged decision to transfer University agricultural
timber sprayed with water, but her myco- plant pathology across the System Garden
logical paperon wood-rotting fungi on liv- to the Agriculture School, and the detec-
ingforesttreeswasnotpublished. tion of symptoms of a non-agricultural
In December 1941 Gretna married Geoff pathogen in the Victorian bush. Frank
Weste, a Creswick-trained forester, and, Podger, who had recently shown that the
since married women were then not toler- devastating dieback in Western Australia’s
ated in the Public Service, she had to precious Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata
resign from the FCV. Fortunately marriage forests was due to Phytophthora cinnamo-
was not an explicit barrier to university mi accompanied Gretna’s ecologist col-
,
women, and Professor Turner welcomed league, Dr David Ashton, on a botanical
her back in the wartime-depleted Botany excursion to the Brisbane Ranges, where
School in 1942, to continue (on a they noticed symptoms which were later
Commonwealth Research Scholarship) confirmed to be due to P cinnamomi. This
work he claimed was of national impor- was the first record ofthe disease in the
tance - her research on the pathology and Victorian bush, having probably reached
preservation of timber salvaged after the the Brisbane Ranges during road-construc-
1939 fires. tion in the 1960s.
In 1961, after two decades of family And so DrWestetransferred herresearch
responsibilities and some school-teaching, gaze from an agriculturally-important soil-
Gretna was again welcomed back in the borne pathogen to one which devastates
Botany School toteach increasingnumbers Australian indigenous ecosystems. In the
ofbotany students in the 1960s. Beginning Botany School she taught science and
as a senior demonstrator, she also under- forestry undergraduates about interactions
took research in plant pathology, and was between micro-organisms and plants, and
184 The Victorian Naturalist
Tributes
Dr Gretna Weste pointing out an unusual Grass-tree she spotted in the Mary DWhite Heathland
Reserve during an excursion with Friends ofAngahook-Lome State Park in February 2000. Later
identified byNeville Walsh asXanthorrhoea ccespitosa, itwas a new record forthe Anglesea dis-
trict.PhotocourtesyofMargaretMacDonald.
supervised post-graduate research projects continued to study the physiological and
on diverse aspects ofP. cinnamomi in the ecological consequences ofP cinnamomi.
bush. Although P. cinnamomi was com- For more than three decades, beginning
monly known as ‘cinnamon fungus’ with Victoria’s rather wet growing season
because of its initial discovery on cinna- of 1970-71, which favoured its zoospore-
mon trees, with its motile (swimming) led dispersion, they followed its fate and
zoospores, it is more closelyrelatedto cer- fancies in forests, woodlands and heath-
tain algae than fungi. Unfortunately this lands in the Brisbane Ranges, Wilsons
alien micro-organism has been foundto be Promontory, Grampians and East
a virulent, root-invading pathogen of Gippsland.
numerous Australian plants, its degree of These long-term studies have revealed
destructionbeinginfluencedbytheantago- the pathogen’s modus operandi, the sus-
nistic activity ofsoil microbes. Alsounfor- ceptibility ofthousands ofAustralian host
tunately, Australian nutrient-poor soils and species, and the cyclic nature ofthe infes-
gravels invariably lack sufficient micro- tation. Bycontinuouslymonitoringvegeta-
organismstocombatP. cinnamomi. tion in permanent quadrats in diseased and
Dr Weste officially retired as Reader in disease-free areas, they have documented
1982; in March 1984 the University of the changing face ofthe disease. With the
Melbournehonouredthe foremost authority dieback and death ofsusceptible trees and
on the biology of P. cinnamomi in shrubs (with the conspicuous evidence of
Australian ecosystems with a DSc degree dead Grass Trees Xanthorrhoea australis,
for her published research papers; and in noticed by so many field naturalists), drab,
1989, shewasmadeaMemberofthe Order resistantvegetation(suchassedges)gradu-
ofAustralia (AM) ‘For service to science, ally replaces diverse, colourful, insect-,
particularly in the field ofbotany’. Beyond bird- and animal-attracting susceptible
all these, Gretna and her research students species(likepeas, heaths andgrevilleas) in
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 185
Tributes
heathlands and shrubby understoreys. quent extinction. The ecological threat of
Then, decades after the initial infestation P. cinnamomi to Australian biodiversity is
ofP. cinnamomi, its density and distribu- now officially acknowledged. ‘Dieback
tion may decline, with the co-incident caused by the root-rot fungus
reappearance of susceptible trees and {Phytophthora cinnamomi)' is now listed
understoreyspecies. as a ‘Key Threatening Process’ under the
In the 1990s they recorded a welcome Commonwealth Environment Protection
recovery on Wilsons Promontory - the andBiodiversityConservationAct 1999.
reappearance ofX. australis and Saw A foundation memberofthe Australasian
Banksias Banksia serrata on the northern Plant Pathology Society (APPS), Dr
slopes ofVerekerSpurnearthejunction of Gretna Weste was an executive member of
Millers Landing Track and Five Mile the International Society of Plant
Road. Dr Weste first noticed dieback there Pathologists’ Committee on Phytophthora,
in 1970 (during a university botany excur- and chaired the Organising Committee of
sion), probably originating from contami- the Society’s 4lh International Congress of
nated soil on a bulldozerbrought in to help Plant Pathology, which was held in
fight bushfires in 1962 and offloaded in a Melbourne in 1983. She was also a plant
gravel pit. The disease was dispersed by pathology research group leader in the
the 'dozer, and subsequently by the use of International Union of Forest Research
infested gravel on roads and tracks, and by Organisations. In the 1990s she was made
zoospores swimmingafterrain. an Honorary Member ofthe APPS and
Dr Weste represented the Botany School Patron of the new Australasian
on the Conservation Council ofVictoria, Mycological Society.
and submitted botanical evidence to Gretna’s mycological activities included
Victoria’s LandConservation Council. She a productive collaboration with an amateur
wasa foundation memberoftheAustralian mycologist and long-standing FNCV
Conservation Foundation, and a member member, Gordon Beaton. While Gordon
ofnumerous groups, including the FNCV, collected, identified, described and illus-
Victorian National Parks Association, trated small cup-fungi (Discomycetes) and
Environmental Studies Association of other fungi, Gretna prepared their descrip-
Victoria, Friends ofWarrandyte State Park tive papers for publication. Their 20 joint
and ofthe 100 Acres in Park Orchards, papers, published from 1976 to 1984 in the
Montrose Environment Group, the Transactions ofthe British Mycological
Ringwood Field Naturalists Club, and the Society, include type descriptions of
Maroondah branch of the Society for Australian fungi. The Victorian Naturalist
Growing Australian Plants (now (1978-80) carries five oftheir papers on
Australian Plants Society). Victorian fungi and Weste’s obituary for
In 1990 Dr Weste undertook a compre- Beaton in 1988. Gretna participated in the
hensive investigation ofthe risk posed by fungal forays, workshops and conferences
P. cinnamomi to endemic plants through- of Fungimap, the realisation of Dr Tom
out Australia for the new Endangered May’s 1995 suggestion to the FNCV’s
Species Unit of the Australian National Botany Group of a mapping scheme for
Parks and Wildlife Service (ANPWS). Australian fungi. At the 3td Fungimap con-
Having just published the revised edition ference in Gowrie Park, Tasmania, in
ofRare or ThreatenedAustralian Plants 2005, with her usual generous enthusiasm,
(1988), the ANPWS did not publish her Gretna helpedprofessional and novicepar-
report on this particular biological risk to ticipantsalike in theirpursuitoffungi.
them, but did use information from her Undeterred by hip replacements and the
report. Further research by Weste and co- occasional broken bone, Gretna continued
workers on rare and endangered species in to hike through the world’s national parks
the Brisbane Ranges and Grampians and wilderness areas into the 21s1 century.
(Gariwerd) National Parks, has revealed With humour, hand lens and camera at the
the alarming news that over a dozen ready, she marvelled at the beauty as well
endemic species are not only susceptible to as the ecology of landscapes and their
P. cinnamomi but are also at risk ofconse- plants and fungi. From the 1970s she
186 The Victorian Naturalist
Tributes
shared her biological wisdom and wonder- The cinnamon fungus. Is it a threat to
ment during engagingtalks and enthusias- Australian native plants? The Victorian
tically-led excursions for the FNCV and Naturalist 1993) 110 78-84.
{ ,
other conservation groups, and founded Is dieback declining? The threat of
and led walks for the Melbourne Phytophthora cinnamomi. The Victorian
UniversityandAlumni Bushwalkers Naturalist(1997) 114 216-221.
,
The patient, perceptive and persistent DiebackatWilsons Promontory. Isthebat-
investigations of P. cinnamomi by Dr tle won? The Victorian Naturalist (1998)
Gretna Weste and her students show the 115,331-336.
huge importance of sustained scientific Dieback threatens endangered native
research for the understanding and man- plants [in the Grampians]. Will they sur-
agement ofecosystems and their pestifer- vive? The Victorian Naturalist (2004)
ous invaders. They have documented and 121 148-153.
,
explained the physiological and ecological And you might like to read her autobio-
destruction caused by this alien micro- graphical 2005 Daniel McAlpine
organism that poses such a threat to Memorial Lecture, ‘A long and varied
Australia’s biodiversity, and which, in our fungal foray’, in Australasian Plant
careless ignorance during road-works, log- Pathology34 433—437.
,
ging and mining, we humans have intro- I thank Sheila Houghton, Gary Presland,
ducedintoAustralianecosystems. Jason Benjamin, Jane Ellen, Tom May,
Gretnaleavesasubstantial legacyofideas Lorraine Gale, Marion King and Jean
and information - in the busy minds ofher Galliottfortheirhelp.
former research students and in her pub-
lishedpapers, including over 100 paperson
Phytophthora cinnamomi, in Australian
and international journals such as the
AustralianJournalofBotany, Australasian LindenGillbank
Plant Pathology, Phytopathology SchoolofSocialandEnvironmentalEnquiry
TheUniversityofMelbourne
Zeitschrift Phytophthora Newsletter [email protected]
,
(International) and, of course, The
Victorian Naturalist. The following four
papers provide an overview ofherprotract-
ed study ofthis destructive pathogen in the
Victorianbush:
One Hundred Years Ago
POPULAR NAMES FORNATIVE PLANTS - Following up the suggestion made in a paper
readbeforethe FieldNaturalists' Club somelittletimeago, asub-committeehasbeenappointed
to see what can be done towards compiling a list ofpopular names for our commoner native
plants. The first step is, ofcourse, to get as many lists ofnames as possible from observers in
variouspartsofthestate,andwiththatviewthesub-committeerequestsallinterested,especially
teachers, who, perhaps, have better opportunities than others, to forward any names they may
know ofto Dr. C.S. Sutton, Rathdown-street,NorthCarlton, whohas kindlyconsentedto actas
secretary to the movement. It is not to be expected that this work will be accomplished in one
season, but, ifstartedatonce, itwill notbe longbeforeasatisfactoryfoundation can be laid for
future work, which, it is hoped, will include the publication ofa Floral Calendar forthe State.
Parcelsofdried specimens,with localnames attached, maybeforwardedtothecareofMr. J.A.
Leach,M.Sc.,TrainingCollege,Carlton.
From The VictorianNaturalistXXIVp85,September5, 1907
Vol. 124 (3) 2007 187