Bond, Richard Wallace (Dick)   (1914 - 1976)

Born on 8th June, 1914, in Wonthaggi, Victoria; died on on 6 July 1976.

He spent most of his early life in the Victorian country town of Wonthaggi.

He commenced his professional life when he entered the Victorian School of Forestry at Creswick in 1932. He was already a keen botanist, and while still a student collaborated with the late Charles Barrett in authorship of a booklet, Victorian Ferns, which was published by the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria.

He graduated as dux of the school in 1934, thereby qualifying for the Associate Diploma in Forestry, and commenced duty as a forest cadet with the Forests Commission, Victoria.

After several years in the field he was selected to undertake further training at Melbourne University, from which he graduated with a BSc in 1940.

During his final year he married Joyce Lucas, while both were stationed at Neerim South.

He returned for a short time to district work but then moved to the Commission's Head Office as Assistant Sales and Marketing Officer, a position in which he was heavily involved in the timber salvage scheme which followed the disastrous Victorian bush fires of January 1939.

In 1946 he moved further into the field of forest utilisation by joining the Division of Forest Products of the then CSIR, where he worked on timber preservation.

He moved from the Division of Forest Products to the Publications Section in the Head Office of the CSIRO, where he assisted in editing a wide range of publications. He also found time to return to his university, albeit in a different faculty, and in 1953 he took out the degree of B.Comm.

He continued with editorial work until late in 1954, when the wish to again work in the field took him into the service of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority. He moved to Cooma as a Scientific Officer in an investigations group concerned with maintaining the stability of soils and plant associations.

Failing eyesight forced his early retirement at the end of 1965.

The onset of complete blindness was particularly galling to a man of Dick's active disposition, but with characteristic energy and determination he set about learning to type and to read Braille to keep him in touch with his wide circle of interests.

Source: Extracted from:
https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/bond-richard-wallace-dick-18229
Australian Forestry, vol 39, no 4 , 1976 , pp 228-29
Portrait Photo: none known.

Collecting localities for 'Bond, R.W.' from AVH (2025)

Data from 120 specimens