George Chippendale

George Chippendale (18 April 1921 – 16 February 2010) was an Australian botanist and a strong proponent of growing Australian Native plants. As well as a career in botany, he also taught his love of botany to all who would listen through talks to children, special interest groups, walks on Canberra'a Black Mountain and more recently through the U3A (University of the Third Age), both in class and online. He knew the value of planting local native plants in gardens as they would survive local conditions and save water.

Chippendale was born in Sydney, Australia, the eldest of six, and grew up in the Sydney suburb of Paddington. He left school at 14. After a short stint as a draper, his Mother helped him get a job at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney in 1936 as the tea boy. He stayed working at the Gardens until serving in the Australian Army during World War II. In 1943 he married Joan. Post war, he returned to the Gardens and due to his army service, was able to study for a Bachelor of Science at Sydney University. He made lifelong friends at the Gardens who mentored him during his university study and future career. Part of his work at the Gardens was to identify plants brought in by members of the public which gave George a broad background in plant identification.

In 1954 Chippendale moved to Alice Springs with his wife and 3 children as the first resident taxonomist, a job which he loved. When he arrived in Alice Springs only a small collection of specimens existed, these having been gathered by members of CSIRO, various veterinary officers and stock inspectors of the Animal Industry Branch. No public herbarium existed in the Northern Territory at that time and Chippendale's responsibilities extended throughout the Northern Territory. He made many trips into the bush with colleagues and assistants to collect plant specimens. These specimens were the basis for the present Northern Territory Herbarium. As an avid plant specimen collector and describer, George had more than eight plants named after him including: Acacia chippendalei, Bassia chippendalei, Corymbia chippendalei, Levenhookia chippendalei, Minuria chippendalei, Ptilotus chippendalei, Sesbania chippendalei and Solanum chippendalei.

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