Alexander Hugh Chisholm

Alexander Hugh Chisholm (1890-1977) also known as Alec Chisholm, was a noted Australian journalist, newspaper editor, author and amateur ornithologist. He was a member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU), President of the RAOU 1939-1940, and Editor of its journal the Emu 1926-1928. He was elected a Fellow of the RAOU in 1941. He was the first recipient of the Australian Natural History Medallion in 1940 for his work in ornithology and popularising natural history.[1] Chisholm was a prolific writer of articles and books.

Career

Chisholm spent seven years as a journalist in Queensland, moving to Sydney in 1922 where he became news editor of the Daily Telegraph and later editor of the Sunday Pictorial. He was also president of the Institute of Journalists. After moving to Melbourne, he was for many years editor of the Australasian, before being appointed editor of The Argus in June 1937.[2][3]

Some of his published books

  • (1922). Mateship with Birds. Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd: Melbourne.
  • (1929). Birds and Green Places. A book of Australian nature gossip. J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd: London.
  • (1932). Nature Fantasy in Australia. J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd: London.
  • (1944). The Incredible Year. An Australian sees Europe in Adolf Hitler Weather. Angus & Robertson: Sydney.
  • (1944). The Story of Elizabeth Gould. Published by Alec Chisholm in 1944. Little was known about her until 1938 when a collection of her letters written from Australia was discovered. These letters were the basis for the book. Now housed in the Mitchell Library, the letters reveal her as a charming, cultured, and musically and artistically talented woman whose contributions were overshadowed by the fame of her husband (John Gould who was a self-taught ornithologist as well as a businessman and artist. Although he spent less than two years in Australia, his monumental seven-volume publication The Birds of Australia remains the definitive work on the subject. The magnificent colour plates, some 681 of them, were executed by his wife, Elizabeth, a talented artist who shared his natural history interests.[4]
  • (1945). An Explorer and His Birds. John Gilbert's discoveries in 1844-45. Author.
  • (1946). Nature's Linguists. A study of the riddle of visual mimicry. Brown, Prior, Anderson Pty Ltd: Melbourne.
  • (1946). The Making of a Sentimental Bloke : A sketch of the remarkable career of C.J. Dennis, Georgian house: Melbourne.
  • (1948). Bird Wonders of Australia. Angus & Robertson: Sydney.
  • (1948). Fairy Wrens. F.W. Cheshire Pty Ltd: Melbourne.
  • (1948). News from Nature. A selection of seasonal gossip. Georgian House: Melbourne.
  • (1950). Scots Wha Hae : History of the Royal Caledonian Society of Melbourne, Angus & Robertson: Sydney.
  • (1955). Strange New World. The adventures of John Gilbert and Ludwig Leichhardt. Angus & Robertson: Sydney.
  • (1960). The Romance of the Lyrebird. Angus & Robertson Pty Ltd: Sydney.
  • (1969). The Joy of the Earth. Collins: Sydney.

Personal

In 1923 Chisholm married Olive May Haseler in Brisbane.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Australian Natural History Medallionists" (PDF). The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "Editor Of Melbourne "Argus" Retires". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 30 June 1937. p. 22. Retrieved 6 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ ""ARGUS" CHANGES". The Mercury. CXLVI, (20, 780). Tasmania, Australia. 30 June 1937. p. 9. Retrieved 6 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ "The Goulds, John Gould (1804-1881)". Avicultural Review. The Avicultural Society of New South Wales (ASNSW). 15 (1). January 1998.
  5. ↑ "PRE-WEDDING DINNER". The Brisbane Courier (20, 528). Queensland, Australia. 7 November 1923. p. 18. Retrieved 6 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  • Kloot, Tess (1993). "Chisholm, Alexander Hugh (Alec) (1890–1977)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: Australian National University. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  • Robin, Libby. (2001). The Flight of the Emu: a hundred years of Australian ornithology 1901-2001. Carlton, Vic. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84987-3


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