Doug Waterhouse

Dr Douglas Frew Waterhouse CMG AO ForMemRS[1] (3 June 1916 – 1 December 2000) was an Australian entomologist.[2]

Waterhouse was the chief of the CSIRO entomology division from 1960 to 1981. He is best known for the invention of the active ingredient in Aerogard, an Australian insect repellent. He also gave his consent to the Australian Dung Beetle Project (1965-1985) which saw the introduction of dung beetles to Australia as a fly control measure. While this was a risky decision because of the threat that the dung beetles could themselves become pests or disrupt the delicate ecological balance, it proved very successful and reduced the population of bush flies by 90%.[3]

Early life

Waterhouse was born to Eben Gowrie Waterhouse and Janet Frew Waterhouse in Sydney in 1916. He grew up at Eryldene in Gordon, a northern suburb of Sydney. The house is now preserved by a trust and open to the public.

Douglas was introduced to entomology by his uncle Athol, who would take him on butterfly collection trips. His early schooling was at Brisbane Church of England Grammar School.

Career highlights
  • Educated University of Sydney (BSc 1937, MSc 1938, DSc 1952)
  • CMG 1970, AO 1980. Assistant Research Officer, Division of Economic Entomology, CSIR 1938
  • Captain, Australian Army Medical Corps, World War II, working in the CSIR laboratories as a CSIR officer, research, Division of Entomology
  • CSIRO 1946-53, Assistant Chief, Division of Entomology
  • CSIRO 1953-60, Chief 1960-81, Honorary Research Fellow 1981
  • Consultant in Plant Protection to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research 1983
  • Secretary (Biological Sciences), Australian Academy of Science 1961-66
  • President, Australian Entomological Society 1969-72
  • President, 14th International Congress of Entomology 1974
  • President, International Bee Research Association 1977-78
  • President, ACT Branch, National Trust of Australia 1983

Honours and awards

References
  1. Day, M. F. C.; Whitten, M. J.; Sands, D. P. A. (2002). "Douglas Frew Waterhouse, C.M.G. 3 June 1916 - 1 December 2000". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 48: 459–481. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2002.0027.
  2. Maxwell F.C. Day; Maxwell J. Whitten; Don Sands. "Douglas Frew Waterhouse 1916-2000". Biographical memoirs. Australian Academy of Science. Originally published in Historical Records of Australian Science, vol.13, no.4, 2001.
  3. Bornemissza, G. F. (1976), The Australian dung beetle project 1965-1975, Australian Meat Research Committee Review 30:1-30
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