Mary E. White

Mary Elizabeth White AM (5 January 1926 – 5 August 2018) was an Australian paleobotanist and author.[1]

Mary E. White

AM
Born(1926-01-05)5 January 1926
South Africa
Died5 August 2018(2018-08-05) (aged 92)
Warrigal aged care complex
Cause of deathMurder
NationalityAustralian
EducationUniversity of Cape Town
Known forAuthor
Spouse(s)Bill White
AwardsRiversleigh medal
Scientific career
FieldsPaleobotany
InstitutionsBureau of Mineral Resources

Biography

She was born in South Africa, grew up in southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and received a master's degree in paleobotany from the University of Cape Town.[2] She married Bill White, a geologist; the couple came to Australia in 1955.[1] White worked as a consultant for the Bureau of Mineral Resources in Canberra until the 1980s; she also consulted on a part-time basis for mining companies. In 1975, she was hired as a research associate for the Australian Museum; she established a collection of 12,000 specimens of plant fossils for the museum.[2]

White began writing large format, well illustrated science books after her husband died in 1981.

In 2003, White purchased a large forested property, Falls Forest Retreat, approximately halfway between Taree and Port Macquarie in New South Wales; she established a covenant to protect the land and preserve its biodiversity.[2] In 2013 she sold the property but with the covenant it can never be disturbed.

In her later years White suffered from vascular dementia and a stroke and went to live with her daughter and her daughter's husband between in Bundanoon, New South Wales between 2014 and 2016. In 2016, following another stroke she moved to a nearby aged-care centre. On 5 August 2018, White was found dead in her room at the Warrigal aged care complex. Her daughter, Barbara Eckersley, has been charged with her murder; at her bail hearing, her barrister maintained that his client had the "belief that the aged-care centre weren't able to deal with Dr White's agitation and pain".[3][4][5]

Awards and honours

White received honorary doctorates from four Australian universities,[1] plus the Riversleigh medal in 1999 for "excellence in promoting understanding of Australian prehistory". In 2010, she received a Lifetime of Conservation award from the Australian Geographic Society.[2] She was awarded the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science's Mueller Medal in 2001. In 2009, she was made a Member the Order of Australia (AM) for "service to botany as a researcher and through the promotion of increased understanding and awareness of the natural world".[6][7]

Publications

She was the author of:

  • The Greening of Gondwana – The 400 Million Year Story of Australia's Plants (1986)
  • The Nature of Hidden Worlds – Animals and Plants in Prehistoric Australia and New Zealand (1990)
  • Muttaburrasaurus: An Australian Dinosaur in Its Time and Space (1990) – with Robyn Muche (Illustrator)
  • Time in Our Hands – Semi-precious Gemstones: Keys to the Geological Past (1991)
  • After the Greening: The browning of Australia (1994), received a Eureka Prize
  • Listen... Our Land is Crying (1997)
  • Running Down: Water in a Changing Land (2000), which was shortlisted for a Eureka Prize[8]
  • Earth Alive! From Microbes to a Living Planet (2003)[6]

References

  1. Dolsen, Brett (31 October 2013). "Eighty five years of researching life on Earth". Australian Broadcasting Company. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  2. "2010 AG Awards Lifetime of Conservation: Mary White". Australian Geographic Society. 6 October 2010.
  3. "Renowned scientist Mary White allegedly murdered by her daughter". ABC News. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  4. "Loss of a national treasure: Woman, 92, who was 'murdered by her daughter' revealed to be an award-winning scientist and author who was honoured with the Order of Australia". www.msn.com. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  5. "Scientist Mary White's daughter, charged with her murder at aged-care facility, granted bail". ABC News. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  6. "The Queen's Birthday 2009 Honours List" (PDF). Governor-General of Australia. p. 108. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  7. "White, Mary Elizabeth". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  8. "Our Patron – Dr Mary E. White". Climate Change Australia.
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