Reg Johnson
Encyclopedia
Harold Reginald Johnson (2 January 1921 – 22 May 2011) was an Australia
n cartographer
, amateur
ornithologist
and environmentalist
.
in western Victoria
. His father died when he was seven years old; his mother remarried and the family lived in a succession of places in Victoria’s Mallee region
, with Johnson attending nine different schools. At the age of 16 he began work as a trainee draughtsman
with the Victorian Department of Crown Lands and Survey, in which he was to serve for 37 years apart from his war service.
. After pilot training he was sent to Britain and attached to the RAF
in which he flew Lancaster bombers
with 218 Squadron
.
, found only in one small locality 50 km east of Melbourne. This involved both lobbying the state government to halt private land clearing on public land, and the physical labour of habitat rehabilitation work. His efforts led to the establishment of the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve
in 1965 and the designation of the Helmeted Honeyeater as the state’s bird emblem.
In 1969 Johnson was instrumental in organising the successful campaign to preserve the land now protected in the Little Desert National Park
in north-west Victoria. In 1974 he took early retirement from the Victorian Public Service
and became the executive director of the Conservation Council of Victoria
.
For many years Johnson, along with Ellen McCulloch
, a nature writer and officer of the BOC, had lobbied the Victorian Government to sponsor a program to promote and assist in environmental conservation on private land. This eventually succeeded in 1981 with the launch of the Land for Wildlife
scheme.
In 1988 Johnson was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
(OAM) for services to the environment. He died at the age of 90 following an accidental fall, and consequent head injury and internal bleeding, while sharing his bird data with students.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cartographer
Cartography
Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's...
, amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
ornithologist
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
and environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
.
Early years
Johnson was born in AraratArarat, Victoria
Ararat is a city in south-west Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hills and Cemetery Creek valley between Victoria's Western District and the Wimmera...
in western Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. His father died when he was seven years old; his mother remarried and the family lived in a succession of places in Victoria’s Mallee region
The Mallee
The Mallee is the most northwesterly district in the state of Victoria, and also encompasses the agricultural district of South Australia. Definitions vary, however all are based on the Victorian distribution of mallee eucalypts...
, with Johnson attending nine different schools. At the age of 16 he began work as a trainee draughtsman
Draughtsman
A draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...
with the Victorian Department of Crown Lands and Survey, in which he was to serve for 37 years apart from his war service.
War service
In 1942 Johnson enlisted in the RAAFRoyal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
. After pilot training he was sent to Britain and attached to the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in which he flew Lancaster bombers
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
with 218 Squadron
No. 218 Squadron RAF
No. 218 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was also known as No 218 Squadron after the Governor of the Gold Coast and people of the Gold Coast officially adopted the squadron.-World War I:...
.
Environmentalism
Back in Melbourne after the war, Johnson returned to his job. In 1948 he married Kathleen Hooppell. He was an active member of the Bird Observers Club (BOC). With other club members he worked hard towards protecting the critically endangered Helmeted HoneyeaterHelmeted Honeyeater
The Helmeted Honeyeater is a passerine bird in the Honeyeater family. It is a distinctive and critically endangered subspecies, formerly considered a full species, of the Yellow-tufted Honeyeater, that exists in the wild only as a tiny relict population in the Australian state of Victoria, in the...
, found only in one small locality 50 km east of Melbourne. This involved both lobbying the state government to halt private land clearing on public land, and the physical labour of habitat rehabilitation work. His efforts led to the establishment of the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve
Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve
Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve is a 4.6 km2 nature reserve 50 km east of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. It lies in the Upper Yarra Valley, near the towns of Yellingbo and Macclesfield...
in 1965 and the designation of the Helmeted Honeyeater as the state’s bird emblem.
In 1969 Johnson was instrumental in organising the successful campaign to preserve the land now protected in the Little Desert National Park
Little Desert National Park
The Little Desert National Park is in Victoria, Australia, 375 kilometres west of Melbourne. It extends from the Wimmera River in the east to near Naracoorte over the South Australian border in the west.-History:...
in north-west Victoria. In 1974 he took early retirement from the Victorian Public Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
and became the executive director of the Conservation Council of Victoria
Environment Victoria
Environment Victoria is Victoria’s leading independent environment group. Established in 1969 as the Conservation Council of Victoria, Environment Victoria was set up by Victoria's community conservation groups to provide a single unified voice for Victoria's environment. Today, Environment...
.
For many years Johnson, along with Ellen McCulloch
Ellen McCulloch
Ellen Margery McCulloch OAM was a Melbourne-based Australian nature writer and amateur ornithologist who had a long association with Bird Observation & Conservation Australia .-Life:...
, a nature writer and officer of the BOC, had lobbied the Victorian Government to sponsor a program to promote and assist in environmental conservation on private land. This eventually succeeded in 1981 with the launch of the Land for Wildlife
Land for Wildlife
Land for Wildlife is a program sponsored by the Department of Sustainability and Environment in the state of Victoria, Australia. It was established in November 1981 to support private landholders and managers who voluntarily provide and enhance habitat for native wildlife on their properties...
scheme.
In 1988 Johnson was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(OAM) for services to the environment. He died at the age of 90 following an accidental fall, and consequent head injury and internal bleeding, while sharing his bird data with students.