George Arthur Keartland
Encyclopedia
George Arthur Keartland was an Australia
n typographer
and ornithologist
notable for his collecting work on the Horn
and Calvert scientific exploring expeditions.
Keartland was born in England
at Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, but moved to Melbourne
in Victoria, Australia with his family in 1850. He attended school in Fitzroy
, trained as a photographer
, completed an apprenticeship
to a printer and became a compositor
at The Age
for over fifty years. Keartland joined the Melbourne Typographical Society in 1871 and served as president of the Australasian Typographical Union twice. In 1873 he married
Margaret Jane Nicol, the couple settling in Collingwood
.
From the mid 1880s Keartland became increasingly interested in natural history
and, especially, ornithology. He joined the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
(FNCV) in 1886 and became expert at skinning
bird
s. He served as the ornithologist/collector on the Horn Expedition to central Australia in 1894 as well as on the Calvert Expedition to north-west Australia in 1896-97, bringing back important collections of bird specimens from both.
Keartland was a founding member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
in 1901 as well as serving as President of the FNCV in 1907-09. He died of cancer
at his home in Preston
, being survived by his wife, two of five sons and four of six daughters. He is commemorated in the scientific name of the Grey-headed Honeyeater
(Lichenostomus keartlandi).
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 typographer
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
and 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...
notable for his collecting work on the Horn
Horn Expedition
The Horn Scientific Expedition was the first primarily scientific expedition to study the natural history of Central Australia. It took place from May to August 1894, with expedition members first traveling by train from Adelaide to the railhead at Oodnadatta in South Australia, then using camels...
and Calvert scientific exploring expeditions.
Keartland was born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, but moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in Victoria, Australia with his family in 1850. He attended school in Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
, trained as a photographer
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, completed an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
to a printer and became a compositor
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
at The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
for over fifty years. Keartland joined the Melbourne Typographical Society in 1871 and served as president of the Australasian Typographical Union twice. In 1873 he married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
Margaret Jane Nicol, the couple settling in Collingwood
Collingwood, Victoria
Collingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
.
From the mid 1880s Keartland became increasingly interested in natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and, especially, ornithology. He joined the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation.It was founded in May 1880 by a group of nature enthusiasts that included Thomas Pennington Lucas. Charles French and Dudley Best. It is the oldest conservation group in Victoria...
(FNCV) in 1886 and became expert at skinning
Skinning
Skinning, a gerund from the verb to skin, commonly refers to the act of skin removal.The process is usually done with animals, mainly as preparation of the meat beneath and/or use for the fur...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. He served as the ornithologist/collector on the Horn Expedition to central Australia in 1894 as well as on the Calvert Expedition to north-west Australia in 1896-97, bringing back important collections of bird specimens from both.
Keartland was a founding member of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
in 1901 as well as serving as President of the FNCV in 1907-09. He died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at his home in Preston
Preston, Victoria
Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Preston had a population of 27,892.-Settlement:...
, being survived by his wife, two of five sons and four of six daughters. He is commemorated in the scientific name of the Grey-headed Honeyeater
Grey-headed Honeyeater
The Grey-headed Honeyeater is a species of bird in the Meliphagidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 26 July 2007....
(Lichenostomus keartlandi).