Richard Liversidge
Encyclopedia
Richard Liversidge, naturalist
, ornithologist and museum director, was born on 17 September 1926 in Blantyre
, Nyasaland
(now Malawi
), and died on 15 September 2003 in Kimberley
, South Africa
.
, Tanzania
, Zambia
and Zimbabwe
, and it was as a schoolboy that his interest in birds originated. His initial training, however, was in engineering, when he was apprenticed as a fitter and turner. He began at the University of Cape Town
, in engineering, in 1946. Working full-time as a technician at the university, he then commenced studies in zoology
and botany
, one subject a year, finally graduating in 1955. He took up an appointment as ornithologist at the Port Elizabeth Museum, where he began his study of the ecolology of the Cape Bulbul
which in due course he wrote up for a PhD.
Subsequently Liversidge worked as a conservator with the Natal Parks Board.
Richard Liversidge was the first curator at, and guiding spirit behind, the Tsitsikamma National Park
on the south Cape coast.
in Kimberley. This was a position he held until his retirement in 1986, whereafter he continued to serve the museum as a Research Associate and as a member of the Board of Trustees.
During Liversidge’s directorship, the McGregor Museum underwent unprecedented growth. It was at this time that the museum acquired two important historic homes in Kimberley, The Bungalow (Rudd House) and Duncluce, while he was instrumental in developing the Magersfontein Battlefield Museum and Pioneers of Aviation Museum on the outskirts of Kimberley. The most significant project of this period was undoubtedly the moving of the museum’s headquarters from Chapel Street in Kimberley (where the original 1907 building and an annex added in the 1950s were hemmed in by buildings in the city’s commercial centre, constraining opportunities for expansion) to the Sanatorium, a rambling building in Belgravia, adjacent to the Duggan-Cronin Gallery, where there was much space for future additions of offices and laboratories for a constantly augmented staff and, crucially, of store-rooms for the museums growing collections.
The move from Chapel Street took place gradually through 1973 and 1974, with the Sanatorium being officially opened as the McGregor Museum’s headquarters on 22 November 1976.
Liversidge’s interest in history also ensured that what had been primarily a natural history museum came to be recognized, as significantly, for its humanities collections (with important holdings particularly of historical papers, photographs and textiles).
, ecology
, ornithology
, mammals, and history
. A major contribution was as co-author, with Geoff McLachlan, of the first (1957) and subsequent three revisions of the Birds of South Africa, originally published by Austin Roberts
in 1940.
Later, he wrote A Rapid Bird Guide (1978) and The Birds Around Us (1990), using the fine watercolour paintings of birds by Kimberley artist Jill Adams
.
He was a co-author of several other books on history and game management.
(Anthus longicaudatus) and, together with Gary Voelker, the Kimberley Pipit
(Anthus pseudosimilis).
He also carried out long-term work on the ecology of the springbok
, and had the remarkable ability to predict rain, almost to the day, based on his observation of springbok behaviour.
Liversidge was a founder member and moving spirit behind the establishment of the Historical Society of Kimberley and the Northern Cape (which he would characteristically refer to as the Hysterical Society), serving as chairman over many years. Several of the Society’s publications were brought out at his instigation.
Passionate about old buildings, Liversidge served on the National Monuments Council
for 14 years from 1977 and was a recipient of the Cape Times Centenary Medal (1990) for outstanding achievements in the conservation of historical buildings.
He served also on the councils of the Zoological Society of South Africa and the Wild Life Management Association. He had also been the last surviving founding member of the Cape Bird Club, the Western Cape branch of BirdLife South Africa
.
Recognition of his contribution to natural history included his being made a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
in 1994. He was elected a Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union
in 1974 and an Honorary Fellow in 1991. He was made a Fellow of the South African Museums Association in 1996. Other awards were for Game Conservation in Cape Province (1976), a Merit Award from the Northern Cape Game Ranchers' Association (1990), a Lifetime Achiever Award from the Kimberley Publicity Association (2002) and an Annual Scroll and (posthumous) Gold Medal from the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (2002).
of De Beers
.
An inscribed stone is the centre-piece of the Richard Liversidge Memorial Garden at the McGregor Museum.
The Kimberley Historical Society inaugurated an annual Richard Liversidge Memorial Lecture, which is presented at the Society's Annual General Meeting.
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
, ornithologist and museum director, was born on 17 September 1926 in Blantyre
Blantyre, Malawi
Blantyre or Mandala is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, the largest city with an estimated 732,518 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe...
, Nyasaland
Nyasaland
Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate located in Africa, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Since 1964, it has been known as Malawi....
(now Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
), and died on 15 September 2003 in Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Early career
As a youngster, Liversidge lived for various periods in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, and it was as a schoolboy that his interest in birds originated. His initial training, however, was in engineering, when he was apprenticed as a fitter and turner. He began at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
, in engineering, in 1946. Working full-time as a technician at the university, he then commenced studies in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
and botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, one subject a year, finally graduating in 1955. He took up an appointment as ornithologist at the Port Elizabeth Museum, where he began his study of the ecolology of the Cape Bulbul
Cape Bulbul
The Cape Bulbul, Pycnonotus capensis, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in coastal bush, open forest, gardens and fynbos in southern South Africa. This species nests mainly in the southern spring from September to November...
which in due course he wrote up for a PhD.
Subsequently Liversidge worked as a conservator with the Natal Parks Board.
Richard Liversidge was the first curator at, and guiding spirit behind, the Tsitsikamma National Park
Tsitsikamma National Park
The Tsitsikamma National Park is a coastal reserve on the Garden Route in South Africa. It is well known for indigenous forests, dramatic coastline, and the Otter Trail. On 6 March 2009 it was amalgamated with the Wilderness National Park and various other areas of land to form the Garden Route...
on the south Cape coast.
McGregor Museum, Kimberley
In June 1966, Richard Liversidge was appointed as Director of the McGregor MuseumMcGregor Museum
The McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa, originally known as the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, is a province-aided museum established in 1907.- Overview :...
in Kimberley. This was a position he held until his retirement in 1986, whereafter he continued to serve the museum as a Research Associate and as a member of the Board of Trustees.
During Liversidge’s directorship, the McGregor Museum underwent unprecedented growth. It was at this time that the museum acquired two important historic homes in Kimberley, The Bungalow (Rudd House) and Duncluce, while he was instrumental in developing the Magersfontein Battlefield Museum and Pioneers of Aviation Museum on the outskirts of Kimberley. The most significant project of this period was undoubtedly the moving of the museum’s headquarters from Chapel Street in Kimberley (where the original 1907 building and an annex added in the 1950s were hemmed in by buildings in the city’s commercial centre, constraining opportunities for expansion) to the Sanatorium, a rambling building in Belgravia, adjacent to the Duggan-Cronin Gallery, where there was much space for future additions of offices and laboratories for a constantly augmented staff and, crucially, of store-rooms for the museums growing collections.
The move from Chapel Street took place gradually through 1973 and 1974, with the Sanatorium being officially opened as the McGregor Museum’s headquarters on 22 November 1976.
Liversidge’s interest in history also ensured that what had been primarily a natural history museum came to be recognized, as significantly, for its humanities collections (with important holdings particularly of historical papers, photographs and textiles).
Roberts’ Birds and other publications
Liversidge published more than 80 scientific papers and 40 articles in a variety of journals on botanyBotany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, ornithology
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...
, mammals, and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. A major contribution was as co-author, with Geoff McLachlan, of the first (1957) and subsequent three revisions of the Birds of South Africa, originally published by Austin Roberts
Austin Roberts
Austin Roberts was a South African zoologist. He is best known for his Birds of South Africa, first published in 1940. He also studied the mammalian fauna of the region: his work The mammals of South Africa was published posthumously in 1951...
in 1940.
Later, he wrote A Rapid Bird Guide (1978) and The Birds Around Us (1990), using the fine watercolour paintings of birds by Kimberley artist Jill Adams
Jill Adams (artist)
Jill Adams is a South African artist who has specialised in natural history illustrations. She was born in Durban in 1932, but lived for part of her life in Kimberley, where, on the staff of the McGregor Museum, she worked in close association with leading biologist, Dr. Richard Liversidge...
.
He was a co-author of several other books on history and game management.
Liversidge’s Pipits and his Springbok research
A major achievement in Richard Liversidge’s ornithological career was the identification and description of two new species of pipit, the Long-tailed PipitLong-tailed Pipit
The Long-tailed Pipit is a species of bird in the Motacillidae family.It is found in Botswana, South Africa and Zambia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
(Anthus longicaudatus) and, together with Gary Voelker, the Kimberley Pipit
Kimberley Pipit
The Kimberly Pipit, Anthus pseudosimilis, is a small bird found in savanna grasslands in South Africa and Namibia.This recently described pipit is 18 cms long and weighs around 32 gms. Its plumage is mainly brown....
(Anthus pseudosimilis).
He also carried out long-term work on the ecology of the springbok
Springbok
Springbok can have the following meanings:* Springbok , a small antelope inhabiting southern and western Africa.* South Africa national rugby union team, known as the Springboks....
, and had the remarkable ability to predict rain, almost to the day, based on his observation of springbok behaviour.
Other interests and involvements
A member of several historical and game farmers' societies and associations, his interests covered a wide range of subjects.Liversidge was a founder member and moving spirit behind the establishment of the Historical Society of Kimberley and the Northern Cape (which he would characteristically refer to as the Hysterical Society), serving as chairman over many years. Several of the Society’s publications were brought out at his instigation.
Passionate about old buildings, Liversidge served on the National Monuments Council
National Monuments Council
The National Monuments Council is a Chilean government agency dedicated to the preservation and upkeep of special natural and cultural sites in Chile. The National Monuments Council was created in 1925 by law Nº 17.288.-External links:*...
for 14 years from 1977 and was a recipient of the Cape Times Centenary Medal (1990) for outstanding achievements in the conservation of historical buildings.
He served also on the councils of the Zoological Society of South Africa and the Wild Life Management Association. He had also been the last surviving founding member of the Cape Bird Club, the Western Cape branch of BirdLife South Africa
BirdLife South Africa
BirdLife South Africa, formerly the South African Ornithological Society, is the South African national partner organisation of BirdLife International....
.
Recognition of his contribution to natural history included his being made a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
in 1994. He was elected a Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
in 1974 and an Honorary Fellow in 1991. He was made a Fellow of the South African Museums Association in 1996. Other awards were for Game Conservation in Cape Province (1976), a Merit Award from the Northern Cape Game Ranchers' Association (1990), a Lifetime Achiever Award from the Kimberley Publicity Association (2002) and an Annual Scroll and (posthumous) Gold Medal from the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (2002).
Memorials and Commemorations
A special memorial issue of Ostrich: the Journal of African Ornithology (Volume 75 No 4) was published in December 2004 in honour and memory of Dr Liversidge. It was edited by Mark Anderson and included a dedication by N.F. OppenheimerNicky Oppenheimer
Nicholas "Nicky" F. Oppenheimer is a South African businessman, the chairman of the De Beers diamond mining company and its subsidiary, the Diamond Trading Company. He also has a large financial interest in the diversified mining company Anglo American. In November 2011 the Oppenheimer family sold...
of De Beers
De Beers
De Beers is a family of companies that dominate the diamond, diamond mining, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea...
.
An inscribed stone is the centre-piece of the Richard Liversidge Memorial Garden at the McGregor Museum.
The Kimberley Historical Society inaugurated an annual Richard Liversidge Memorial Lecture, which is presented at the Society's Annual General Meeting.