Geoffrey Buckland Orbell (7 October 1908 – 14 August 2007) was a New Zealand doctor and keen hunter and tramper (bush walker) who was responsible for the rediscovery of the

takahē The South Island takahē (''Porphyrio hochstetteri'') is a Flightless bird, flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the Rail (bird), rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, whic ...

in 1948.

Biography

Orbell grew up on a farm at

Pukeuri Pukeuri is a settlement to the north of Oamaru in the North Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located near the coast in the Waitaki District that straddles the border of Otago and Canterbury. The settlement's major employer i ...

, near

Oamaru Oamaru (; ) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast; State Highway 1 (New Zealand), Sta ...

, in New Zealand's South Island. His father, Lionel Orbell, was a farmer and his mother,

Rachel Buckland Rachel Susan Christabel Buckland (1873 in Waikouaiti, Otago, New Zealand – 1946) was a New Zealand artist. Her watercolour paintings are included in the collection of Hocken Library. Her father was the politician John Buckland. She attended ...

, was a watercolour artist. Orbell attended Waitaki Boys High School, Oamaru and Christ's College, Christchurch, before graduating in medicine from the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

, Dunedin. He completed further studies in Melbourne, Australia, and at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, and practised as an ear, eye, nose and throat specialist in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

The takahē had been last sighted in 1898 and was widely thought to be extinct but Orbell suspected it might have survived. He had been interested in the bird since childhood and had read widely about it. He was convinced that if it still existed, it might be found in the

Murchison Mountains The Murchison Mountains () are a group of mountains in Fiordland National Park in New Zealand. It is the location where the South Island takahē, a type of bird presumed extinct, was rediscovered in 1948. The highest mountain is Mount Lyall at . ...

west of

Lake Te Anau Lake Te Anau () is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake covers an area of , making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand (after Lake Taupō) and the largest in the South Island. It is the ...

. In April 1948, Orbell and friends Rex Watson and Neil McCrostie went into the area on a deer hunting trip. Orbell heard bird calls he did not recognise, and found tracks that convinced him the takahē existed. The same group, plus Joan Telfer, returned to the area in November of the same year. While searching, Orbell again discovered a set of unfamiliar footprints and heard a strange bird call. After following the footprints, Orbell rediscovered three of the species on 20 November 1948 in a remote valley. A lake in the valley was named Lake Orbell in his honour. Orbell was one of the founders of the New Zealand Deerstalkers' Association and was its first president, holding the position from 1938 to 1952. He was elected to the

Invercargill City Council The Invercargill City Council is the territorial authority for the city of Invercargill, New Zealand. The council is made up of an elected mayor and 12 councillors elected at-large. They are elected using First-past-the-post voting in triennial ...

in 1941 and was appointed to the inaugural

Invercargill Licensing Trust The Invercargill Licensing Trust, (ILT), is a licensing trust in the city of Invercargill in New Zealand. It has a monopoly on the development of premises licensed for the sale of alcoholic beverages, and associated accommodation in the city, a ...

board in 1944. In the

1953 Coronation Honours The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in '' The London Gazette'' on 1 June 1953.New Zealand list: The rec ...

, he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for scientific work. He retired from medical practice at the age of 70, after 46 years in practice, and in later years lived in

Mosgiel Mosgiel () is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin City Council area. Mosgiel has a p ...

, near

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

. Orbell died on 14 August 2007. He is buried at Invercargill's St John's Cemetery.

Personal life

In 1935 Orbell married Sheila Houston. The couple had four children together. His aunt was photographer

Jessie Buckland Jessie Lillian Buckland (9 May 1878 – 8 June 1939) was a New Zealand photographer. Life and career Buckland was born in Tumai, Otago, New Zealand on 9 May 1878. Her parents were Caroline Fairburn and John Buckland and she was one of seve ...

and his grandfather was politician John Buckland. His great-aunt was artist and translator

Elizabeth Hocken Elizabeth Mary Hocken (née Buckland; 25 October 1848 – 19 April 1933), was a New Zealand artist and translator. She was known as Bessie. Biography Hocken was born in Auckland on 25 October 1848 to merchants William Buckland (politician), ...

References

External links

New Zealand Herald: Takahe man dies at 98

* ttp://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2878756.ece Obituary, ''The Independent'', 20 August 2007br>Obituary, ''The Times'', 29 September 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orbell, Geoffrey 1908 births 2007 deaths New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century New Zealand medical doctors People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch University of Otago alumni People from Oamaru New Zealand conservationists Invercargill City Councillors Invercargill Licensing Trust Board members Buckland family Fairburn–Newman family Burials at St John's Cemetery, Invercargill