Harold Camm (7 September 1903 – 6 April 1990) was an Australian geographer who served as the
Surveyor General of Western Australia
The Surveyor General of Western Australia is the person nominally responsible for government surveying in Western Australia.
In the early history of Western Australia, the office of surveyor general was one of the most important public offices. ...
from 1959 to 1968.
Biography
He was born in
Geraldton
Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
As of the , Geraldt ...
,
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
on 7 September 1903.
In July 1932, he married Dorothea Laura Hill Parker (1900 - 1992), a medical practitioner.
Their son, Richard Camm was born in 1934.
He died on 6 April 1990 in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Western Australia.
Education
He was educated at
Perth Modern School
Perth Modern School (colloquially known as Perth Mod) is a public co-educational academically selective high school, located in Subiaco, an inner city suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Perth Modern is Western Australia's only fully academica ...
.
Career
He became a licensed surveyor on 9 April 1925.
In 1959, he was appointed as the
Surveyor General of Western Australia
The Surveyor General of Western Australia is the person nominally responsible for government surveying in Western Australia.
In the early history of Western Australia, the office of surveyor general was one of the most important public offices. ...
by the department of land administration under the terms of the ''Electoral Districts Act 1963''.
[Government Gazette of Western Australia](_blank)
wa.gov.au
His period of leadership encompassed a peak land settlement era where 1,000,000 acres of virgin bush was annually classified and subdivided into farms for conditional purchase release. Substantial areas of land were set aside in conservation reserves and a policy of road reserves wide was implemented under his direction. The importance of these interconnecting ribbons of land to the conservation of flora and fauna has only been recognized in recent years.
New technologies were also introduced into the department and the survey industry over this period, equipment such as electronic distance measuring instruments, computers and photogrammetric equipment. As a result, greater efficiencies in surveying and mapping were attained, including the accelerated geodesic surveying and mapping programs across Australia, to which Western Australia was a major contributor.
His tenure ended in 1968 and he was succeeded by
John Frank Morgan.
He also served with the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...
in the
Royal Australian Survey Corps
The Royal Australian Survey Corps (RA Svy) was a Corps of the Australian Army, formed on 1 July 1915 and disbanded on 1 July 1996. As one of the principal military survey units in Australia, the role of the Royal Australian Survey Corps was to p ...
during
World War Two
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...
from 1942 until 1945, and attained the rank of captain.
See also
*
List of pastoral leases in Western Australia
Pastoral leases in Western Australia are increasingly known as "stations", and more particular – as either sheep stations or cattle stations. They are usually found in country that is designated as rangeland. In 2013 there were a total of 527 p ...
References
External links
Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camm, Harold
1903 births
1990 deaths
Australian geographers
Surveyors General of Western Australia