Margaret Grace Thorsborne (3 June 1927 – 16 October 2018) was an Australian
naturalist
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
,
conservationist and
environmental activist
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...
. She was notable for her efforts, with her husband
Arthur Thorsborne, in initiating the long-term monitoring and protection of the
Torresian imperial-pigeon on the
Brook Islands, north east of
Hinchinbrook Island
Hinchinbrook Island (or Pouandai to the Biyaygiri people) is an island in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies east of Cardwell, Queensland, Cardwell and north of Lucinda, Queensland, Lucinda, separated from the north-eas ...
,
Far North Queensland
Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns, Queensland, Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stret ...
. Toward the end of her life, she was involved in the struggle to protect Queensland’s
Wet Tropics
The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km2 of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range. The Wet Tropics of Queensland meets all f ...
World Heritage Area
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage ...
and animals such as the
southern cassowary
The southern cassowary (''Casuarius casuarius''), also known as double-wattled cassowary, Australian cassowary, or two-wattled cassowary, is a large Flightless bird, flightless black bird, found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northeastern ...
,
mahogany glider
The mahogany glider (''Petaurus gracilis'') is an endangered gliding possum[dugong
The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest ...](_b ...<br></span></div> and <div class=)
.
Early life
Margaret Kemp-Pennefather was born in 1927,
the daughter of Lionel Hugh Kemp-Pennefather and his wife, the highly decorated Australian
nurse
Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
Constance (née Keys).She is also the granddaughter of the
botanist
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
and schoolteacher
James Keys
James Keys (19 June 1841 – 26 January 1916) was a school teacher and pioneering 19th century Queensland botanist who was globally recognised for the diverse collections of plant specimens which he assembled from locations of floristic significanc ...
.
Margaret married Arthur Thorsborne in 1963. Then living on Queensland’s
Gold Coast, they were foundation members and office bearers of the Gold Coast branch of the
Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland
The Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland (Wildlife Queensland) based in Queensland, Australia is a not-for-profit organisation which aims to engage communities to deliver conservation outcomes.
Founded in 1962, Wildlife Queensland works ...
.
Hinchinbrook
The Thorsbornes began visiting Hinchinbrook Island in 1964. In 1972 they settled at Meunga Creek, near
Cardwell, on a property ("Galmara") consisting mainly of coastal wetlands and rainforest facing Hinchinbrook Island across the Hinchinbrook Channel. The property was given in 1980 to the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service to extend the
Edmund Kennedy National Park. Arthur Thorsborne died in 1991. The Thorsbornes are commemorated in the
Thorsborne Trail
The Thorsborne Trail is a popular long-distance bushwalking trail in Queensland, Australia. It runs along the east coast of Hinchinbrook Island National Park and is long. The island is part of Wet Tropics of Queensland. It has been described a ...
, a popular 32 km walking track on Hinchinbrook Island.
Pigeon protection
Starting in 1965, an early conservation initiative by the Thorsbornes was a long-term and ongoing monitoring program for Torresian imperial-pigeons on the Brook Islands near Hinchinbrook, the southernmost breeding area of the species, to which the pigeons arrive in August every year, departing northwards in March after the breeding season. Though breeding mainly on the islands, the pigeons fly daily to the nearby mainland, as well as to Hinchinbrook Island, to feed on rainforest fruits, including
fig
The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...
s and
nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed, or the ground spice derived from the seed, of several tree species of the genus '' Myristica''; fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg ('' M. fragrans'') is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fru ...
s. Although the pigeons have been officially protected by law since 1877, birds were still regularly, intensively and illegally shot as they returned in the evening to feed their chicks on the island nesting colonies, and the number of breeding birds had dropped to 3,000 by the time the Thorsbornes intervened. The monitoring program required a regular presence on the island and acted not only to quantify population changes but also to protect the colony. Later, as the population recovered and more help was required to conduct the counting, Margaret and Arthur began a long term collaboration with
John Winter (Zoologist) John Winter may refer to:
*John Winter (architect) (1930–2012), English architect
*John Winter (athlete) (1924–2007), Australian high jumper
*John Winter (cricketer) (1851–1914), English cricketer
*John Winter (Newfoundland politician) (1806� ...
from the
Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...
. Winter facilitated a reorganisation of the counting system and an increase in the degree of government support available to the project. Since 1965, the illegal shooting has declined and pigeon numbers have increased to over 40,000.
Political art
Margaret painted over 2,500 envelopes which she sent to friends, politicians and government agencies, often with conservation messages such 'Azure kingfishers need tree-lined streams', and matching stamps. Her cards were sold at several centres in the region to raise money for conservation.
Honours
* 1998 –
WPSA Serventy Conservation Medal
* 2001 –
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...
for distinguished service to conservation and the environment.
* 2006 – Queensland Natural History Award
* 2011 – Officer of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
for distinguished service to conservation and the environment through advocacy roles for the protection and preservation of wildlife and significant natural heritage sites in Australia, as a supporter of scientific research, and to the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland.
References
Further reading
Citation, Queensland Natural History Award for 2006: Margaret Thorsborneaccessed 28 August 2007
* Thorsborne, A.S.; & Thorsborne, M.G. (1988). Population changes of the Torresian Imperial-Pigeon ''Ducula spilorroa'' over twenty-one years on North Brook Island, north Queensland. ''Emu'' 88: 1–8.
* Thorsborne, Arthur; & Thorsborne, Margaret. (1987). ''Hinchinbrook Island. The land time forgot''. Weldons P/L: Sydney.
Wet Tropics World Heritage Area Magazine 2007–2008downloaded 28 August 2007
External links
The Thorsborne TrustMargaret Thorsborne AO Digital Story 2013 State Library of Queensland
State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorsborne, Margaret Grace
Australian conservationists
Australian naturalists
2018 deaths
1927 births
Officers of the Order of Australia
People from Cardwell, Queensland