MR. J. H. Maiden, I.S.O., F.R.S

Abstract

ON November 16, at his residence, Turramurra, Sydney, the death occurred of Joseph Henry Maiden, who in 1924 retired from the position of Director of the Sydney Botanic Gardens and Officer-in-Charge of the Centennial Park. Mr. Maiden was born at St. John's Wood, London, on April 25, 1859, and received his early education at the City of London Middle Class School. He soon showed a taste for science, and for some time was assistant to the late Prof. F. Barff. He came to Australia in 1880, for health reasons, having provided himself with a return ticket, but the climate proved so beneficial that he decided to remain, and became associated with the formation of the Technological Museum, Sydney, of which he was Curator from 1881 until 1896, and he soon began to study the native plants. Some of his early botanical lessons were learnt from the late Rev. Dr. William Woolls, of whom he always retained the most affectionate memories. He was also a colleague in botanical work of the late Baron von Mueller in his latter days, another of the great pioneers of Australian botany. Mr. Maiden was Superintendent of Technical Education from 1894 until 1896; Consulting Botanist to the Departments of Agriculture and Forests from 1890; Director of the Botanic Gardens, Sydney; and Government Botanist from 1896 until his retirement in 1924.