Alexander George AM (49-55)

Alex George’s love of Banksia trees began in childhood, when he enjoyed climbing them as a young boy. The George family went on Sunday drives in the bush around Perth and spent school holidays in the country. He didn’t know then that his interest in nature and wildflowers would one day develop into a career as a renowned botanist.

Alex was the final student at Wesley to study Latin, which became useful later in his career when researching old botanical texts.

Alex graduated from The University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts and second major in Botany. In 1959, he joined the Western Australian Herbarium as a Laboratory Assistant, progressing to Botanist in 1964. He remained at the Herbarium until 1981, his work combining public service duties and research. Field trips to study plants and vegetation took him across Australia.

His expertise extended to plants such as Banksia, Dryandra, Synaphea, Verticordia, Calothamnus and the uniquely Australian family Gyrostemonaceae. His work continues to underpin scientific research on our plants, their conservation, and their use in horticulture.

He participated in the State Government’s review of national parks and nature reserves in the 1970s as a member of the Conservation through Reserves Committee.

Alex spent 12 years working in Canberra as the inaugural Executive Editor of Flora of Australia, a multi-volume project of the Australian Biological Resources Study. In 1993, he returned to Perth and worked as a freelance botanist, editor, and indexer. He has written 230 scientific botanical papers, 260 popular articles and, as sole or joint author, 16 books on Australian plants and botanical history.

Alex is the only botanist to have served two terms as Australian Botanical Liaison Officer at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, London. In 1967–68 he was the youngest to hold the post, and in 2004–05 he was the oldest!

Alex George met Queen Elizabeth II twice, when copies of The Banksias, complete with life-sized watercolour paintings by artist Celia Rosser, were presented to her as gifts by the Australian Government. Alex was botanical adviser and author for the project. The three volumes now reside in the library at Windsor Castle.

Alex has named some 360 new plants and has a dozen plants named after him, including the strange plant Alexgeorgea.

In 2012, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to conservation and the environment as a botanist, historian, and author, and for his work in various roles with national and international professional organisations.