THE CANTERBURY MUSEUM

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21954, 1 December 1936, Page 16

THE CANTERBURY MUSEUM

MR R. A. FALLA TO BE DIRECTOR NOTED ORNITHOLOGIST One of the Dominion’s most noted ornithologists, Mr R. A. Falla, M.A., assistant-director of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, was appointed director of the Canterbury Museum yesterday by the Canterbury College Council on the recommendation of its museum and library committee. Mr Falla, who is only 35 years of age, will take up the position, vacated last year by Professor R. Speight, on March 1. Twenty-four applications were received for the position, of which three were from the United Kingdom, five from New Zealand, three from Australia, four from other parts of the British Empire, and nine from trie D-nited States of America. Work in Antarctic Mr Robert Alexander Falla was born at Palmerston North and received his primary and secondary education in New Zealand. On leaving school at the end of 1918 he spent two years in commercial work, during which time he attended evening lectures and laboratory classes in zoology at the Auckland University College under Professor Sperrin-Johnston. He joined the teaching profession in 1921 as a student at the Auckland Teachers’ Training College. In 1924 he completed the degree of Bachelor of Arts, winning the senior scholarship in education. He graduated M.A. in 1925, when he was relieving lecturer in general science and nature study at the Auckland Training College. From 1926 to 1929 he was lecturer in nature study and education at the Auckland Training College, and from 1929 to 1931 he served as assistant zoologist and orinthologist with the British, Australian, and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition under the leadership of Sir Douglas Mawson. Subsequently he was awarded the Polar Medal (in bronze) for his work on this expedition, which was highly praised by Sir Douglas Mawson. Sir Douglas Mawson described his memoir on the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic birds of the expedition, now in the press, as an outstanding work. Varied Research Activities In 1930, Mr Falla was appointed ornithologist and education officer at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and in 1935 assistant-director of the institution. At the Auckland Museum he has been under the directorship of Mr Gilbert Archey, and he has at various times carried out research at museums in Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Durban, and Cape Town. Most of his research work has been in ornithology, but he has also had practical experience in marine biology (having spent 10 months in laboratory and deck routine on the Discovery and also made cruises on the Royal Danish Research ship, Dana, in 1929, and the Discovery 11. in 1932), geology, and anthropology (having accompanied Dr. Raymond Firth on a field expedition to the Urewera in 1924, and being a foundation member and past chairman of the Anthropology and Maori Race Section, of the Auckland Institute).