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Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 79, 1951, Page i

The Annual Meeting of the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand was held on Wednesday, 11th May, 1949, in the Council Room, Victoria University College, Wellington. Roll Call. The following were present: The President, Dr. R. A. Falla, in the chair. Government Representatives: Dr. G. Archey, Mr. B. C. Aston, Dr. W. R. B. Oliver. Representing Auckland Institute: Mr. A. T. Pycroft. Representing Wellington Branch: Dr. L. Bastings, Dr. J. T. Salmon. Representing Canterbury Branch: Professor R. S. Allan, Dr. O. H. Frankel. Representing Otago Branch: Miss Marion Fyfe, Dr. C. M. Focken. Representing Hawke's Bay Branch: Mr. J. D. H. Buchanan. Representing Nelson Institute: Dr. D. Miller. Representing Southland Branch: Mr. R. W. Willett. Co-opted Member: Dr. J. Marwick. The Hon. Treasurer, Mr. S. Cory Wright, also attended. Apologies. His Excellency the Governor-General, who was in residence in Auckland, was unable to be present. The Hon. Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research, Mr. T. H. McCombs, regretted being unable to attend. The Vice-President, Mr. F. R. Callaghan, was chairman of another meeting and regretted being unable to attend. Dr. L. H. Briggs had not yet returned from overseas. New Members. The President extended a warm welcome to Miss Marion Fyfe, Otago, the first woman to hold a seat on the Council; to Professor R. S. Allan, Canterbury; and to Dr. L. Bastings, Wellington. The President also expressed the Council's regret at the resignation of Professor L. R. Richardson, Wellington, and of Professor G. J. Williams, Otago. He referred to the stimulus that Professor Richardson had given to meetings of the Council and to the Standing Committee.

Deceased Members. The President referred to the great loss the Society had sustained through the death of Professor Henry Borrer Kirk and of Sir Thomas Easterfield, who had been past Presidents of the Society and for many years had been members of the Council. He referred also to the death of Mr. Edgar F. Stead, who had represented the Canterbury Branch on the Council. The Council rose in tribute to their memory. Deceased Honorary Members. The President announced the death of Dr. Otto Wilckens, formerly of the University of Bonn, and of Dr. L. Diels, of Berlin-Dahlem. Although the death of these two Honorary Members had occurred in 1945 and 1944 respectively, the news had only recently come to hand. More recently, June, 1948, Mr. E. C. Andrews, formerly Government Geologist of New South Wales and Secretary and one-time President of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science, had died. A motion of sympathy with relatives of these three Honorary Members was recorded. Congratulations. The congratulations of the Council were extended to Dr. H. H. Allan on his receiving the order of C.B.E. in the King's Birthday Honours and to Mr. B. C. Aston for a similar honour announced in the New Year's Honours List. Presidential Remarks. Dr. Falla stated that his remarks from the chair would be brief. The Presidential Address under the new procedure would be given that night before the Wellington Branch of the Society. The chief work of the past year had been the holding of the Seventh Pacific Science Congress in February. This had entailed an immense amount of organizing work, carried out with conspicuous success by Dr. Gilbert Archey, Secretary-General of the Congress and Chairman of the Auckland Committee, and by Professor Allan, Chairman of the Christchurch Committee, and by the Organizing Committee and the Hon. Treasurer, Mr. S. Cory Wright. Thanks were due also to the Chairman and Secretaries of the Divisions, to the Host-guides, and to all who had participated in the work before and during the Congress. The acknowledged fact that the Congress was an outstanding success was perhaps highest reward for this work. Hector Award. On the recommendation of the Hector Award Committee the Hector Medal and Prize was unanimously awarded to Professor R. A. Robinson, late of Auckland University College and now of Raffles College, Singapore, for his researches in physical chemistry. Hector Prize. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr. Pycroft, that the amount of the Hector Prize be £50. Fellowship Royal Society of N.Z. Dr. J. Marwick, convener of the Fellowship Selection Committee, reported that the Committee recommended Dr. R. O. Page, Mr. G. Simpson, Dr. J. T. Salmon, and Professor F. G. Soper for election to the Fellowship. On the motion of Dr. Marwick, seconded by Dr. Archey, the Committee's recommendation was adopted.

Committees. On the motion of Mr. Buchanan, seconded by Dr. Oliver, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the Hector Award Committee and to the Fellowship Selection Committee for their work. Fellowship, 1950. On the motion of Dr. Frankel, seconded by Dr. Marwick, it was resolved that four Fellows be elected in 1950. Honorary Members. It was resolved that three Honorary Members be elected to fill the vacancies caused by the deaths of Mr. E. C. Andrews, Dr. L. Diels, and Dr. O. Wilckens.