J. E. Holloway in Botanic Garden

1931

Box 6 Botany Papers r6461, Hocken Collection

Unpublished

The appointment of the Reverend Dr John Ernest Holloway, FRS (1881-1945) to teach Botany at the University of Otago in 1924 was a great start for the Department. He was a highly regarded researcher and dedicated teacher, and his eventual work on Pteridophyta (ferns, clubmosses, etc) gained him world-wide recognition. However, the conditions he faced when he started were far from ideal: one room in the basement of the Otago Museum, which served as lecture theatre, laboratory, and office. Other resources were just as scarce. As sole member of staff he undertook all duties: collecting, preparing and displaying class material (so-called ‘lab boy duties’), administration, teaching at all levels, and research support. Here he is in a pensive mood, relaxing in the Botanic Garden of the Museum grounds.