The Zealous Conservator: A Life of Charles Lane Poole

John Dargavel

In an age of consciousness about conservation comes John Dargavel’s fascinating biography, The Zealous Conservator, of Charles Lane Poole (1885–1970), Western Australia’s first conservator of forests. A pioneer of Australian conservation, Poole was hailed in 1981 by Western Australian Premier Sir Charles Court as the ‘founder of modern forestry’.

Fired by the ideals of forest conservation and its science, Poole followed their dictates throughout Australia and across the world. He was the first man to attempt the task of managing and preserving the State’s magnificent jarrah and karri forests at a time when they were being felled for railway sleepers.

This fascinating biography follows his life from his birth in England in 1885 to Ireland, France, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Western Australia, Papua New Guinea, Canberra, where he established Australia’s national forestry school, and Sydney, where he died in 1970.

Awards

Won – 2009 Canberra Critics' Circle Writing Award
Shortlisted – Margaret Medcalf Award (Excellence in Research and Referencing)

Praise for The Zealous Conservator:

The biography is an excellent window into the development of professional forestry in Australia during the 1910s-190s.

BRETT BENNETT, BRITISH SCHOLAR JOURNAL

Book details

PUBLICATION DATE: 2008
FORMAT: Paperback
EXTENT: 250 pages
SIZE: 235 x 155 mm
ISBN: 9781921401145
RIGHTS: World
CATEGORY: Biography and Autobiography, General Non-fiction, John Dargavel, Staples Fund,