ESHG Biographies

Dorothy Hill - image courtesy John Jell. Portrait by Lola McCausland (1967), collection of The University of Queensland - reproduced with permission.

David Branagan
David Branagan was born in Broken Hill, and studied geology at the Sydney University, graduating in 1950. He spent the first four years of his career as a geologist with the Geological Survey of NSW, developing a growing expertise in the coal deposits of NSW. After a short stint in industry, he returned to Sydney University where he completed his PhD and remained there for 30 years. He advanced progressively through the teaching ranks to become an Associate Professor from 1975 to 1989, when he retired. His teaching expertise was in the fields of coal geology, mining engineering geology, photogeology, geomorphology and field mapping. He was also the founder of the Sydney University Speleological Society and the St Gregory Chorale which preformed early sacred music, accompanied by his deep baritone voice.

 

David Branagan AM at his Willoughby home.

As well as being an eminent and much-loved teacher of geology, his writings on the history of our science and the lives and achievements of the many pioneering geologists and explorers will always be seen as his most distinguished contributions. Early research for a doctorate on the coal seams in the Newcastle region led to the expansion of his nascent interest in the history of science and geology. David’s interest in the history of geology and science was enhanced further through his contact and friendship with INHIGEO Vice President, Tom Vallance. David began to attend the INHIGEO’s conferences contributing actively. He was INHIGEO President 1992–1996. He wrote around 20 books, and 230 papers and articles, about half of which have been dedicated to the history of geology, of mineral exploration, the history of ideas in science, as well as biographies of geologists, engineers, and metallurgists. His most important work was his definitive biography of T.W. Edgeworth David, described as a masterful work on an Australian pioneering geological academic and explorer. In 2007 David was awarded an honorary DSc. by the University of Sydney, chiefly in recognition of this biography.

He was a founding member of the Geological Society of Australia (GSA) in 1952, and the founding editor of The Australian Geologist in 1974, a role he held for 10 years.  He received many honours and awards, including Honorary Life Membership of the GSA in 1992, the Royal Society of NSW Medal in 1998, and was the inaugural recipient of ESHG’s Tom Vallance Medal for contributions to Australian Earth Science History presented at the 34th IGC 2012. Other honours included the 2020 V. V. Tikhomirov Award for the History of Geology. In 2018 he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).