Don Goodsir

Donald Henry Goodsir OAM (21 May 1937 – 6 October 2010) was an Australian teacher, school administrator, author and environmentalist.

Don Goodsir

OAM
Born
Donald Henry Goodsir

(1937-05-21)21 May 1937
Haberfield, New South Wales
Died6 October 2010(2010-10-06) (aged 73)
NationalityAustralian
EducationBachelor of Arts
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
OccupationTeacher, administrator
Years active1956–2010
EmployerNSW Department of Education and Training
Known forEnvironmentalism
Notable work
Gould League books on Australian birds and mammals
Spouse(s)Julie (nee Ferguson)
Children3
AwardsMedal of the Order of Australia

Early life

Goodsir was born in Haberfield, New South Wales on 21 May 1937 to Harry Goodsir (a maintenance engineer) and Molly Moore. He was educated at Haberfield Primary School, Fort Street Boys' High School and William Balmain Teachers' College.[1]

Career

At the age of 18, Goodsir was appointed to a one-room school at Bulby Brush School near Krambach, New South Wales, the same school attended earlier by Australian poet Les Murray.[2]

After three years Goodsir returned to Sydney where he taught while completing an Arts degree at the University of Sydney. After teaching in England for three years, he served as principal at public schools in North Sydney, Lindfield, Maroubra Junction and Mosman. Frustrated that books on birds focussed on North American species, he approached the Gould League and wrote the text for two books, on Australian birds and mammals.[1]

Goodsir went on to become an inspector of schools in Coonabarabran and a director of schools for Woollahra.[3]

After retirement

Following his retirement in 1994, Goodsir undertook many voluntary community roles including:

  • President, Headland Preservation Group[4]
  • President, Mosman Historical Society[5]
  • Member, Friends of the Bradley Bushland Reserve[5]
  • Community Advisory Committee Member, Sydney Harbour Federation Trust[6]
  • Assessor for the Australian Tidy Town Awards[7]

Goodsir also served as a volunteer teacher training adviser in Thailand, Kiribati and, while suffering from cancer, the Solomon Islands.[1]

Honours
  • Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the community, particularly through environmental preservation and heritage organisations (2008)[8]

Publications
  • The Gould League book of Australian birds (1979) ISBN 0-85558-632-X
  • The Gould League book of Australian mammals (1981) ISBN 0-85558-640-0
  • Fascinating Australian birds : a pictorial guide (2007) ISBN 978-1-921221-08-8

References
  1. Richards, George (26 October 2010). "Urban crusader fought to conserve and protect his community". smh.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  2. Kinross Smith, Graeme (September 1980). "'...The Frequent Image of Farms' - A Profile of Les Murray" (PDF). Westerly. 25 (3): 38–52. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  3. Crawford, Kate (14 October 2010). "Don Goodsir, a terrific bloke, gentleman". mosman-daily.whereilive.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  4. "Penguin supports preservation". defence.gov.au. 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  5. Page, Emma (30 April 2009). "Friends hand over significant records". mosman-daily.whereilive.com.au. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  6. "Community Advisory Committee Members" (PDF). harbourtrust.gov.au. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  7. "2009 Tidy Towns Assessors" (PDF). kabnsw.org.au. 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  8. "Donald Henry Goodsir". itsanhonour.gov.au. 26 January 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
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