John Holmes (Fellowship) Citation

Conferred Hobart, January 1997

Fellowship of the Institute of Australian Geographers is awarded for distinguished service to the institute. This honour has been accorded only twice before; to Murray McCaskill in 1989 and to Bruce Thom in 1992, and I am delighted to note that both of these IAG Fellows are here at the conference. Today they will be joined by a third Fellow in absentia.

John Holmes, Emeritus Professor of Geography, University of Queensland has a membership record encompassing a great many varied and well recognised contributions to Institute affairs. He was the Institute’s second treasurer and our 19th president. But John Holmes’ contribution to the IAG covers much more than that of holding office. He has been a regular attendee at IAG conferences, has made representations on behalf of IAG and has been a consistent supporter of the Institute’s journal, Australian Geographical Studies. His first contribution to our journal was in the second issue in 1963 and his most recent (two papers) in 1994. He has contributed reviews, commentaries and nine research papers extending over three decades, and, there is no reason to believe that he will not continue to further the aims and activities of the Institute as he had done so admirably in the past.

It is therefore a pleasure for me to acknowledge John Holmes’ contribution to the Institute and in recognition of his distinguished service award him Fellowship of the Institute of Australian Geographers.

John Holmes cannot he here today to personally receive his fellowship. He is in fact doing what most geographers prefer to do. He is on a Geographical Society of New South Wales study tour of South America and, if all is to schedule he will have just left Rio Gallegos, on the southern tip of South America. He has sent his apologies and requested that his award be received on his behalf by Murray McCaskill. Murray is a former president of the Institute, two-time and current editor of Australian Geographical Studies, and holder of the first Fellowship of the Institute of Australian Geographers and it is most appropriate that he should receive this award on behalf of John Holmes.

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