Our Founders

Wirrimbirra was created in the 1960s by Thistle Stead, in memory of her husband David, to preserve the original 'Bargo Brush' and promote the use and propagation of Australian native plants.

Dr.Thistle Yolette Stead A.M. (1902 - 1990)

Thistle Harris commenced her professional career as a secondary school teacher in 1924. She continued in this role until she was appointed as lecturer in biological sciences at Sydney Teachers' College until her retirement in 1958.

Thistle often expressed the view that 'education of people was the most important pursuit in society' and in all her activities throughout her long professional and post-professional career, education in one form or another was integral with her endeavours.

Dr Stead was a prolific author and published twelve books - the first of which was "Wildflowers of Australia" published in 1938. This publication did perhaps more than any other of its kind to popularise the recognition and appreciation of Australian native plants. It set in motion a chain of events which has established an international appreciation of Australia's flora.

In 1951 she married David G. Stead, noted marine biologist and pioneer conservationist. Thistle was a great admirer of David's work and it was in his honour that she and a colleague, Carmen Coleman, purchased land at Bargo which is now known as Wirrimbirra Sanctuary. This led to the formation of the David G. Stead Memorial Wild Life Research Foundation of Australia, an important environmental education Field Studies Center.

The Stead Foundation and the Sanctuary stand as a memorial to the work of David Stead as well as being a continuing memorial to the environmental education work of Thistle Harris. Her original initiative, continued support and generous financial contributions ensured the existence of the organisation.

Thistle Stead was an active and dedicated participant in the evolving conservation movement. In the 1920s she was a member of the Australian Naturalists Society, in the 1930s she was active in the Australian Forest League and she continued her participation through the Wildlife Preservation Society and the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.

The Society for Growing Australian Plants owes its origins to the work of Thistle Stead. Together with Arthur Swaby she planned its formation, with Thistle taking responsibility for the NSW division. Having planned the meeting, she then organised Bill Hicks into the position of first president of the Society.

Thistle Stead had a prodigious capacity for writing. Her works assisted all who wanted to learn and inspired others to undertake some learning. Wirrimbirra is first and foremost a learning centre. The location of the Field Studies Centre within the Sanctuary has been a considerable achievement. Many people were involved in this achievement not the least being Alan Strom, but it was Thistle's prestige and her ability to convince administration of the need that proved the crucial factor.

Thistle Stead left a great and enduring legacy which will continue to provide enlightenment and pleasure to present and future generations. She will be remembered by all who knew her and knew of her work with great respect for the inspiration that her work provided.

In 1985 the University of Wollongong conferred on her the Honorary Doctorate of Science. In her acceptance speech Thistle noted:

Thistle Stead's life and work show her very strong belief in this maxim .

David George Stead (1877 - 1957)

David G. Stead was born at North Sydney, 6 March 1877 and educated at public schools and Sydney Technical College.

David Stead served in a number of government posts. He was involved with the fisheries industry in Australia and in British Malaya over many years and was also the Australian representative on a number of International Committees on Fisheries, Marine Biology and Oceanography.

David Stead was a dedicated naturalist and member of many scientific and natural history societies of which he was often an office bearer. These included the Linnean Society, Australian Forest League, Gould League, Geographical Society of NSW, the Royal Zoological Society of NSW and the Wildlife Preservation Society.  This latter society was his creation and behind which he was the driving force.

As an enthusiastic geographer, oceanographer and aquarist he made great collections of Australian and Malayan fishes which are now preserved in the Australian Museum.

David Stead was a prolific writer. He wrote extensively for the government, natural history societies, newspapers, and produced fourteen books. In 1933 he was General Editor of a series of nature books brought out by Shakespeare Head Press.

At different times he was editor of 'The Australian Naturalist', and 'The Australian Geographer'. He was a great believer in educating people and saw these publications as a means of advancing appreciation of natural things and the need for conservation.

David Stead was a popular lecturer, often travelling great distances willingly to give a talk with one of the best collection of slides on natural topics. He was never in doubt of his perspective. The cause of conservation was uppermost in his mind and he was one of the people whose work in the area of conservation influenced later generations of the rightness of the conservation cause.

After his death in 1957 tributes came from people in all walks of life. One of these sums up his life's work:

This review has been copied from a page of the Wirrimbirra web site as it was in 2001.  Many thanks to Google for capturing and storing this history.