John Thorpe Holloway

John Thorpe Holloway
Born John Thorpe Holloway
(1914-11-15)15 November 1914
Oxford, New Zealand
Died 10 June 1977(1977-06-10) (aged 62)
Christchurch, New Zealand
Nationality New Zealander
Alma mater University of Otago
Occupation Chemist, Botanist, Mountaineer
Years active (1932-1975)
Notable work The Mountains of New Zealand,The Indigenous Forest Resources of New Zealand,The National Forest Survey of New Zealand: 1955
Spouse(s) Una Scott Stevenson (1884-1944); her death
Parent(s) John Ernest Holloway
Margaret Brenda North
Awards Hector Memorial Medal and Prize (1966), Honorary Dsc from the University of Otago (1974), Honorary Membership from the New Zealand Institute of Foresters (1975)

John Thorpe Holloway (November 15, 1914 – June 10, 1977) was a New Zealand alpine explorer and forest ecologist. He was born in Oxford, North Canterbury, New Zealand on 15 November 1914. He was the only child of Margaret Brenda North and husband John Ernest Holloway, a Vicar in the Church of England.[1]

Early life

Along with his mother and father, John Thorpe Holloway grew up in rural New Zealand until 1916. His family moved for several years until finally they settled down in the town of Dunedin. His father then became one of the top lecturers of Botany at the University of Otago. John, or Jack as he was known, spent most of his childhood attending a boarding school in Dunedin. As a small boy, he enjoyed climbing. After he graduated from the Waitaki Boys’ High School in Oamaru he went on to further his schooling at the University of Otago, like his father before him.[2] Holloway graduated in 1937 with a Master of Science degree and honors in Botany and Chemistry.

Alpine Exploration

By the 1930s, John Thorpe Holloway was an established mountaineer.[3] He explored many places, but two of the most known explorations he led were on the Barrier and Olivine ranges. Over the course of eight years Holloway made over fifty new accents on the Olivine and Barrier Ranges, including discovering twelve new passes, and he produced detailed maps. No one before Holloway had made maps of these mountain ranges. Once Holloway had mapped these new lands, exploration in New Zealand was changed.[4] Holloway led many explorations during what were called the "depression years." He would often trade maps that he had made for food rations in order to survive. Holloway became a member of the New Zealand Alpine Club.[5]

New Zealand Forest Service

Shortly after marrying Una Scott Stevenson, a lab technician, Holloway returned to New Zealand. Holloway lived in New Zealand for two weeks before joining the 11th Forest Company, Corps of New Zealand Engineers. Soon after he moved to the outskirts of London where he worked for four years in the sawmills. However, when Holloway was not working in the sawmills, he started a census of the woodlands that he was exposed to.[1][2] In 1945, he joined the New Zealand Forest Service. Holloway began to work on the National Forest Survey. Holloway studied the forests of New Zealand and their native wildlife. These observational studies led to many of the papers that Holloway wrote in his life, including "Forests and Climates in South New Zealand."

Major Research

One of the more prominent studies completed by John Thorpe Holloway was his study of deer species in Southland, New Zealand. In this study, Holloway observed the impact of deer species on the Southland environment. Holloway not only noticed that the species just east of Southland were thriving, but the species in Southland were nearly diminished. He proposed that this change could be due to the "virgin environment." Holloway studied the Long Wood Range's deer population the most thoroughly. He found that the environment's deer population was the lowest in Southland due to newly operating sawmills and deforestation.[6] Holloway believed heavily in the preservation of the natural world. After many studies Holloway stated that in order for society to thrive, then it must first think about its surroundings.

References

  1. 1 2 McKelvey, Peter. "John Thorpe Holloway". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 "John Thorpe Holloway". Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  3. ↑ Temple, Phillip (1973). Castles in the Air. McIndoe. p. 83.
  4. ↑ "New Zealand Journal of Forestry". Obituaries. July 18, 1982.
  5. ↑ "John Thorpe Holloway". Aukland Museum. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  6. ↑ Holloway, John T. Deer and the Forests of Southland. pp. 124–132.
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