BURN, Robert Frank OAM
'Bob' Burn, 2016
Robert Frank Burn was awarded the Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2016.
The award is
'For service to marine science, particularly in the field of malacology.
Service includes:
Honorary Marine Naturalist, Malacologist and Taxonomist, current.
Honorary Associate, Museum Victoria, since 1962.
Honorary Member, Malacological Society of Australasia, since 2013 and Journal Editor, 1969-1978 and Active Member, 1953-2013.
Member, Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, since 1957 and Committee Member, Marine Research Group, 1979-1984 and Member, since 1973.
Editor and Contributor, Atlas of Coastal Invertebrates of Victoria, 1984.
Contributor, Marine Invertebrates of Southern Australia II, 1989.
Contributor, Mollusca: the Southern Synthesis Fauna of Australia 5, 1998.
Author, Nudibranchs and related molluscs, Museum Victoria, 2015' Bob was featured in the Ad Astra December 2016, celebrating his recent OAM award:Bob Burn (OGC 1950) received a Medal of the Order of Australia as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Bob was recognised for his service to marine science, particularly the field of malacology – the study of molluscs including clams, mussels, snails, octopus and squid. Scouring the waters of Port Phillip Bay, Western Port Bay and Bass Strait, his passion for the subject has led him to scientifically name more than 90 species.
A builder by trade, Bob is an honorary marine naturalist, malacologist and taxonomist; an honorary associate at Museum Victoria since 1962; a member (1953-2013) and honorary member (since 2013) of the Malacological Society of Australasia and journal editor (1969-1978); and a past committee member of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria’s Marine Research Group.
He has also co-authored more than 100 papers in scientific journals over the past 60 years, contributed to numerous books, and published a “Nudibranches and related molluscs” field guide through Museum Victoria and CSIRO Publishing in 2015.
Bob said his fascination with malacology began when he was at College. He can still recall a display of shells in the House of Guilds in 1952, his final year at school. “I was already a little interested in shells and I knew they should have Latin names,” he said. Bob then decided to label the shells, “and that’s when it started to manifest itself”.
“Obsessions are incurable,” Bob said, quoting a young researcher who’s also interested in the topic. The obsession has motivated him through cold, wet winter nights searching for molluscs after work, and will continue to drive him to the coast, despite recent surgery on both knees. “But once you discover something, you forget all about that.”
His brother,
Ian Lee Burn (1939-1993), son and daughter were also educated at Geelong College.
Sources: http://www.gg.gov.au/ 2016, Ad Astra No 131 December 2016.