The Past
Loisette
March
BA(Hons) 1950, MA 1956
My love of the sea developed in an early childhood spent on the shores of
Vancouver Island, Canada. We then moved to Perth when I was eight. I developed
a keen interest in biology during my school years, which led to a BA with a
major in Zoology at UWA. I was encouraged by Dr. Ernest Hodgkin, an effective
mentor, to pursue post graduate studies. This led to a Master of Arts thesis
on the biology of the local limestone reefs. With few publications available
to facilitate identification of species, I developed an interest in taxonomy,
particularly of the spiny creatures known as echinoderms. Marriage and the
birth of two children followed along with moves
o Norfolk Island and then Fiji, where I taught in High Schools while the
children were young.
My career really started when we later returned to Perth. A recreational
interest in snorkelling (from the early 1950s) and SCUBA diving (late 1950s)
combined with my experience in taxonomy and the coral reef fauna of Fiji in
the 1960s, led to the offer of a position in the Natural Science Division of
the WA Museum in 1970. I was then promoted to curator in the Museum’s
Department of Marine Invertebrate Zoology from 1979, specialising in
Echinoderms and Corals.
The 1970s and ‘80s were exciting years, when I was involved in pioneering diving surveys of the coral reef fauna from the Houtman Abrolhos to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Indonesia, also taking part, with CSIRO, in sampling the continental shelf fauna of the northwest. The latter project took place from dedicated research vessels. Previous surveys of the area had been carried out from naval ships, precluding (at that time) the involvement of women who otherwise were always accepted as equals in zoological research. Many undescribed species were brought to light and new distribution patterns were discovered, leading to publications on taxonomy and zoogeography, as well as survey reports and joint publications on the reef corals of WA and on Sea Stingers. I also have the “honour” of having a genus of sea cucumber named after me, as well as several marine invertebrate species.
A zoologist’s work is never done. Since retirement in 1993 I have continued as
a research associate of the museum and since 2002 as an Emeritus Curator.
Projects include work on an identification guide to 800 species of
shallow-water echinoderms of Australia. I have a commitment
to marine and terrestrial conservation that I have aided through scientific
research, without which no ecological case can be made.