Friends of forests

Charles Lane Poole’s training in France laid the foundation for his lifelong commitment to scientific training for foresters and his passionate advocacy for sustainable forestry practice, beliefs that would bring him into conflict with the governments he would serve and the powerful timber and sawmilling industry.

Charles was forthright, determined and sometimes combative in his efforts to elevate his views at local, national and international levels. As one of the two Australian delegates to the first Empire Forestry Conference in London in 1920, he found an ally in Sir Ronald C Munro Ferguson (later 1st Viscount Novar) who supported his attempts to establish an Empire Forestry Association. Munro Ferguson, who became Australia’s 6th Governor- General in 1914, considered Charles to be ‘one of the best foresters in the Empire’ and recommended his appointment to survey the forests in Papua in 1921.

Another of his supporters was the Melbourne industrialist, Russell Grimwade, whose passion for Australian native trees was the inspiration for his gardens at Miegunyah, Toorak and Westerfield, Frankston (both in Victoria) and his highly developed cabinet- making skills. Both men helped Charles in his campaign to establish a national forestry school, with Grimwade endowing a student prize to encourage scientific forestry.

‘Australia possesses a fine range of beautiful timbers for cabinet work and there are not wanting the skilled craftsmen to carry out the building of notable pieces of furniture on the lines of the old masters of this art’.

Ruth Lane-Poole, The Australian Home Beautiful Volume 4, No 8, 1 August 1927