Centenary of the Death of George William FrancisPrint Page

The plaque commemorates the centenary of the death of George Willam Francis (1800 - 1865), first Director of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 

Francis grew up reading Latin and French and in addition to his main interest in Botanical Science he developed the skills of draughting, surveying and engraving. By the time he was 21, he had travelled to Europe and collected specimens and had established himself as a clear, fluent and impressive speaker on botany and “other departments of sciences”.

Encouraged by Caroline Chisholm, he made the decision to emigrate to the colony of South Australia, where the family arrived in 1849 aboard the ‘Louisa Baillie'.

He worked tirelessly to achieve his dream of creating a botanic garden whilst surveying and valuing land for the city council. He designed and planted Victoria Square and the four surrounding squares of Adelaide and later he was asked to supervise the planting of trees and shrubs for the Lunatic Asylum, hospital and Government House.

In March 1855 Francis was appointed as Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens and became the first Director when the gardens were officially opened to the public in 1857. Francis established the first herbarium and botanical library in Adelaide. He also made the first olive oil in South Australia for which he won an honourable mention at the great Exhibition of London in 1851 and he left a considerable legacy as a collector of seeds, plants and cuttings, including the sultana vine from Sir William Hooker from Kew Gardens.
 

Location

Address:	North Terrace, Adelaide Botanic Gardens , Adelaide, 5000
State:	SA
Area:	AUS
GPS Coordinates:	Lat: -34.918983 Long: 138.609678 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.

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Details

Monument Type:	Plaque
Monument Theme:	People
Sub-Theme:	Science

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:	Monday 9th August, 1965

Source: MA