Sir Maurice Yonge's Return to the Reef

Martin Jones (1978) Sir Maurice Yonge's Return to the Reef. [Photo Album]

Yonge black & white 20 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Ivan Hauri on Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 1 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Phyllis Yonge, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 2 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Ivan Hauri, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 3 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Ivan Hauri, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 4 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Ivan Hauri, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 5 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge in the Sharkcat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 6 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Phyllis Yonge. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 7 - Ivan Hauri skiing behind the Sharkcat with Sir Charles Maurice Yonge as safety man. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 8 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Ivan Hauri, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 9 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Ivan Hauri, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 10 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Phyllis Yonge, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 11 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Phyllis Yonge, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 12 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Phyllis Yonge, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 13 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Ivan Hauri on Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 14 - Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 15 - Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 16 - Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 17 - Phyllis Yonge at work, Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 18 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Phyllis Yonge on Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 19 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Ivan Hauri on Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 21 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Martin Jones on Low Isles reef flat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 22 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge & Phyllis Yonge in the Zodiac. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 23 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge & Kay Abel in the Zodiac. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 24 - Phyllis Yonge & Kay Abel in the Zodiac. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 25 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge and Ivan Hauri in the Sharkcat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge black & white 26 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge and Ivan Hauri in the Sharkcat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 1 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge in the Sharkcat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 2 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge and Phyllis Yonge in the Sharkcat, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 3 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Martin Jones in the Sharkcat, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 4 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge and Martin Jones watching Phyllis Yonge, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 5 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge and Phyllis Yonge, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 6 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Martin Jones, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 7 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Martin Jones, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 8 - Phyllis Yonge, reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 9 - Peter Saw in the Sharkcat, Orpheus Island Resort dock. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 10 - Entrance to the Orpheus Island Resort. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 11 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge in the Sharkcat. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 12 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge and Phyllis Yonge. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 13 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge, Ivan Hauri and Peter Saw, Orpheus Island Resort. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 14 - Ivan Hauri securing the Sharkcat, Orpheus Island Resort. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 15 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge, Ivan Hauri and Peter Saw, Orpheus Island Resort. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 16 - Ivan Hauri and Peter Saw transferring items between the Sharkcat and Zodiac. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 17 - Giant clam. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 18 - Peter Saw. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 19 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Ivan Hauri in the Zodiac. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Yonge colour 20 - Sir Charles Maurice Yonge, Phyllis Yonge and Ivan Hauri in the Zodiac. © Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.

Work By: Photographer: Martin Jones
Item Type: Photo Album
Collection: Sir Charles Maurice Yonge Collection
Exhibition: 50 Treasures
Location: Townsville Campus Library
Related Links: JCU Library News Blog Post: 50 Treasures
Subjects: Great Barrier Reef; science; 50 Treasures; marine

Summary

This item is one of our 50 Treasures: Celebrating 50 years of James Cook University.

Trisha Fielding answers the question 'Why is this significant?'

The highly successful Great Barrier Reef Expedition of 1928-1929 to Low Isles, far north Queensland, opened up the scientific world to the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, and laid the foundations of scientific study into modern coral reef biology. Led by distinguished marine zoologist Sir Charles Maurice Yonge (1899-1986), the expedition inspired generations of scientists around the world.

Fifty years later, in his retirement, Sir Maurice and his wife, Lady Phyllis, visited the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) to conduct field work at several sites on the Queensland coast. With the assistance of AIMS personnel Martin Jones, Ivan Hauri and others, the Yonges conducted research at various locations in the Palm Islands Group, north of Townsville, including the reef flat between Brisk and Falcon Islands. During this work, the Yonges were accommodated at Orpheus Island Resort.

A series of images captured on 35mm film by AIMS personnel during the Yonges' 1978 visit provides a unique insight into Sir Maurice Yonge's undimmed passion for his research. The photos, many of which are in colour, show the 77 year-old scientist wading in knee-deep water on a coral reef exposed by the low tide, collecting samples. Lady Phyllis (a helminthologist), is also pictured getting involved, actually sitting in the shallow water, examining specimens.

The trip included a visit to Low Isles, where the expedition Sir Maurice led 50 years before had been conducted. Although he enjoyed visiting Low Isles again, in a subsequent report to AIMS, Sir Maurice noted his disappointment in the state of the reef at Low Isles.

'I had the opportunity of revisiting Low Isles, off Port Douglas and the scene of the expedition I led 50 years ago and which worked there for 13 months. It was sad to find the reef surface, then the site of the richest possible array of living organisms and a natural experimental aquarium, now almost entirely dead. This appears to be the effect of sediment brought down by the Daintree River following the clearance of rain forest.'

The success of Sir Maurice Yonge's expedition to the Great Barrier Reef in 1928 sparked a worldwide obsession with the reef in both scientists and tourists alike. On the one hand, the expedition had the effect of galvanising awareness of the need to work towards conserving the reef and its resources for future generations. But in a sadly ironic twist, the public's newfound fascination with the Great Barrier Reef paved the way for the exploitation of its resources as tourists flocked to visit the reef, upsetting its delicate ecological equilibrium.

Additional Information

Trisha Fielding is an historian and writer whose published works include the books Neither Mischievous nor Meddlesome: The Remarkable Lives of North Queensland's Independent Midwives 1890-1940, Queen City of the North: A History of Townsville, and the history blogs North Queensland History and Women of the North. In 2019 Trisha was commissioned to write a commemorative volume for JCU's 50th anniversary in 2020. She holds a Master of History degree from the University of New England and a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction majoring in History and Journalism from the University of Southern Queensland. Trisha also works part time in JCU Library's Special Collections.

Collection access: Special Collection items may be used on the Library premises by visiting the appropriate Reading Rooms during opening hours. Digital copies of selected items from the special collections will be made available through the repository as copyright or other restrictions allow.

Copyright Information

View Item