Dakin, Edward Thomas (Ted)   (1897 - 1955)

Born in 1897 at Richmond, Vict; died on 8 July, 1955 in Surrey Hills.
(Buried in the 'Springvale Botanical Cemetery', Springvale, Greater Dandenong City, Victoria).

J.H. Willis' obituary in the Victorian Naturalist is reproduced in full below:

"The sudden death of Mr. E. Dakin from pneumonia on July 8 came as a shock to his many Friends of the Field Naturalists Club.

Always a most enthusiastic supporter of the Botany Group, he had but lately assumed its chairmanship.

“Ted” was born at Richmond and lived all his life in the metropolitan area, latterly at Surrey Hills; he never married, but is survived by a brother and two sisters (both married)

During Word War 1 (1914-18) he worked at G Rimington's nursery, Kew, and there developed strong botanical leanings which led to his memberstip with the FNS, in 1918. For the last 25 years he was an independent "jobbing” gardener.

A natural gentleman, with a jovial disposition, Ted had a slight, but not distressing, stammer ain his musical speech.
Although small in stature (about 5 ft) he was an accomplished high diver and bush walker.

He tramped over many parts of the alps (Baw Baws, Lake Mountain, Cathedral Range, Mt. Buller and Mt. Cobbler), also Quail Island it Western Port, the Mitchell River gorge country, Kinglake-Mt Disappointment area, Rushworth and the Grampians, with many excursions to Warrandyte – always on the trail of his beloved plants.
But he had an eye for other objects of natural history interest too, and could entertain by reminisces of his various encounters with snakes.

All botanical specimens were hrought to the National Herbarium for checking, and it was gratifying to see his eyes dance whenever the collection included some rarity, or occasionally a new record for the State! Ted would be all eagerness to revisit the spot – no matter how remote – and to gather more material in the cause of science.

Bryophytes were his particular interest, and he was the first to find Luphacolea austrigenan (Lake Mountam), Plagiechila biseratis (Myrtle Creek near Kinglake West) and Tortella dokinii (Warrandyte) in this State. I had the pleasure of naming this last species of moss in his honour (Vict. Nat. 72:6, May 1955), and am relieved that be lived just long enough to see its description in print; that was a proud occasion far him.

He collected (also at Lake Mountain, and in fruit) the only really good example of Sematophyllum tenuirostre known from Victoria. Perhaps his most noteworthy discovery (6/2/1934) concerns the rare, endemic Graceful Swamp Wallaby-grass, Amphibromus gracilis P.F. Morris (Vict. Nat. 51: 145-6, Oct. 1934) [now Amphibromus fluitans Kirk]. Dakin's single type specimen – from swamps toward the Yarra River at East Kew – remained the only known material until Chas. Bryant rediscovered this species in a similar habitat at North Balwyn, 4/11/1942.

His numerous plant specimens are to find a resting place in the National Herbarium at South Yarra.

– J.H. Willis"

Source: Extracted from:
The Victorian Naturalist, Vol.72 December 1955 pp.127-128
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180854466/edward-thomas-dakin
The Ryerson Index - DAKIN, Edward Thomas.
Portrait Photo: none found.

Collecting localities for 'Dakin, E. or Dakin, E.T.' from AVH (2025)

Data from 200 specimens