Consett and Gwenda Davis Commemorative Benches
Naming of the Consett Davis Memorial Playing Fields
The Consett David Memorial playing fields were established in 1950 and named to honour the life and service of one of the University’s first lecturers, Consett Davis, who died during World War II in a plane crash in New Guinea in December 1944.
The fields were constructed after a local fund-raising campaign, launched in 1947, accepted donations from individuals, community organisations and fundraising activities.
The Consett Davis Story
Dr Harrold Fosbery Consett Davis (1913-1944) was an extraordinary man. A keen sportsman, especially in rugby and shooting, he was a great all-rounder.
Not only was he a great sportsman, he was an exceptionally talented academic, having graduated from the University of Sydney with 1st class Honours in both Zoology (1934) and Botany (1935). In 1939, he was appointed the foundation lecturer in Zoology and Botany at the newly created New England University College (the precursor of the University of New England). In 1943 he was awarded a DSc for his research in entomology and botany.
During the latter stages of World War II, he was sent to New Guinea as a biologist with the Scientific Liaison Bureau to study the disease 'scrub typhus' which was affecting soldiers. Sadly, in December 1944, at the age of just 31, he was killed in a plane crash in New Guinea.
Having married in 1936, he was survived by his wife Gwenda Davis who succeeded him in teaching at the NEUC and later UNE (see accompanying story) and three children (Margaret, [Leonard] Consett and Catherine. At the time of his death, he was well on his way to completing an Arts degree.
A memorial to Consett Davis and three students (William Murray, Vincent Purkiss and Leonard Young) who gave their lives during service in World War II, is located in a garden north of the UNE Union building.
The Gwenda Davis Story
Professor Gwenda Davis PhDSc (1911-1993) met Consett Davis at the University of Sydney where they were both studying zoology and botany. They married in 1936 and moved to Armidale where they raised three children. After graduating BSc, Gwenda Davis started her academic career as a plant taxonomist in 1945 at the New England University College in Armidale and later as a lecturer in Zoology and Botany, and then as Associate Professor in Botany. She was instrumental in the development of Botany as a discipline at this University.
At the University of New England, she is fondly remembered for her wide knowledge of Australian botany, for her strict but fair treatment of students and, most importantly, for her humane and kind nature. She was also an important contributor to the management of the University’s campus grounds.
