Noel Burnet

Noel Burnet F.R.Z.S.
Born	4 March 1904 Ashfield, New South Wales
Died	24 June 1953 (aged 50) West Pennant Hills, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Education	Newington College
Occupation	Wildlife park proprietor
Spouse(s)	Emily (née Lucas)
Children	3 sons and 1 daughter
Parent(s)	Charles Alfred Burnet and Kathleen (née Bradley)

Noel Burnet (4 March 1904 – 24 June 1953)^[1][2] was an Australian environmentalist and founder of the Koala Park Sanctuary, a privately owned and run wildlife park located at West Pennant Hills, New South Wales, Australia.^[3] He was a Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales.^[4]

Biography

Burnet was born in Sydney, the first of three children of Kathleen (née Bradley) and Charles Alfred Burnet.^[5] He attended Newington College, commencing in 1916,^[6] under the headmastership of the Rev Dr Charles Prescott. In the early 1920s, Burnet was living in Brisbane when he first came into contact with koalas. He was a resident of a boarding-house when he was given his first pair of koalas and he placed them on a tree in the garden. Fortunately, the tree was of the right species upon which the koalas thrived.^[7] After moving back to Sydney he established Koala Park later in the decade and in 1929 he married Emily Lucas.^[8] In 1930 he opened the Koala Park Sanctuary to the public.^[9] Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester visited the park in 1934^[10] and was "intensely interested in the bears". His photograph, with Burnet and a koala, appeared in the 8 December edition of the Sydney Morning Herald. On his death he was survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter, who carried on the management of the Koala Park Sanctuary.^[11]

Publications

• The native bear book of Australia (Sydney : W.A. Pepperday & Co, 1934.)^[12]
• Some Australian fauna (Sydney : W.A. Pepperday & Co., 1932.)^[13]
• The Bluegum family at Koala Park (Sydney : W.A. Pepperday & Co., 1932.)^[14]

References

1. BDMs — NSW Retrieved 14 May 2013
2. BDMs — NSW Retrieved 14 May 2013
3. "VISIT TO KOALA PARK.". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). NSW: National Library of Australia. 1 September 1930. p. 6. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
4. "Tiger Cats Rare On North Coast.". Northern Star (Lismore, NSW : 1876 - 1954). Lismore, NSW: National Library of Australia. 4 August 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
5. BDMs — NSW Retrieved 14 May 2013
6. Newington College Register of Past Students 1863-1998 (Syd, 1999) pp25
7. "STROKE OF LUCK.". The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950). Parramatta, NSW: National Library of Australia. 23 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
8. BDMs — NSW Retrieved 14 May 2013
9. "KOALA PARK.". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). NSW: National Library of Australia. 8 December 1934. p. 13. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
10. "AT KOALA PARK.". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). NSW: National Library of Australia. 28 November 1934. p. 14. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
11. "Koala Park's Founder Dies.". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). NSW: National Library of Australia. 26 June 1953. p. 10. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
12. Burnet, Noel (1934), The native bear book of Australia : photographs, W.A. Pepperday & Co, retrieved 14 May 2013
13. Burnet, Noel; Briggs, E. A. (Edward Alfred), 1890-1969 (1932), Some Australian fauna, W.A. Pepperday & Co, retrieved 14 May 2013
14. Burnet, Noel; Cazneaux, Harold, 1878-1953; Burnet, Noel; Cazneaux, Harold (1932), The Bluegum family at Koala Park, W.A. Pepperday & Co, retrieved 14 May 2013