| Birth | Richard Broadley Sibson was born 27 May 1911 in Kent, England. |
| INFO | CIV REG INDEX Birth 1911 JunQ Richard B Sibson Strood 2a,703. (FreeBMD.) |
| INFO | UNIVERSITY NEWS. The Times [London], 29 Apr 1930, p.16. UNIVERSITY NEWS. Oxford, April 28. Richard Broadley Sibson, King's School, Rochester, has been elected to an open exhibition in classics at University College. TimesLondon.) |
| Marriage | He married Joan Winifred Fleming, daughter of George Herbert Fleming and Winifred Hardy, 30 January 1943 in Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand. |
| INFO | MEMORIAL POEM. written by R.B. Sibson, published as part of the obituary for his brother-in-law Charles Alexander Fleming in Notornis 35:164-168 1988. " No longer will he walk the salty sand / or cast an eager and discerning eye / Upon the birds that haunt the tidal strand / of that loved rivermouth at Waikanae. / No longer will he brave the wind and wet / When vernal whitebait run at Waimeha, / Plying with practised skill his treasured net / Keen, as a carefree boy, to fill his jar. / No longer will he watch on sand-dune pool / Teal, shovelers, dabchicks and the passing tern, / or use his tape recorder to befool / The shy rails in the raupo and the fern. / No need to grieve. His questing spirit soars / To realms where nought of lasting value dies. / His mind and pen threw open unknown doors / Illuminating Earth's old mysteries." (Notornis 35:1164-168 1988.) |
| Death | Richard Broadley Sibson died 13 July 1994 in Auckland, New Zealand, at age 83. |
| INFO | ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NEW ZEALAND. Wading Birds. Richard Broadley Sibson, 1911-1994. "Richard Sibson was one of the pioneers of modern bird-watching in New Zealand. Explorations by bicycle in 1941 led Sibson and companions to discover that the Firth of Thames was one of New Zealand's most important sites for migrant wading birds. He helped to found the Miranda Naturalists' Trust in 1974. He co-authored "A field guide to the birds of New Zealand and outlying islands" (1966) with Robert Falla and E.G. Turbott, and wrote "Birds at risk: rare or endangered species of New Zealand (1982)." (EncyNZDig.) |
| INFO | BIOGRAPHY. Sibson, Richard Broadley. 1911-1994 Teacher, orinthologist. Richard Broadley Sibson, known to his friends as 'Sib', was a popular and influential teacher for two generations of Auckland schoolboys, and one of the pioneers of modern bird-watching in New Zealand. He was born at Cliffe, Kent, England, on 27 May 1911, the elder child of Samuel Charles Sibson and his wife, Caroline Isobel Woodin. He attended the local Church of England elementary school, where his father was headmaster. From the age of 10 he was a boarder at King's School, Rochester . . .. Sibson spent five years at Oxford University, graduating with an MA in Classics (1934) and a diploma of education (1935). There he came into contact with established ornithologists and continued his early interest in bird-watching, with trips as far afield as Scotland. He then taught for nearly four hyears at Sandbach grammar school, Cheshire, exploring the local countryside when he could, and making holiday excursions to the Mediterranean. In October 1939 Dick Sibson arrived in Auckland to fill a position as Classics master at King's College, Otahuhu. . . . He taught Latin, Greek and classical history until his retirement in 1971. ... [The area] gave ample opportunities for bird-watching . . . . . .The Ornithological Society of New Zealand was established in May 1940 . . . Sibson . . served as president (1952-54 and 1980-83) and vice president (1983-85). As editor of the society's periodical, Notornis (1955-64 and 1965-72), he worked with flair and wit . . . He was also a prolific contributor, recording his observations and opinions in some 170 ... articles and notes, mostlly dealing with the wading birds, his main interest. Dick Sibson received the society's Falla Memorial Award for 1983. . . . He helped found the Miranda Naturalists' Trust in 1974 ... he was a councillor of the Auckland Institute and Museum from 1960 to 1987. On 30 January 1943, at St Mark's Church, Remuera, Sibson married Joan Winifred Fleming, sister of the palaeontologist and naturalist Charles Fleming. . . . Co-author of the influential "A field guide to the birds of New Zealand and outlying islands" (1966) with Falla and E.G. Turbott, Sibson also wrote "Birds of Fiji in colour" (1972) and "Birds at risk, rare or endangered species of New Zealand" (1982). He was a tall, large-limbed man with a generous nature and an eagerness for books, language and birds that was contagious. He died at Auckland on 13 July 1994, survived by his wife and children. (DicNZBiogWeb.) |
| INFO-5gen | OBITUARY. in Norornis, Journal of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand. 1994. Two sections - by Peter Bull and by Tom Lovegrove. Contains many details about Sibson's teaching and birding activities. . . . (NorotrnisDig 41(4)298-302 1994.) |
| INFO | MEMORIAL PUBLICATION. The March 1999 issue of Notoris, containing 17 articles on wading birds, was published as a memorial to Richard B. Sibson (1911-1994) and Barrie D. Heather (1931-1995). The introduction to the journal describes the extensive contributions of Sibson and Heather to "our understanding of the ecology, behaviour and habitats of waders in New Zealand." (NotornisDig 46(1): iii-v, Mar 1999.) |
Richard Broadley Sibson