Orchardist to Ethnographer
Timeline
- 1930
Born (April 7) Robert Edwards Adelaide, South Australia - 1943
Began attending meetings of the Royal Society of South Australia and developing interests in history, archaeology, and rare books at age 13. - 1945
Left Thebarton Technical High School (age 15) to work with his family on their Marion market garden. - 1950-57
Worked alongside his father at Seaview Winery, McLaren Vale, after the family's Marion property was sold to the Housing Trust. - 1952
Married Catherine Allison Raeburn Alexander at St Mary's on the Sturt, Marion (July 12). - 1954-55
Published his first paper, a historical pamphlet on St Mary’s On-the-Sturt Church. - 1957
Leased Orange Grove market garden; found Aboriginal stone tools (Kartan type) along the Sturt River, inspiring his research interests. - 1957
Joint Secretary (with Keith Borrow) of the Historical Section of the Royal Geographical Society. - 1961
Embarked on a 3-year survey of aboriginal rock engravings in north-east South Australia with mentor, Charles Mountford. - 1963
Published with Charles Mountford: Rock engravings of Panaramitee Station, North-eastern South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of SA, vol. 86. - 1963
First formal archaeological fieldwork, Fromm's Landing with John Mulvaney. - 1964
Published a paper describing: A former Aboriginal Camp-site on the Sturt River at Marion. Mankind, Vol. 6, No. 4. - 1965
Before taking up the job as curator of the South Australian Museum embarked on six months of fieldwork across Arnhem Land and Central Australia with John Mulvaney. - 1962–1965
Worked as Marketing Director for the Apple and Pear Board. - 1965
Appointed Curator of Anthropology at the South Australian Museum, succeeding Norman B. Tindale.
Heartfelt Tributes
"Bob has been a wonderful friend, confidant and mentor. I have had the great luck and pleasure of working with him on a range of projects for over four decades."
Dick Richards
A tribute to Bob Edwards, National Museum of Australia, March 2011.
"Bob had his own sense of time, I think. Nothing seemed hurried. His constant and infectious optimism had it that, despite the forces of darkness, we were making good progress, and life was still a worthwhile adventure. And that's the way I'd like to remember him."
Philip Jones
Curator of Anthropology, South Australian Museum