Charles Fenner


Charles Albert Edward Fenner was an Australian geologist, naturalist, geographer and educator.

Early life and education

Fenner was born in the town of Dunach, Victoria, the fifth child of German-born Johannes Fenner and Mary Fenner, née Thomas, of Adelaide. After leaving school he embarked on an apprenticeship as compositor with the Talbot Leader a local newspaper.
He won a scholarship to attend Melbourne Teachers' College, and graduated BSc with Honours and Dip. Ed. in 1913.

Career

Fenner taught at several Victorian schools before being appointed principal of the Ballarat School of Mines in November 1914. He also had charge of the school's Geology department, the teaching of which was favorably commented on by examiners. He paid particular attention to field work, which the students enjoyed, as well as being important to their education.
Fenner also prepared students for the Geology examinations at Melbourne University, with notable success.
In 1916 he accepted the post of Superintendent of Technical Education in South Australia, a position he held until May 1939, when he was appointed acting Director of Education in place of W. J. Adey who was on the eve of retirement.
During that time he completed research work for his D.Sc and from 1929 lectured in geography at the University of Adelaide, and in 1937 went on an extended overseas tour.
In September 1939 he succeeded Adey as Director of Education and held that position until 1946, when he retired due to ill health.
He worked as a volunteer for the South Australian Museum, pursuing his research into tektites, among other interests, and contributed numbers of articles to Walkabout, until 1954 when he suffered a stroke, and died a year later. His remains were buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery.

Other interests

Fenner was president of the Royal Society of South Australia in 1931, and a member of the board of governors of the Public Library. Most of his spare time was spent in research and on geology excursions.
He was particularly interested in australites, small glassy, often button-shaped, objects found on the Nullarbor Plain and elsewhere in southern Australia, believed to be ejecta from a large meteorite that landed in China.

Recognition and honours

A portrait of Fenner by Beulah Symes Leicester was a finalist for the 1938 Archibald Prize. A portrait by his friend Ivor Hele was held by Croydon Park College of Further Education.

Books

Fenner was the author of six books:
Works published in other publications included:

Royal Society of Victoria

  • Physiography of the Mansfield district, 1913–14
  • Notes on the occurrence of Quartz in Basalt, 1915
  • Physiography of the Glenelg River, 1918.
  • Physiography of the Werribee River Area, 1918.
  • The Bacchus Marsh Basin, Victoria, 1925

    Royal Society of South Australia

  • The craters and lakes of Mount Gambier, 1921
  • Adelaide, South Australia: a study in human geography, 1927.
  • A geographical enquiry into the growth, distribution and movement of population in South Australia 1836–1927, 1929.
  • Major structural and physiographic features of South Australia, 1930.
  • The significance of the topography of Anstey Hill, South Australia, 1939
  • Australites, Part 1, Classification of the W. H. C. Shaw collection, 1934
  • Australites, Part 2, Numbers, forms, distribution and origin, 1935
  • Australites, Part 3, A contribution to the problem of the origin of tektites, 1938
  • Australites, Part 4, The John Kennett collection, with notes on Darwin glass, bediasites, etc., 1940
  • Australites, Part 5, Tektites in the South Australian Museum, with some notes on theories of origin, 1949

    Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science

  • Notes on the advance of physiographical knowledge of Victoria since January 1913.
  • Notes on the advance of physiographical knowledge of South Australia since January 1913.
  • The physiography of the Adelaide region, 1924.
  • The natural regions of South Australia, 1930
  • Report of the Research Committee on the Structural and Land Forms of Australia and New Zealand, 1935.

    Royal Geographical Society of South Australia

  • The growth and development of South Australia, 1934–35.
  • The value of geography to the community, 1937–38
  • The Kybunga daylight meteor, 1942–3
  • The first discoverers of South Australia; the tercentenary of Nuyts, 1925–6.
  • Thebarton Cottage—the old home of Colonel William Light, 1926–7.
  • Two historic gumtrees associated with the Burke and Wills expedition of 1861, 1927–8
  • Colonel Light's last diary, with introductory notes by Charles Fenner, 1933–4.

    Others

  • Physiography of Victoria, 1923
  • The structural and human geography of South Australia, 1931
  • The Bacchus Marsh Basin, Victoria, 1933
  • The Murray River basin, 1934
  • A sketch of the geology, physiography and botanical features of the coast between Outer Harbor and Sellicks Hill
  • Geology and physiography of the National Parks near Adelaide, 1936
  • Aboriginal records near Broken Hill 1945
  • The origin of tektites, 1933
  • Australites: A unique shower of glass meteorites, 1938
  • Sandtube fulgurites and their bearing on the tektite problem, 1949
  • Chapter 2, Foothills, plains and streams, 1956, pp. 7–10
For 25 years he wrote a series of weekly articles on science for two Victorian newspapers, perhaps alluding to his articles as 'Tellurian' for The Australasian. It appears however, that 'Tellurian' was not one single person.

Family

Fenner married teacher Emma Louise "Peggy" Hirt in Ballarat on 4 January 1911. Their five children were:
  • Lyell Fenner
  • Frank Johannes Fenner, famous biologist
  • Winifred Joyce "Winn" Fenner taught at Walford Anglican School for Girls. She never married.
  • Lieut-Cmdr Thomas Richard "Tom" Fenner R.A.N. married Margaret Jane Legge Suter on 10 June 1948
  • William Greenock "Bill" Fenner "Greenock" was named for the volcanic hill behind Charles's boyhood home. Bill was author of Quality and Productivity for the 21st Century
They had a home at 42 Alexandra Avenue, Rose Park. After Fenner's death Peggy moved to 10 Springbank Road, Panorama.