Lionel Arthur Gilbert

Who is Lionel Arthur Gilbert?

Lionel Arthur Gilbert OAM is an Australian historian, author, curator, lecturer, and biographer, specializing in applied, natural, and local history. Born in Burwood, New South Wales, he studied at Sydney Teachers College and, beginning in 1946, worked as a teacher and later a headmaster in state schools in various locations around New South Wales until 1961. In 1963 Gilbert graduated from the University of New England with a Bachelor of Arts in History. That same year, he was appointed a lecturer and curator at the Armidale Teachers' College Museum of Education, in which capacity he served until his retirement in 1984, overseeing several expansions of the museum and establishment of a historical research centre.

During his time with the college, Gilbert published a number of articles, papers, and books, many of them focusing on local history of New South Wales, including the state's New England area. He attained a Doctor of Philosophy in Botanical History from the University of New England in 1972. After retirement, Gilbert authored several books on Australian natural history, including biographies of three Australian botanists and a history of Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens.