THE PASSING OP A GREAT ORCHIDOLOGIST 

 iRev. H. M. R. Rupp, 1872-1956) 



Uy I H. Willis 



/ tit?ck ; jr»/iiirt i Schooling, ivtJ (he Moitslry 



1 Icrman Montague Rucker Rupp ff&$ born on December 27, 1S7Z 

 at P<nT Fairy, Victoria* where his father — Rev C L, Herman 

 Kupij — We(a then the Cluui'h of Eogim*3 vicar. His Mother ( hc: 

 Marie Ann Catherine Kowcroft, daughter ol General Horatio ttOW- 

 » roft, who was an Indian Muiiny \eterau) died at Lbe birth, and 

 there- \ran only ouv other child, Florence — now \\t< Monypemn. 

 ^t lit living in Sydney. 



The paternal grandfather had been a >ehnulmuster at Frauhfxui 

 na-Oder, Germain. In 1847 (the same year as Baron von Muciler*> 

 arrival in Adelaide) he emigrated to Australia with his wife, two 

 son* and a daughter; but the father, mother and infant Paul all died 

 during the voyage, The young orphaned Herman and Augusta were 

 adopted by W Tv A. Rucker. a merchant of early Melbourne* and 

 the former ehtld went rirst to Mr. Brook Field 's school. IWellM>unic, 

 then to Moore College at Liverpool, N.5.W. He was ordained an 

 Anglican deacon iij 18^2 and priest in 1867 ; his whole ministry was 

 spent in the dioceses of Melbourne and Baliarat, motif of the parishe- 

 facing in western Victoria (Port Fairy. Jvoroit. Coleraine and 

 Buuinyong successively), Rev. Rupp senior wedded again in 1874, 

 but there were no childien of this laier marriage with "Rachel E. T, 

 Kirkpatrick, He died at the age of 79 in 1917. 



The boy Montague Kvtpp's fhrst education was teeeived at a small 

 private school connected with the INesbyterian manse at Kon/it- 

 Victoria, Nexh he attended the Koroft State School for about two 

 vears. and, at the a^e of e!e\en, went for a year lo the Junior Gram- 

 mar School, Ceetong, then in charge of his uncle Alfred Roweroft. 



Tn 1685 he became \\ boarder at Geelon*? C-. oi ft. Grammar School 

 under the headmastership of John -Hraccbrid^e Wilson, m.a.. k.i..s. 

 — noted educationist and aIgotog»,st whose wife was the sister of 

 Rupp's deceased mother. Charles Relcher (later Sir Charles, of 

 Kenya) was one of his school-mates who kept in touch over the 

 years. Rupp remained at Geeloug' Grammar School until Decern 

 tier 1891, when he matriculated with first class honours in English 

 and History, and also won the Mary Armytage Scholarship from 

 GGS- to Trinity College, Melbourne University, He was prefect 

 Of hts school in 1&91, played in the football team and won the 

 athletic championships (or both 1890 and 1891. The Cusack Russell 

 theological scholarship, tor students intending to enter the Rallauii 

 diocese, was granted to Rupp ar Trinity College m 1S93. Tfe won 

 rlie Wyselaskie Scholarship in Natural Scierce, Melbourne Univer- 



