110 W'liiN, /\iA>my/ of a Gif-itt (}fci\i^ K *io(jisi 



Virt. Mai. 

 Vol. 73 



Mill, pVovidmx an eastern analogue to Rh'tzanihclht uaniaen — unique 

 aiul also iubterrauoati orchid in south-wesLcrn Australia 



For these outstanding contributions 10 science he received the 

 Clarke Medal from the ftoyat Society ol New South Wales in April 

 1040, au<l (he Australian Natural History Medallion from the Fie1<J 

 •VatuiahsU Club oi Victoria in July 1955. Concerning The latter 

 award Rupp wrote whimsically (personal communication] : 



J came through the ordeal of the presentation all right, though I was wo ill 

 for several day* beforehand that they thought the function would have tu he 

 postponed However,, they got me there, uiul (he «ood fellowship of everybody 

 hticked cue n$ tremendously. . . 1 got on my hind U'.^r. and tried to reply. An 

 A. B.C. reporter was there and gave tjuUc at good Tcpcrt on the 7 o'clock 

 wireless. The *S.:1'7. Her&te ignored it [ im'mg neither a, negro orizc-ti^hlcr 

 nor a dubious iocke> '" 



Four months later (20/11/19.53) he wrote s;u(ly, when forward- 

 ing" an orchid paper for publication in the I'utoyktti- Naturalist, "The 

 enclosure is my swan-song; I can't write anything more" — aucl &a 

 it proved to be. 



For years he ha?.) been garnet ing data Jbf a life of the ler.owned 

 Tasuianian botanist. Ronald Campbell Gnnn. -.vbom he greatly 

 revered. This material is believed lu have been sent for publication 

 to the Royal Society of Tasmania, Northern Btnnch, jhuut 1952, 

 hut its fate is not "known. 



tiUrtpS large private orchid herbarium, embracing d/0 species, 

 had been presented by him to the National Herbarium, Sydney. 

 early in 1946. 



His membership of the Naturalists' Society ot New South Wales 

 dated from June H*24, the Linnean Society of Mew South Wales 

 [vom July 1927, and the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria trum 

 March 1934: in February [9#3 (lie K.N.CV. council conferred 

 honorary Life Membership upon him. The sympathy of all mem- 

 bers in this Club is extended to his son and two married daughter 

 who are left tu mourn their illustrious lather. 



[Much of the amterial included in tltfe obituary came from -iinobiofcrarihical 

 notes Kindly placed 8rt my disposal hy T\upp<> elder daughter, \f/$. RarJiel 

 Cox fii Armirlalo, through Mr. K. Mair of the .Sydney Herbarium. The 

 remaiialer has been gleaned from articles, published by the ReV Utipp. from 

 personal reminiscences and a voluminous correspondence which T had enjoyed 

 with hint during the pas^ 14 years. He was a man of wide culture a luyal 

 i.tulerata-udiuii frier Ld, witli deeply sensitive uutUt'e and a delightful sense Ol* 

 iiumout that rippled through all fiis letters- -even those wrinen from beds of 

 .^u freeing;, or when he was deeply worried by sickness and sorrow anion:; 

 ■members of hi? family. Although T met him only twice, tor a few hours each* 

 lime, there was a propinquity of spirit between vis. and t shall always ireasurtr 

 my associanonb wild sueli a iitr — full flfl$| useful far beyond the average, rich 

 and vibrant with helpfulness to others, f have prepared a complete Vuhlio- 

 ej-apliy ol his writing*, and hope ior it*- lumlkalion in KOOTM appiopiiatt 

 joormd J H.W.l 



