THE 
QUEENSLAND NATURALIST 
JOURNAL OF THE QUEENSLAND NATURALISTS’ CLUB 
Vol. xiv . JANUARY 1951 No. 3 
CYRIL TENISON WHITE 
Our friend Cyril Tenisoti White, M.Sc., Government 
Botanist of Queensland, died suddenly at his home in 
Kangaroo Point on the evening of August 16th, 11150. 
lit* was born in Kangaroo Point on August 17th, 1890, 
and was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Henry White. 
When he was five years of age the family moved to 
Rockhampton for a short time and it was there that he 
began his schooling. On their return to Brisbane lie 
attended the South Brisbane State School, and in 1905 
was appointed Pupil Assistant to his maternal grand- 
father, Frederick Manson Bailey, the Colonial Botanist 
of Queensland. F. M. Bailey was one of the outstanding 
figures in Australian science in the latter part of of the 
nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. He had 
arrived in South Australia from England in 1839 at the 
age of 12 with his father, John Bailey, a nurseryman 
who had been trained by Loddiges. On his arrival, John 
Bailey was appointed Colonial Botanist by Gawler but 
was* retienohed shortly afterwards when Grey reorganised 
the administration of the bankrupt colony. He estab- 
lished a private nursery and it was here that F. M. 
Bailey got his first botanical training. In 1858 the 
young man migrated to New Zealand and finally in 1861 
came to Queensland where he set up in business as a 
nurseryman in Edward Street, Brisbane. His interests 
were, however, in botany, and he collected assiduously, 
paying special attention to the cryptogams, and main- 
tained constant correspondence and exchange with 
specialists overseas. It was not long before he joined 
the staff of the Queensland Museum. Tn 1881 the posi- 
tion was separated from the Museum and he was 
appointed Colonial Botanist, a title he retained even after 
