August, 1946 The Queensland Naturalist 
29 
Unfortunately, the Club was, for some years, com- 
pelled to meet in rooms that were not suitable for the 
purpose. The early meetings were held in the basement 
of the old Technical College in Ann Street, where the 
concrete floor and whitewashed walls were not very 
inspiring. When the College was taken over by the Gov- 
ernment, the Club was turned adrift and for some years 
it led a rather nomadic existence, wandering here and 
there in search of a suitable abiding place. Still, mem- 
bers were not deterred by, these discouraging circum- 
stances. It was not, indeed, until the Club was able to 
meet in its present quarters that it acquired a home-like 
feeling. 
Looking back to those early years it does seem 
surprising that the Club was able to survive. At the out- 
set there were not wanting wiseacres who looked askance 
at the venture and predicted its collapse. In those days 
interest in natural history was confined to a few, mostly 
teachers, of Brisbane’s much smaller population. But 
thanks to a succession of energetic Committees the Club 
progressed year by year. 
'the Committee even had sufficient confidence in the 
future to commence, in 1908, the publication of a journal, 
The Queensland Naturalist.” There were again gloomy 
forebodings as to the wisdom of this course, but although 
it lias not been possible to adhere strictly to the original 
intention of publishing every quarter, the journal has 
survived, in spite of financial difficulties and the disloca- 
tion caused by the two world wars. 
First among the foundation members who did yeoman 
service comes Professor S. B. J. Skertchly, leader of the 
little band of pioneer naturalists who brought the Club 
into existence. Of rp old Leicestershire family, he was 
associated with the scientific giants of the nineteenth 
century— Darwin, Huxley, Wallace, Bates, Lyell and 
others. lie loved to talk of those old friends, always in 
delightful language, accompanied by touches of humour. 
As a lecturer he was brilliant, wlict her speaking of scien- 
tific or commonplace matters. Although geology was his 
first love, he had a wide knowledge of different branches 
of science, and he possessed a rare power of generalising. 
Now-a-days, with the great increase in knowledge and the 
necessity of specialising, such men are scarce indeed. He 
was always ready to help the younger generation, and was 
unremitting in his efforts to infuse into others what was 
