By W. H. Selway. 
69. 
S.A. NAT., VOL XV. 
June 12th, 1934. 
an active interest in the Society. At the Annual Meeting on 
October 21st, 1884, Professor Tate was presented with an illum¬ 
inated address “for the services he had rendered in so success¬ 
fully promoting the establishment of the Section.” (He died 
on 20th September, 1901, at the age of 61 years). 
Amongst others who greatly, helped the Section in its very 
early years were Rev. (later Professor) W. Howchin, F.G.S. 
(Geology), Mr. J. G. O. Tepper, F.L.S. (Botany, Entomology, 
and nearly every other branch of Natural History, for his at¬ 
tainments were very varied and his knowledge willingly imparted 
to others); Messrs. W. T. Bednall and D. J. Adcock (Shells), 
and Mr. A. Molineux (Trawling and Dredging). 
I cannot, of course, in the limited time at my disposal, refer 
to all who have occupied the office of Chairman, but I should 
like just to mention the second, viz: Dr. W. L. Cleland, who was 
Secretary of the Royal Society for many of the years in which I 
was secretary of the F.N. Section. We were therefore brought 
a good deal into contact with each other, and I should like to 
express my personal indebtedness to him for the help he so kindly 
rendered. He was, as many of you know, the father of our 
esteemed member, Professor Cleland, who has the interests of the 
Section so much at heart. 
1 suppose, for the sake of historical record, I ought to say 
that after Mr. Picket’s short term of office as Secretary (about 
15 or 16 months) the writer succeeded him in that capacity and 
remained so for 20 years, the only method, apparently, by which 
he could obtain release being by taking a voyage to England and 
the Continent in 1905. The only other member, I believe, who 
reached double figures as Secretary, is Mr. E. II. Ising, his tenure 
being a little over 11 years. I was hoping he would go oil to 
break my own record, so capable and esteemed an officei has 
he been. However, another record has been broken recently, 
viz: that for the first time in the history of the Section we now 
have a woman as Secretary, Miss J. M. Murray having been 
elected to that position in 1933. 
The first afternoon excursion of the Section was made on 
24/11/1883, to what was then known as ‘‘Government I aim, 
but later as National Park, when about 60 persons attended. 
The first whole-day excursion (and a memorable one it was,) 
took place on 1st January, 1884, when between 90 and 10 
members and friends journeyed to Hallett’s Cove. It was on 
this occasion that most of those present made their first acquain¬ 
tance with that interesting geological feature known as glacia 
action on rock surfaces. 
