DUN, William Sutherland (1868-1934)

palaeontologist

was the son of Major Percy Henderson Dun and was born at Cheltenham, England, on 1 July 1868. He was brought to Australia when about a year old, and was educated at Newington College and the university of Sydney. He entered the department of mines, Sydney, in 1890 and was an assistant to T. W. E. David (q.v.) in his work on the Hunter River coalfield. He, however, owed most of his training to Robert Etheridge Jr (q.v.) and in 1893 was made assistant palaeontologist to the geological survey. In 1899 he was appointed palaeontologist to the survey and in 1902 became lecturer in palaeontology to the university of Sydney. He was president of the Linnean Society of New South Wales in 1913 and 1914, and president of the Royal Society of New South Wales for the year 1918-19. He resigned from the geological survey in 1933 but continued his university lectureship until his death. He died on 7 October 1934 and was survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. His more important writings will be found in the Records of the Geological Survey of New South Wales.

Dun had much ability and a remarkable memory which he was always ready to place at the service of his friends and scientific inquirers. He had an unrivalled knowledge of the fossil fauna of Australia, his knowledge of fossil bivalves and the brachiopoda was sound and extensive, and he was regarded as an authority on the questions of the identity and stratigraphical range of fossils. Both as a teacher and as a worker in the field he had an important influence on the progress of geology in Australia.

R. J. Noble, Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 1935; The Australian Museum Magazine, 16 January, 1935; Sydney Morning Herald, 9 October 1934.