Mills, Margaret Bridget (Biddy) (née Edwards)   (1916 - 2008)

Born on 21 June, 1916, in Bullfinch, WA; died on 12 February, 2008, in Merredin, WA.

Her family were farmers near Burracoppin, then Nangeenan west of Merredin. Finally they moved to Merredin to a house in Chandler Rd near the Hunts Dam Reserve.

She used her extensive long term observations of this reserve as the basis for an article in the journal, The Western Australian Naturalist, (1975) and a booklet, Beautiful Hunt's Dam Reserve and Its Flora (191?).

She attended schools in Nangeenan and Merredin.

She later studied Commercial Art through the Art Training Institute (Melbourne).

Biddy married Harry Mills in 1937 and lived on a farm near Merredin.

She joined the Western Australian Naturalists' Club prior to 1948.

Dr Joseph Gentilli of UWA approached her to collect fungi for him and she also put her art training to good use: drawing and painting specimens.

After this Dr Dom Serventy (the co-founder of the Club and editor of the Club's publications) asked her to research the processionary caterpillar, Ochrogaster contaria. This work resulted in a number of articles in the Club's journal, The Western Australian Naturalist.

In the late 1960s, she was approached by Dom Serventy to conduct research on the quandong (Santalum acuminatum). In 1972 she published an article in the Journal entitled Observations on the Heavy Fruiting of Quandong Trees during the Drought Year of 1969. This article attracted the attention of Dr Mark Buttrose of the CSIRO in Adelaide who was interested in growing quandongs to make jams and chutneys. He collected fruit, seed and soil from her and a farm was set up at Quorn in South Australia.

In cooperation with the Merredin Tourist and Information Centre, she also put on record her recollections of her early days in Merredin in a number of small books.

In 1974 she was made an honorary life member of the Western Australian Naturalists' Club for her services in natural history research and public education.

She died in Merredin on 12 February 2008, aged 91 years.

Source: Extracted from:
Margaret Larke, Obituary - 'Margaret (Biddy) Bridget Mills (née Edwards)'
Western Australian Naturalist, in 2009, Volume 27, issue 1, pages 56-59
Portrait Photo: "as a young woman during her research into plants and animals", Wheatbelt Mercury.

Collecting localities for 'Mills, M.B.' from AVH (2025)

Data from 56 specimens