Alfred Oscar Lawrence

Alfred (Alf) Oscar Platt Lawrence, OBE was an outstanding Victorian forester and community leader.

Alf Lawrence was born in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick on 20 July 1904, the son of Robert Platt Lawrence and Elizabeth Malvina, née Davis. Alf's family were of modest means but he won a scholarship to attend University High School in Parkville. He later won a tertiary scholarship to study at the Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) at Creswick in 1920. with their second year at a newly established campus in the Canberra suburb of Yarralumla under Charles Edward Lane-Poole. Alf Lawrence later completed his studies on a part-time basis back at Adelaide to qualify for a Bachelor of Forest Science in 1928.

However, Victoria withdrew from the acrimonious arrangement with the AFS after 1930 to instead focus on its own VSF forestry school at Creswick and also build a long term relationship with the University of Melbourne.

After returning to the Forests Commission Alf Lawrence undertook inventory work in the red gum forests along the Murray River. These forests near Barmah and Gunbower Island were a hive of activity producing durable sleepers for the expanding Victorian railway network. However, the heady days of the paddle steamers like the Alexander Arbuthnot plying the river trade hauling logs on barges to company sawmills at places like Koondrook were coming to an end. The purchase of the paddle steamer Hero by the Forests Commission occurred in 1942 during the War to transport much needed firewood on barges to Echuca and then by rail to Melbourne.

In 1934-35 Alf Lawrence was able to travel to Oxford to study for a Diploma of Forestry at the Imperial Forestry Institute on the prestigious Russell Grimwade Prize. Returning from England as one of the most highly qualified foresters in Victoria, he took a more operational role as District Forester at Ballarat and Creswick. During 1939, Alf Lawrence appeared, along with many other witnesses from the Forests Commission, to give evidence at Judge Leonard Edward Stretton's Royal Commission into the devastating bushfires. Lawrence was the President of the Victorian State Foresters Association (VSFA) at the time and later wrote in 1950 of the staff morale during that period: "they were totally dispirited - their work of years lay in ashes... all the protection, planning and works had proved futile" ...... Alf Lawrence - 1950In December 1939, in the wake of the disastrous bushfires, Lawrence replaced Reginald Edward Torbet to become the Commission's Chief Fire Officer, and immediately set about the huge challenge of rebuilding a highly organised and motivated fire fighting force, lifting staff morale, introducing RAAF fire spotting aircraft, fire towers, modern vehicles and equipment such as powered pumps, as well as a statewide radio communications network, VL3AA.

As a consequence of Judge Stretton's scathing report, the Forests Commission gained additional funding and took responsibility for fire protection on all public land including State forests, unoccupied Crown Lands and National Parks plus a buffer extending one mile beyond their boundaries on to private land and its responsibilities grew from 2.4 million to 6.5 million hectares.

Further disastrous fires at Yallourn in 1944 led to another Royal Commission headed by Judge Stretton. One major recommendation was the formation of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) of Victoria and Alf Lawrence was appointed as a Board Member of the new organisation from 1946 to 1949.

Commissioner and Chairman After the sudden death of Alfred Vernon Galbraith, in 1949 the Victorian State Government appointed Lawrence as one of the three commissioners to lead the Forests Commission joining with new Chairman Finton George Gerraty and Charles Montgomery Ewart. during a difficult period for the Commission, amidst serious allegations of financial mismanagement of its Newport seasoning works, and after some delay, Lawrence was finally elevated to Chairman in December 1956, a position he held until his retirement in July 1969. Dr Francis (Frank) Robert Moulds and Charles William Elsey.

Alf Lawrence retired the day before his 65th birthday on Saturday 19 July 1969 after a career spanning nearly 50 years since entering the Victorian School of Forestry as a 16-year-old student with his last official duty to open new facilities at the Korweinguboora Recreation Reserve nestled in the Wombat State Forest. Frank Moulds was then appointed Chairman of the Forests Commission Victoria.

He remained active in many organisations after his retirement and died on 15 March 1986, aged 81.