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RIP Professor George Seddon 1927-2007 (Fremantle Citizen of the Year 2001)

FORMER Fremantle Citizen of the Year George Seddon, described as 'one of Australia's foremost thinkers and writers on the environment and planning' and 'professor of everything' passed away on May 9, aged 80.

Renowned as an Australian academic with a capacity to reach a wide readership through his many books, journals and papers, he taught and held chairs universities in a range of disciplines and was regarded as an expert in environmental planning, geology, literature and language.

Diverse interests fuelled an extraordinary career, with his first degree in English, a Masters in Science and a PhD in Geology. When appointed Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Melbourne, it was his third chair and fifth discipline.

He combined his love of language and interest in the surface of the earth to publish almost 30 books and more than 150 journal articles – his popular books on the Australian landscape embraced diverse points of view as well as physical, ecological, historical and cultural elements.

Prof Seddon is most well-known in WA for his 1972 book A Sense of Place which brought the needs of the fragile Swan River Plain to the attention of the public.

In 1958, he played an integral role in saving the-then rundown Fremantle Arts Centre from demolition by the Education Department when parts of the old lunatic asylum were being used as classrooms.

The battle took several years and faced a further challenge when Main Roads proposed demolishing the north-west corner to reconstruct Ord and Finnerty Streets.

Prof Seddon’s 1993 book A House, A Cottage and A Shop, sponsored by the Heritage Council of WA and City of Fremantle, focused on his award-winning restored High Street home, detailing a case study of the buildings, their owners and local social history.

In 1998 he received a Member (AM) on the Queens Birthday Honours List in the General Division, for his service to environmental and cultural heritage preservation and the promotion of town planning issues.

Prof Seddon also received three Robin Boyd Environmental Awards, the 1995 Eureka Prize from the Australian Museum and 1996 Mawson Medal from the Academy of Science.

Serving on the City of Fremantle’s Library Advisory Committee in the early 1990s, along with the Sister Cities Committee, he was named Fremantle Citizen of the Year in 2001.

In 2004, Prof Seddon also became the first recipient of the national Lifetime Planning Achievement Award from the Planning Institute of Australia.

The institute’s citation said: “There is no doubt that Professor George Seddon has made an extremely significant contribution to the planning profession throughout Australia.

“His works, Swan River Landscapes and Sense of Place, have done much to raise the public awareness of the need for good planning for our most valuable resources.

“Moreover, Sense of Place has … set out the fundamental planning principles required for compact, mixed-use, walkable neighbourhoods 30 years before the State Government published the Liveable Neighbourhoods Community Design Code in 1995.”

By 2006, he was Senior Honorary Research Fellow English in Communication and Cultural Studies at the University of WA and Emeritus Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Melbourne.

Fremantle Mayor Peter Tagliaferri said Professor Seddon had made an enormous contribution to the port city over the years, thanks to his dedication and commitment.

“He was a rare academic whose bright mind and extensive work helped to raise our appreciation of history and the environment,” he said.

“Professor Seddon was an erudite man renowned for intense enthusiasm and total focus on his many projects, living in Fremantle and taking part in rational and reasoned debate on the many issues here.

“Across five decades, he taught at universities in Lisbon, Toronto, Bologna, Rome, Venice, Minnesota, Oregon and Australia and was widely-respected for his valuable insights.

“He was a prolific and passionate writer with an enviable list of writing credits to his name, reflected in the many awards he received over the years.

“Our deepest sympathies go to his family, friends and former colleagues. He will be sadly missed by all.”

Professor Seddon is survived by his wife Marli Wallace, son Jack Seddon, daughter Polly Zahari and stepson John Wallace.