Vernon Victor Hickman

Vernon Victor Hickman OBE (1894–1984), zoologist, was born and educated in Hobart. After graduating in science from the University of Tasmania (1914) he lectured at the Zeehan School of Mines before joining the AIF during the First World War.

Upon his return, Hickman became Head of the Chemistry Department at the Launceston Technical College. In 1932, he was appointed Lecturer in Biology at the University of Tasmania and, in 1943, Professor of Biology, a position he held until retirement in 1959. Hickman's zoological knowledge was broad and he wrote on topics ranging from small invertebrates to mammals. His special interest was spiders and he discovered many new arachnid species. Hickman's honours include the Medal of the Royal Society of Tasmania, Medal of the Royal Physiographical Society (Lund) and the Clive Lord Memorial Medal (Royal Society of Tasmania).

Further reading: E Kay (ed), Who's who in the commonwealth, Cambridge, England, 1982.

Lynn Davies