Jim Brodie


James William Brodie was a New Zealand geologist, oceanographer and amateur historian and philatelist.

Biography

Born in Bebington, Cheshire, England, on 7 October 1920, Brodie was the son of Isabella Brodie and James T. F. Brodie. After the family migrated to New Zealand, Brodie was educated at Napier Boys' High School, where he witnessed the Napier earthquake and was inspired to become a geologist. He joined the Lands and Survey Department in 1937, moving to the DSIR in 1945. In 1949 he received his MSc in geology from Victoria University College. He was a founding staff member of the Oceanographic Institute in 1954 and led it from 1958 until 1977.
After retirement he was on the board of trustees of the National Art Gallery and National Museum and served on the project that transformed them into Te Papa. He also contributed several biographies to the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography and was a mainstay of the Karori Historical Society.

Honours and awards

In 1974, Brodie was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. In the 1984 New Year Honours, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to oceanography.

Books

General