Brian Parkinson was born in 1944 at Opotiki in the eastern Bay of Plenty where his father was a farmer, racehorse breeder and stock dealer. He was educated at boarding school in Auckland and later attended Victoria University while working at the then Wildlife Branch, now part of the Department of Conservation. After serving in Military Intelligence (a contradiction in terms - Brian) he joined the NZBC as Science Reporter on the station AKTV2. Brian went overseas in 1967 and spent several years prospecting in the outback of Australia and in the remoter (uncontacted) areas of Papua New Guinea.
From 1976 to 1983, Brian directed a marine resource survey in PNG, later undertaking similar work in Micronesia, Seychelles, Thailand and Tuvalu. From 1983 to 1986 he directed a marine research project in Fiji.
In this period he published several books, and one of these 'Tropical Landshells of the World', is regarded as. one of the great works of malacology. It has been described by the British Museum of Natural History as "a glorious addition to the literature of conchology".
During his time in the tropics he discovered several dozen species of flora and fauna - up to then undescribed. Several of these (including fish, molluscs and insects) were later named for him. |
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