Neville Coleman
Neville Coleman OAM (1938 - 5 May 2012) was an Australian naturalist, underwater nature photographer, writer, publisher and educator.
Coleman started scuba diving in 1963, exploring Sydney Harbour. Later he joined a scientific study group and, in 1969, commenced a project aiming to document the entire marine life of Australia, using underwater photography.
His first book, Australian marine fishes in colour, was published in 1974 and he subsequently authored more than 50 books. His books included various texts for scuba divers, shell collectors, amateur naturalists and children, and typically took the forms of field guides, encyclopedias and dive guides. Departures included a collaboration with a poet and CD-ROM companions to printed publications, which included video clips of marine species. His photographs often appeared in publications by other authors on marine subjects.
Coleman discovered many marine creatures new to science. Several species of fish, nudibranchs and other invertebrates have been named after him, including the mantis shrimp Lysiosquilla colemani, the nudibranch Chromodoris colemani, and the pygmy seahorse Hippocampus colemani.
In 2007 Coleman was inducted to the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame and, in 2011, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for "service to conservation and the environment through the photographic documentation of Australian marine species".[1][2] Coleman died of natural causes at 4:55 am on 4 May 2012, in his sleep.[2]
Legacy
Neville Coleman Memorial Dives are held annually,[3] with special events including a sea slug photo competition and public art exhibition held in South Australia.
Bibliography
Title | Co-author | Year | Publisher | Location | ISBN | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian marine fishes in colour | 1974 | Reed | Sydney | ISBN 0589071416 | ||
Shell collecting in Australia | 1976 | Reed | Sydney | ISBN 0589071955 | [4] | |
A field guide to Australian marine life | 1977 | Rigby | Adelaide | ISBN 0727005200 | [5] | |
A look at the wildlife of the Great Barrier Reef | 1978 | Bay Books | Rushcutters Bay, NSW | ISBN 085835201X | [6] | |
Scuba divers introduction to marine biology | 1978 | Australasian Marine Photographic Index | [7] | |||
The Australian beachcomber | 1979 | Collins | ISBN 0002164248 | |||
Australian sea fishes south of 30s | 1980 | Doubleday | Sydney | ISBN 0868240184 | ||
Australian sea fishes north of 30 S | 1981 | Doubleday | Sydney | ISBN 0868240338 | ||
Fishes of Victoria | 1981 | Doubleday | Sydney | ISBN 0868240397 | ||
The young observer's book of Australian seashells | 1982 | Methuen Australia | Sydney | ISBN 0454002998 | [8] | |
Harmful fishes of Australia | 1982 | Doubleday | Sydney | ISBN 0868240400 | ||
Nudibranchs of Australasia | Richard C. Willan | 1984 | Australasian Marine Photographic Index | NSW | ISBN 094937301X | [9] |
Poetry in pictures: The Great Barrier Reef | Mark O'Connor | 1985 | Hale & Iremonger | Sydney | ISBN 0868062073 | [10] |
The underwater Australia dive guide | 1987 | Nelson | Melbourne | ISBN 0170069192 | [11] | |
Australia's Great Barrier Reef | 1990 | Child & Associates | NSW | ISBN 086777343X, 0867773677 | [12] | |
Encyclopedia of marine animals | 1991 | Blandford | London | ISBN 0713722894 | ||
Australia's sharks & rays | 1992 | Weldon Publishing | Sydney | ISBN 1863022627 | ||
Discover underwater Australia | 1994 | National Book Distributors and Publishers | NSW | ISBN 1864360070 | [13] | |
Sea stars of Australasia and their relatives | 1994 | Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic | Springwood, Queensland | ISBN 0947325212 | [14] | |
The dive sites of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Comprehensive coverage of diving and snorkelling | 1996 | New Holland (Publishers) Ltd. | London, Cape Town, Sydney, Singapore | |||
Marine life of the Maldives | 2000 | Atoll | Apollo Bay, Victoria | ISBN 1876410361 | ||
Underwater naturalist | 2004 | Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic | Springwood, Queensland | ISBN 0947325298 | [15] | |
Fiji Islands: wildlife guide | 2005 | Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic | Springwood, Queensland | ISBN 9780947325466 | ||
Nudibranchs encyclopedia | 2008 | Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic | Springwood, Queensland | ISBN 9780947325411 | ||
Nudibranchs encyclopedia - 2nd edition | 2015 | underwater.com.au and Masalai Press | Australia, USA |
References
- "COLEMAN, Neville Albert". Awards and Culture Branch Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, The Australian Government. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- "Neville Coleman OAM Peacefully Passes Away -Underwater Photography Loses A Legend". Divephotoguide.com. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
- Baker, Janine. "The Neville Coleman Memorial Nudibranch Dive. Summary of Results from Community Dive Events in South Australia in 2015 and 2016". Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - Coleman, Neville (1976). Shell collecting in Australia. Terry Hills, N.S.W. : Reed. ISBN 978-0-589-07195-0.
- Coleman, Neville; Programs, United States Office of Pesticide (1977). A field guide to Australian marine life. Adelaide : Rigby. ISBN 978-0-7270-0520-5.
- Coleman, Neville (1978). A look at wildlife of the Great Barrier Reef. Rushcutters Bay, N.S.W. : Bay Books. ISBN 978-0-85835-201-8.
- Coleman, Neville (1978). Scuba divers introduction to marine biology. [Caringbah, N.S.W. : Australasian Marine Photographic Index.
- Coleman, Neville; Coleman, Neville (1982). The young observer's book of Australian seashells. Sydney : Methuen Australia. ISBN 978-0-454-00299-7.
- Willan, R. C.; Coleman, Neville; Index, Australian Marine Photographic (1984). Nudibranchs of Australasia. Caringbah, N.S.W. : N. Coleman. ISBN 978-0-949373-00-7.
- O'Connor, Mark; Coleman, photographer.), Neville (1985). Poetry in pictures : the Great Barrier Reef. Sydney : Hale & Iremonger. ISBN 978-0-86806-207-5.
- Coleman, Neville (1987). The underwater Australia dive guide. Melbourne : Nelson. ISBN 978-0-17-006919-9.
- Coleman, Neville (1990). Australia's Great Barrier Reef (1st ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. : Child & Associates. ISBN 978-0-86777-367-5.
- Coleman, Neville (1994). Discover underwater Australia (1st ed.). Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. : National Book Distributors and Publishers. ISBN 978-1-86436-007-3.
- Coleman, Neville; Coleman, Neville (1994). Sea stars of Australasia & their relatives. Springwood, Qld. : Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic. ISBN 978-0-947325-21-3.
- Coleman, Neville (2004). Underwater naturalist (New ed.). Springwood, Qld. : Neville Coleman's Underwater Geographic Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-0-947325-29-9.