Download - New Zealand Society of Soil Science

His last task was updating the soils of the region, not making a soil map but an updated legend which
could form the basis of a survey in the future. This he did during periods when his health allowed.
We will sorely miss Elwyn, a true professional of the old school.
From Noel Congdon – formerly Regional Advisory Officer, MAF, Hastings
As manager of our MAF advisory team in Hawke‘s Bay in the 70‘s and 80‘s I would like to
acknowledge Elwyn‘s contribution in dealing with soil problems that we, along with growers and
farmers had to deal with during the course of our work.
In our advisory role in MAF we relied heavily on our liaison with scientists working in specialist
fields and in our own field investigational work. Having Elwyn based here in H.B. was a big
advantage — he was 'on the spot' and was available when soil problems arose or when his input was
required in some investigation.
He was always willing to participate and this was appreciated not only by our advisory officers but by
growers and farmers alike.
Elwyn on 18/9/84 during the Ruakura SWAMP measurements, doing his famous methyl-blue dye test
for continuous soil pores. Malcolm McLeod is in the foreground with the afro hair do.
Photo by Peter Singleton
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