By Dr David Aubrey-Jones
It was a real privilege to be able to present Dr Austin Woodbridge with the prestigious Russell Society medal at a small presentation ceremony at the Natural History Museum on Monday 16th June. The museum was thrilled and had laid on a special room and refreshments, with other volunteers and some museum staff in attendance (see photos). The medal is awarded for outstanding services to Mineralogy and was last given in 2021
Austin started working at the museum as a volunteer on 17th of April 2002. He was given the huge task of identifying, tracing, and curating specimens from the famous Ludlam collection which had been dispersed to various parts of the museum / storage when new galleries and exhibitions were developed in the 1980s. Austin was helped initially by the late John Crocker (for 18 years), and more recently by other volunteers (Susan Tyzack, Nick Hawes and Michael Dunmore), with advice from Alan Hart, Peter Tandy, Mike Rumsey and Robin Hansen. During this time, he has shown incredible commitment, working faithfully on the task for one or two days a week and has now been volunteering at the museum for an incredible 23 years.
Henry Ludlam amassed his wonderful collection while working as a hosier, and upon his death in June 1880, bequeathed his collection to the Museum of Practical Geology. The quality of the specimens in the collection is superb and was regarded at the time as “the most complete and probably the finest collection of minerals ever made by a private collector” (Davies 1881).
Austen is an example to us all, through his contribution to British mineralogy in carefully curating and reconstituting the wonderful Ludlam collection for the past 23 years. The medal is very well deserved – well done Austin!