(Source: Flora Malesiana ser. 1, 5: Cyclopaedia of collectors, Supplement I)

Born: 1916, Paris, France.

career:

Studied arts at Woodford House, Sussex, and then Auckland University and came with her husband, John William Millar (1912, Sydney, N.S.W.; 1966, Lae, Tern of New Guinea), a marine engineer, to the gold fields of Bulolo, Morobe District, New Guinea, in 1947. Life in the Highlands drew their attention to plant collecting as a hobby, starting with living ferns, then orchids, and finally other plants as well. In the meantime she taught in the European school at Bulolo, and through the interest of the Forestry Office there they began collecting both live and herbarium specimens for Lae. In 1956 she joined the staff of the Lae Botanic Gardens, combining horticultural with field work, starting as Technical Assistant and leaving the Gardens in January 1971 as Curator. At that time she became Curator of the Gardens of the University of Papua and New Guinea, Port Moresby. She hopes to create a purely native botanic garden.

Author of orchid and garden articles for various overseas magazines, and of a gardening book.

Collecting localities:

Territory of New Guinea. 1949-53. Bulolo and surroundings, mostly living ferns and orchids. 1954. Accompanying Womersley in Jimi Valley, W. Highlands-1955. Joining the Forestry Botanic Party following the old Muboi trail from Wau, through the Range and down to Skin Diwai.-1961. With D.H. Nicolson (see there).-1962-64. With C.D. Sayers-1963. With P. van Royen etc. (see there). Between 1956-71 she accompanied field work and was 3 times in Mt Wilhelm area, twice on Mt Kerigomna, on Kar Kar I., Long I., and in the Gogol Valley. Besides collecting extensively from Lae in the Morobe Distr. to the W. Highlands, on the Kokoda Trail, and by boat to islands in the Huon Gulf. Field botanist on a trip by the Dept of Agriculture in Papua, following d’Albertis’ route from Daru to Kiunga, travelling up the Fly, Strickland, and Herbert Rivers and on Lake Murray en route. Leading a party down the Sepik River from the Yellow R. and through the Murik Lakes and up the coast again to Aitape, collecting at all islands on the way. Further in Bougainville (Solomon Is.), New Ireland and on the W. coast of New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago)-1971- Papua. Undertaking extensive collecting in the Central District.

collections:

Herb. Lae [LAE], partly together with her husband and others, numbered in the NGF series until October 1970. Later collections in Herb. Univ. Papua New Guinea [UPNG], starting with no UPNG 1001.

photo gallery: