Dr. Graham Williamson

The tour is a unique opportunity to visit this area with the well known botanist and expert botanical tour guide, Graham Williamson.

NOTE: Return flights should not be booked for departure before 10:00 on Saturday 9 September.If hotel accommodation is required in Windhoek on Saturday night, this can be booked for delegates.

The speakers are Roberto Keisling, Woody Minnich, Marlon Machado, John Trager, Jan Vlok and Graham Williamson.
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Graham Williamson

Graham, a retired dentist, is the author of the highly successful book on the Richtersveld and of other more specialised books.He is a Research Associate at the Bolus Herbarium at the University of Cape Town.For many years has travelled throughout Namibia and the Richtersveld with his wife Françoise.Through his work Graham has had access to areas otherwise not accessible and his knowledge of the plants of those areas is probably second to none, having rediscovered many 'lost' plants from the 19th century.

All the above speakers will be giving two talks.
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Graham Williamson Succulent Islands in Zambia

The speakers are Roberto Keisling, Woody Minnich, Marlon Machado, John Trager, Jan Vlok and Graham Williamson.
...
Graham Williamson

Graham, a retired dentist, is the author of the highly successful book on the Richtersveld and of other more specialised books.He is a Research Associate at the Bolus Herbarium at the University of Cape Town.For many years has travelled throughout Namibia and the Richtersveld with his wife Françoise.Through his work Graham has had access to areas otherwise not accessible and his knowledge of the plants of those areas is probably second to none, having rediscovered many 'lost' plants from the 19th century.

All the above speakers will be giving two talks.

Graham Williamson
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Graham WilliamsonDr. Graham Williamson was born in Harare (Salisbury) Zimbabwe in 1932 and spent his childhood roaming the wild granite hills of east Harare and herding cattle on his parents' small-holding.He collected his first succulents at five years old.Bent on a career in botany or zoology, he discovered that the opportunities for natural scientists were limited, so he switched to dentistry, graduating BDS from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.He first practiced in Bulawayo, which gave him the opportunity to research the rich succulent flora of the Matopo Hills.After leaving Zimbabwe, he set up a private practice in Zambia, where he spent from 1962 - 1975 researching the Orchids of South Central Africa published in 1978.Graham and his wife, Francoise, were privileged to explore and collect the Sperrgebiet (Forbidden Diamond Area) and the previously restricted semi-arid Richtersveld mountain desert.

Graham has received local and international awards for photography, art work and botany.He was given the Bolus Award of the Botanical Society of South Africa and the Allen Dyer Award from the Succulent Society of South Africa.On election as a Fellow of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America he was cited as an "Intrepid explorer, conservationist, author, artist and discoverer and describer of new taxa."He has lectured in RSA, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, USA, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand.His many publications include major works on euphorbia, aloe, floral zones of the Sperrgebiet and the "Richtersveld, The Enchanted Wilderness", a culmination of about 20 years work.To date he has described about 72 new species and subspecies.Both he and his wife have been commemorated in the naming of succulent plants.

Presently Graham is a Research Associate of the Bolus Herbarium, University of Cape Town and works as a full-time botanist/environmentalist based in Cape Town.His presentations at this convention will be Part one of 'KUNENE to the KAROO': Kaokoland in Namibia to Richtersveld and Bushmanland in South Africa and Part two of 'KUNENE to the KAROO': Namaqualand to Grahamstown.

AUTHOR: Graham Williamson
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It is South Africa's only true desert and in this book, the first ever devoted to the Richtersveld, Graham Williamson reveals the secrets of this hauntingly beautiful area.
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Hailed by the Cactus and Succulent Society of America with the citation "Intrepid explorer, conservationist, author, artist and discoverer and describer of new taxa", Zimbabwean born Graham Williamson spent his childhood roaming the wild granite hills of east Harare and herding cattle on his parent's smallholding.

Bent on a career in botany or zoology, he discovered that the opportunities for natural scientists were limited, so he switched to dentistry, graduating BDS from Wits University, Johannesburg.

He set up a private practice in Zambia, where he spent ten years researching the Orchids of South Central Africa which was published in1978.His collections of succulent Euphorbias helped in the description of new species or elucidation of more than half of the Zambian Euphorbias.

After moving to South Africa, he joined the Anglo American Corporation as Senior Dental Officer and was seconded to the Consolidated Diamond Mines at Oranjemund in Namibia.

While working on the diamond fields, he explored the Sperrgebeit (forbidden diamond area) and the previously restricted semi-arid Richtersveld mountain desert.

Later in life he completed an MSc. in botany at Wits University.On retiring from dentistry, CDM employed him as a botanical consultant with the responsibility for producing an environmental impact study of their mining area and exploring and recording the flora of the Sperrgebiet.

Graham and his wife Francoise are to date involved in environmental education and have led local and international tours.
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Graham has received local and international awards for photography, artwork and botany.He was given the Bolus Award of the Botanical Society of South Africa and the Allen Dyer Award of the Succulent Society of South Africa.He has lectured in North America, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and has many publications to his name including major publications on Euphorbia and an account of the floral zones of the Sperrgebiet, southern Namib desert.His published descriptions to date comprise 64 new species and subspecies.Both he and his wife have been commemorated in the naming of succulent plants.

In retirement, Graham works as a botanist and artist based in Cape Town.