| History | As well as being an architect and scholar, Gavin Walkley was a skilled educator and administrator, and he made a significant contribution to the advancement of design and planning education in the state.
Born in 1911, Walkley lived at North Adelaide. He completed a Bachelor in Engineering (Architecture) at the University of Adelaide in 1934 having been articled since 1931 to Louis Laybourne Smith of Woods, Bagot, Laybourne Smith and Irwin.. He took his interest in the philosophy and history of art and architecture forward at the University of Cambridge where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1938, and a Master of Letters in 1939, during which time he also worked for London architectural firms such as Sir Burnet, Tait & Lorne. Walkley enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in May 1940 and was sent to the Middle East and New Guinea. He completed a Master of Arts in the 1940s and during the 1950s he broadened his qualifications further through studies in town planning and landscape architecture.
On returning to Adelaide and starting a family with his wife Barbara, he gained employment at the South Australian Housing Trust and later formed the private practice, Overall & Walkley Architects & Planners. During 1946 Walkley began to lecture at the School of Architecture in the School of Mines and Industries. In 1951 Walkley was appointed Head of the School of Architecture, a position he held until 1976. During that year Walkley joined Alan Welbourn, part-time, in private practice as Walkley & Welbourn Architects & Planners.
Walkley was a long-time member of the South Australian Institute of Architects and its President. And after serving as a Royal Australian Institute of Architects councillor from 1960, he was elected President in 1965. Walkley provided forty years of service to the Architects’ Board of South Australia, including Chairmanship from 1973 until 1987. Walkley also held many positions with Royal Australian Planning Institute, the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and the National Trust. The Walkley House, designed by Robin Boyd, along with his many educational, professional and civic contributions, was amongst the legacies of Gavin Walkley who died in 2005. |