Boodja lectures
2025 Boodja lecture with David Hall
On Friday 7th November, the WA soil community was brought together for the 2025 Boodja Lecture in Soil Science at the State Library of Western Australia for an evening of knowledge sharing, reflection and connection.
The Boodja Lecture was delivered by David Hall, Principal Research Scientist at DPIRD, who is soon to retire after more than forty years dedicated to understanding and improving Australia’s agricultural soils. In his presentation, “Beach sands and sodic clays: the role of soil science in transforming soils for crop production”, David shared the story of his career, beginning with his early research into irrigated systems and hardsetting soils in central New South Wales and later sandy soils and sodic clays along WA’s South Coast.
Read more about David’s work and lecture here.
History of Boodja Lectures
In previous years the WA Branch of Soil Science Australia had some part to play in the delivery of the annual Gentilli Lecture (initiated and coordinated by society member Dr Karl-Heinz Wyrwoll). While the Gentilli Lecture has continued, it is now promoted by the University of Western Australia’s Institute of Advanced Studies and it does not have a focus on Soil Science.
In 2011 WA Branch members voted to re-initiate a Western Australian annual lecture in soil science – a lecture that could be delivered in an informal setting that would promote outstanding and prominent aspects of soil science in Western Australia.
After much consideration from the many options presented, the Annual Soil Science Lecture was given the name “Boodja” – a common Western Australian Aboriginal (Noongar) word for ‘land’ and a suitable match as this lecture series acknowledges the important role of Aboriginal understanding in the responsible management of the soil and land.
The Noongar people are the traditional owners of the South-West land division of Western Australia, which is defined by 14 different areas with varied geography and 14 dialectal groups. For thousands of years Noongar people have resided on and had a cultural connection to this land. Everything in our vast landscape has meaning and purpose, and the connection to Boodja (the land) is passed on through stories and expressive forms of art – which is what we hope to follow through this annual WA lecture series.
In 2012, the WA Branch was honoured to have the Australian Advocate for Soil Health and former Governor-General, Major General the Hon. Michael Jeffery, AC, AO (Mil), CVO, MC (Retd), present the inaugural lecture. This Lecture now takes its place amongst the other prominent annual lectures delivered in each state branch of Soil Science Australia.
Past Boodja lecturers:
2025 Mr David Hall
2024 Professor Nanthi Bolan
2023 Professor Richard Bell
2022 The Hon Penelope Wensley AC
2021 Associate Professor Frances Hoyle
2020 Professor Len Collard
2019 Mr Andrew ‘Nick’ Watson
2018 Emeritus Professor Lynette Abbott
2017 Professor Stephen Smith
2015 Professor Rob Fitzpatrick
2014 Emeritus Professor Alan Robson AO
2013 The National Advocate for Soil, Major General the Hon Michael Jeffery AC, AO (Mil) CVO, MC (Retd)