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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

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Douglas Frew Waterhouse

'A bug in the hand'

Australian entomologist and inventer of the Aerogard insect repellent, Douglas Frew Waterhouse describes the evolution of his career.

Interview with Douglas Frew Waterhouse
Video: 2 minutes

Images and interview courtesy of the Australian Academy of Science

Dr Douglas Frew Waterhouse in interview with DR Max Blythe
Interviewed 16 September 1993

Dr Douglas Frew Waterhouse with two of his three brothers, by Harold Cazneaux, 1920-1921

Dr Douglas Frew Waterhouse at Rosny Preparatory School, in the mid 1920’s, by unknown artist, 1920s

Outdoor field laboratory, lalapipi, mouth of the Lakekamu river, by unknown artist, date unknown

Captain Waterhouse and fiancée (Allison Dawn Calthorpe), by unknown artist, 1943

Hard at work at the Division of Entomology, CSIRO, Canberra, by unknown artist, date unknown 

All other images courtesy of Peter Chew

Video transcript

Douglas Frew Waterhouse, 2003 Robyn Stacey. © Robyn Stacey.
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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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