13/06/2025
It is with profound sadness that we mark the passing of Professor Roy Allen Lubke, a distinguished botanist, pioneering environmentalist, and beloved figure in the Rhodes University and Makhanda communities, who passed away on 10 June 2025. Professor Lubke dedicated almost his entire working career and much of his retirement to the Department of Botany, Rhodes University, and the town he so passionately embraced. His life was characterised by his adventurous spirit, wide-ranging interests, and a remarkable generosity of time and energy given to both people and causes.
Professor Lubke was born in Durban, South Africa, on 22 July 1940. He recalled his primary school years in Westville as "easy going" and taken up with exploring the "wilds of Westville" with his dogs by a small stream, observing plants and animals, which ignited his curiosity in nature. After discovering a passion for biology at Durban High School, Professor Lubke headed for Rhodes University in 1960, arriving by ship in Port Elizabeth. During his first year, he became enthralled with Professor Edgar Twyman’s teaching of Botany and developed a passion for fieldwork inland and along the coast. He completed a BSc majoring in Botany and Zoology in 1962 and a first-class Honours in Botany in 1963.
Professor Lubke's academic journey continued with further study abroad, travelling and working in Europe and North America. He completed his PhD in Botany at the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 1969 and went on to earn an MSc in Science Education from the University of Keele in the UK in 1978.
He returned to South Africa in 1970 as a Lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand, where he taught until December 1974. In 1975, he joined Rhodes University as a Lecturer, where he remained for the rest of his working career. Over the years, he advanced to Senior Lecturer (1977-1983) and Associate Professor (1984-1999), before serving as the Head of the Department of Botany from 2000 to 2002. Professor Lubke retired in 2002 but continued as an Associate Professor Emeritus, teaching Rehabilitation Ecology and remaining active in research. In 2022 and 2023, he published peer-reviewed papers in the international journal Plants and the South African Journal of Science, and in 2023, he presented a paper on restoration at the Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa conference.
Professor Lubke was also a prolific author and editor, contributing significantly to environmental education and public understanding. With Irene de Moor, he was the lead editor of A Field Guide to the Eastern Cape Coast, first published in 1988, which earned its editors and authors the Cape Times Centenary Medal for Conservation in 1989. An enlarged second edition was published in 1998. More recently he and Irene teamed up again as the lead editors of Guide to the Natural and Cultural History of Grahamstown/Makhanda published in 2021.
Professor Lubke was a specialist in Plant Taxonomy and Ecology, boasting almost 30 years of extensive experience in the Eastern Cape and other parts of southern Africa. His ecological research was characterised by a strongly applied focus, tackling specific environmental problems. His areas of expertise included biodiversity and floristics of the Eastern Cape, coastal ecology (including management of dunes and estuaries), and the reclamation and stabilisation of challenging areas such as mine dumps, coastal drift sands, and riverbanks.
His significant contributions extended to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), where he was recognised as a pioneer in the province. In 1989, he co-founded Coastal & Environmental Services with Dr Ted Avis and Mr Peter Jackson to conduct environmental studies. This firm became a separate company in 1997, with Roy and Dr Avis as directors, growing into one of the strongest environmental companies in the country, undertaking contracts throughout southern Africa and other parts of Africa. This work ultimately lead to the establishment of Environmental Science as a discipline and later a Department at Rhodes University.
His generosity of time and energy extended far beyond his academic and consulting roles, deeply impacting Rhodes University and the broader Makhanda community. At Rhodes University, he held various administrative positions, including Curator of the Herbarium (1975-1985), Acting Head of Department, and a long-standing member of the Board of the Faculty of Science. He chaired the Advisory Committee on Liaison with Schools and the National School Science Convention Committee. His commitment to the academic community was unwavering, as he continued to shape the careers of many botanists at Rhodes University over several decades. He was a founder member of the South African Institute of Ecologists and Environmental Scientists in 1980 and served on its Board. He was also on the Board of Trustees for the Albany Museum (1976-1995), serving as Deputy Chairman. Professor Lubke was an active member of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB), serving as Chairman of the Eastern Cape Region, and later as national Vice President and President.
Perhaps his most visible local commitment was to the Wildlife Society of Southern Africa (WESSA), Grahamstown branch. He served as Vice-chairman and Chairman, holding the latter role from 2016 until recently. The local branch is widely regarded as one of WESSA’s most active regional branches, a testament to his leadership. Beyond his formal roles, Professor Lubke was an enthusiastic and active member of the Makhanda community, volunteering at the SPCA, actively participating in the local Historical Society and U3A (University of the Third Age). His passion for the local arts was also well-known; he was a previous member of the "Grahamstown Players" and a long-standing contributor of reviews to Cue during the National Arts Festival. Indeed, if there was an event, talk, performance, or exhibition in Makhanda, Professor Lubke was there to support it.
Professor Lubke’s contributions to rehabilitation were acknowledged in 2019 when the Land Rehabilitation Society of Southern Africa (LaRSSA) awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award. More recently at the end of 2023, to celebrate his many contributions and achievements, Rhodes University presented Professor Lubke with its prestigious “Distinguished Alumni Award”. Professor Lubke told us on more than one occasion of how much this recognition from the institution he had been associated with for 65 years meant to him.
Professor Lubke was an indefatigable traveller and adventurer who did not let age slow him down. His early travels by boat ignited a life-long love of sea-travel and he far preferred a boat to the quick and easy option of going by air. In 2024, he sailed from Cape Town to Europe on the Queen Mary 2 and had another trip booked for later in 2025! With his adopted dog Fudge, he continued to come into the Department every day when he was not away travelling the world. He contributed to lively academic discussions and shared humorous, self-deprecating tales at morning tea, even when his health began to fail him.
Professor Roy Allen Lubke’s life was a testament to his profound love for nature, his dedication to science and education, and his unwavering commitment to his community. He leaves behind an indelible legacy as a pioneering environmental scientist, a cherished mentor, and a community pillar. His remarkable journey, from an unexpected entry into biology to becoming a leading expert in his field, truly embodied an adventurous spirit that never waned. He is survived by Ildiko & Rowan from his first marriage and Clare, Tanya, Andrew & Emma from his second marriage to Mary Lynn; and his beloved dogs at Waterloo. Professor Lubke’s impact will be felt for generations to come, and he will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
A memorial service will be held for Professor Roy Allen Lubke at the Rhodes University Chapel (St Peter’s Campus) on Thursday, 19th June at 10:30, followed by a tea on the lawns.
[ISSUED BY THE DIVISION OF COMMUNICATION AND ADVANCEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE RHODES UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY]
