When the Macleay Museum told Dorothy Lamberton that it would be very happy to accept her late husband’s collection of more than 1,000 foreign butterflies, “it was a huge weight off my shoulders,” she declared.

Collecting butterflies was a passionate hobby of Professor Doctor John Lamberton, an alumnus, prominent research chemist scientist at the University and a generous benefactor as well.

By the time he died, the collection had grown to about 50 display cases and storage boxes, and Dorothy’s main concern was to find the butterflies a good home.

Now, through the University’s Cultural Gifts Scheme, the Lamberton Butterfly Collection is safely ensconced in the Macleay Museum, where it has enhanced the Museum’s own insect collection, is contributing to research, and some of the most modern and high-quality specimens are on display for posterity.