Biography

French-born botanist who spent her career in Papua New Guinea, where she served as Director of the National Botanic Gardens in Port Moresby from 1971. Andrée Norma Millar arrived in Papua New Guinea in 1947 with her husband, a mining engineer. Over the next 45 years she built a reputation for herself as an explorer, plant collector and orchid expert. She started off living at the mining centre of Bulolo, where she created a garden full of orchids and earned the pidgin English moniker 'long-long Misis bilong plaua', meaning 'slightly mad white woman who collects useless flowers'. She used this comical title for her short autobiography, published in 1994.

Millar went on to see all parts of Papua New Guinea as her husband followed work around the island. As a botanist and in other aspects of her life there she became known for her brave personality and forthright opinions. She joined the staff of the Lae Herbarium and Botanic Gardens (where she had been sending plants for some time) in 1955 and in 1960 moved to Port Moresby to work at the National Botanic Gardens and University of Papua New Guinea. Just over a decade on, she was appointed director of the gardens, in which position she remained until she was overcome by ill health. Her best known publication was the volume Orchids of Papua New Guinea (1978, revised 1998). Millar received a number of awards, such as the Papua New Guinea 10 Year Independence Medal, the Gold Medal of the Orchid Society of South East Asia and an OBE in 1975.

Sources:
J. Arditti, 1996, "Andrée Norma Millar (ca 1914-1995)", Malayan Orchid Review (Singapore), 30: 35-38
J. Arditti, 2000, Plant Science Bulletin, 46(2): 58-60
A.N. Millar, 1994, "Long-long misis bilong plaua", in J. Arditti (ed.). Orchid biology, reviews and perspectives, 6: 1-32.

Biography

French-born botanist who spent her career in Papua New Guinea, where she served as Director of the National Botanic Gardens in Port Moresby from 1971. Andrée Norma Millar arrived in Papua New Guinea in 1947 with her husband, a mining engineer. Over the next 45 years she built a reputation for herself as an explorer, plant collector and orchid expert. She started off living at the mining centre of Bulolo, where she created a garden full of orchids and earned the pidgin English moniker 'long-long Misis bilong plaua', meaning 'slightly mad white woman who collects useless flowers'. She used this comical title for her short autobiography, published in 1994.

Millar went on to see all parts of Papua New Guinea as her husband followed work around the island. As a botanist and in other aspects of her life there she became known for her brave personality and forthright opinions. She joined the staff of the Lae Herbarium and Botanic Gardens (where she had been sending plants for some time) in 1955 and in 1960 moved to Port Moresby to work at the National Botanic Gardens and University of Papua New Guinea. Just over a decade on, she was appointed director of the gardens, in which position she remained until she was overcome by ill health. Her best known publication was the volume Orchids of Papua New Guinea (1978, revised 1998). Millar received a number of awards, such as the Papua New Guinea 10 Year Independence Medal, the Gold Medal of the Orchid Society of South East Asia and an OBE in 1975.

Sources:
J. Arditti, 1996, "Andrée Norma Millar (ca 1914-1995)", Malayan Orchid Review (Singapore), 30: 35-38
J. Arditti, 2000, Plant Science Bulletin, 46(2): 58-60
A.N. Millar, 1994, "Long-long misis bilong plaua", in J. Arditti (ed.). Orchid biology, reviews and perspectives, 6: 1-32.