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Lionel was educated at Burwood Public School and Homebush and Fort Street High Schools. Before joining the RAAF in 1943 he trained at Sydney Teachers' College for a year. He taught in NSW state schools for 15 years then joined the University of New England in 1961 as Research and Information Officer. From July 1963 he lectured at the Armidale College of Advanced Education in several history courses. Lionel was one of the first students of UNE to graduate as an external student and went on to gain honours in history and a PhD in botanical history. He was involved in the establishment of museums at Port Macquarie and Armidale and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 1972 to study museology in the United Kingdom. He has been involved in the Armidale Folk Museum, the Museum of Rural Life and Industry at Hillgrove, and the Museum of Education at Armidale. He was instrumental in establishing the New England Historical Resources Centre. Lionel has written many papers and journal articles and has co-authored and written several books. He has been a member of the Royal Australian Historical Society, the National Trust, and was elected a Fellow of the Society of Australian Genealogists in 1955. He has also served on the State Archives Authority. He is a distinguished and highly-regarded local historian in the city of Armidale and has donated much valuable material to the regional archives. [Brief Biography compiled by Robin Hammond, January/February 2004]
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