Ukrainian-Australian entomologist and painter (1912–1986)
Stefan Misko (Ukrainian: Степан Місько, 25 March 1912, Lviv — 18 April 1986, Canberra) was a Ukrainian-born entomologist, painter and community leader who lived and worked in Australia. He was founder and president of the Ukrainian Artists Society of Australia and was director-owner of an art gallery in Canberra.
Biography.
Stefan Misko was born on 25 February in Lviv. After completing studies at the Lviv Polytechnic, he graduated on 6 July 1947 with qualifications as forestry-engineer from the Ukrainian Technical and Husbandry Institute in Regensburg — with his dissertation "Forestry in Oak Forests".
Work and life in Australia.
After WWII Misko emigrated to Australia together with his family as a displaced person, arriving on the USS General W. C. Langfitt on the 16 June 1949. He lived in Melbourne until 1961, later moving ton Canberra, where he worked in the entomology section of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
As part of this work at the CSIRO he frequently travelled with Dr. Everard Baldwin Britton searching for species of beetles for the Australian National Insect Collection in Canberra. He discovered new species of Australian beetle, that were named after him: "Sericesthis miskoi", and "Paraschizognathus miskoi". The beetle genera "Miskoramus" is also named in memory of him.
He was active as a youth leader in Victoria, founding a sporting club and soccer team "Ukraine" (1952). He was active politically in the Australian-Ukrainian community, organising festivals and protests, including the demonstrations supporting the freeing of Ukrainian dissident Yurii Shukhevych (1968). He founded and was president of the Canberra branch of the Shevchenko Scientific Society (1974–1979).
Artwork.
As and expressionist painter, Misko painted mainly in watercolors, but also in oil, pastel and charcoal. He was director-owner of the Misko Art Studio Gallery in Canberra and was founder and long-time president of the Ukrainian Artists Society of Australia (1967-1986).
Exhibitions.
His works are represented Widely in private collections in Australia and overseas.
References.
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