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[Page 135]
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The incident that inclined him towards scientific study was trivial. Mr. Robert McMillan of the Stock and Station Journal handed him Mr. A. J. North's book on Australian Birds, and asked him jocularly to say what he thought of it. But Dene took the request seriously, birds were things near his heart, and he wrote a column which was published in that Journal of 5 Nov., 1907, with the editorial observation, "the following is a remarkable review of Mr. North's book by Master Dene Fry, a Sydney suburban lad of fourteen summers(It is a coincidence that 10 years later both author and critic of this book died almost together, and their obituary notices appear together in the "Australian Naturalist" of July, 1917.))
It was consequent upon this boyish review of a book of birds that Dene entered the service of the Australian Museum as cadet on 1 Jan. 1908, being 14 years and 2 months old. He attended classes at the Technical College, Ultimo, and in January, 1910 was awarded a scholarship for the 2nd. year's course in Zoology for meritorious work during the preceding year.
In April, 1910, at a function of opening additions to the building, Dene was presented by the Trustees of the Museum, in the presence of the Governor, with a cheque as a bonus for "outdistancing his competitors in the study of zoology."
In October, 1910, he went a trip to Masthead Island with a lot of interstate scientists, and he took with him notes from Mr. Chas. Hedley of the Museum warmly commending Dene to professional men in Brisbane. Before returning, he went on to Gladstone and Blackall Range.
He gained honours first and second years, 1910 and 1911, at the Technical College. Took lessons in freehand drawing from Julian Ashton.
On returning from the Capricorns (Masthead), Dene wrote some three columns illustrated by his own photographs for the Daily Telegraph in an interesting and racy style, which was at once published and paid for by that paper. Dene was just turned 17 then.