Leonard Keith Ward ( 1879 - 1964)

Leonard Keith Ward (1879-1964), geologist and public servant. After attending Sydney and Brisbane Grammar schools and winning a Queensland university exhibition, Keith studied arts and then mining and metallurgy at the University of Sydney. Taught geology by (Sir) Edgeworth David, he gained experience with Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd before joining the staff of the Western Australian School of Mines, Kalgoorlie, in 1903.
In 1907-11 he was assistant government geologist and inspector of mines in Tasmania. On 1 January 1912 he succeeded H. Y. L. Brown as government geologist in South Australia. From 1916 he had additional duties as director of mines and supervisor of boring. When the Geological Survey and the Department of Mines were combined into the one organization in 1917, he was appointed head of department; in 1919 he also became secretary to the minister of mines.