David Whitfield Lambden, born March 11, 1929, died peacefully at his
home on June 4, 2021, surrounded by friends and family. David was born
in Galt, Ontario, to Londoners Arthur Horace Lambden (1896-1989) and
Enid Grace Richardson (1898-1940). Arthur and Enid immigrated to Canada
in the early 1910s; they met and married in Galt, Ontario.
David was predeceased by his first wife Mona Ralston Roy (1926 - 2014),
his older brother John Richardson Lambden (1927 - 2017), his younger
sister Maryclare Arvilla Lambden (1947 – 2016), daughter Deborah
Constance Mona Lambden (1954 - 1981) and grandson Nicholas Michael
Andrew Lambden (1996 – 2007).
David was survived by children Christopher, Enid, Catherine, and John as
well as 15 grandchildren and 32 great grandchildren from his first
marriage to Mona Ralston Roy.
He is also survived by Elizabeth Ann Lambden (Rickards) along with their
three sons Robert, James and Andrew from his second marriage, and their
three grandchildren Madison, Jake and Katie.
Life history:
David studied at the University of New Brunswick, where he met Mona
Ralston Roy, both studying forestry. David graduated with a Bachelor of
Science (Honours) in Forestry in 1950. In 1951 David was licensed as a
land surveyor in Nova Scotia, joined the Office of the Surveyor General
in Ottawa in 1952, was licensed as an Ontario Land Surveyor in 1953 and
a Dominion Land Surveyor in 1954. In 1955 David opened a private
practice in Fort Frances, when he happily pursued surveys of isolated
First Nation lands.
David loved the natural environment and thrived in his work. He was
dedicated to his surveying activities involving water boundaries, First
Nation claims, and grid work in the prairies. As a Forester, David knew
fauna and flora as well as boundary law.
In 1957, Marsh Magwood, the Director of Titles of Ontario, appointed
David as the first Examiner of Surveys. In that capacity, David drafted
survey-related regulations that founded modern versions and wrote the
first edition of the Boundaries Act. He also arranged for and introduced
the deposit of “Description Reference Plans” in the Land Registry
system.
In 1959, David moved towards new horizons and relocated to Australia,
where onboard the ship he met Elizabeth Rickards. By 1960, David was
registered as a surveyor in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. He
received a Diploma in Town and Country Planning from the University of
Sydney in 1963, has been a member of the R.I.C.S. since 1965, and, in
1967, was registered as a surveyor in New Zealand.
David was in California from 1963 to 1966, and New Zealand in 1967 and
1968. He returned to Sydney in 1968 where he lectured in the School of
Surveying at the University of New South Wales. As of 1972, David was a
principal in the firm of Kent & Curdie Pty Ltd. and was business manager
and editor of the Australian Surveyor at that time.
In 1974 David returned to Canada to lecture in the Survey Science
program at the University of Toronto. David’s contributions through
lecture notes and materials, seminars at AOLS meetings and many
publications were foundational to the knowledge of Ontario Land
Surveyors today, especially with respect to legal survey principles.
Concurrently with teaching, David practiced as a consultant on
survey-related issues. He appeared as an expert witness in several court
cases and participated a vs a fact-finder in settling First Nation
claims. David continued his consulting business well after retirement as
Professor Emeritus from the University in 1994.
In 2006 David was presented with the AOLS Professional Recognition
Award. An annual scholarship was subsequently established in his name by
the South Central Region of the AOLS.
Throughout his career as forester, surveyor, educator and consultant,
David freely assisted surveyors, lawyers, former students, and the
public—anyone with questions requiring his extensive knowledge and
expertise.
David was generous and had an incredibly adventurous spirit. He worked
hard at all his endeavours and was just as much a student of his
profession as he was a teacher. His wide-ranging life experiences will
serve him well on this next great adventure! The world—especially the
surveying community—will not be the same without him.
In recognition of and appreciation for care provided at Guelph General
Hospital over many years, gifts in David's memory may be made to The
Foundation of Guelph General Hospital at www.gghfoundation.ca, click the
yellow donate button
OR https://bit.ly/3itwv9H
Gifts will help Guelph General Hospital save lives and improve health
through the Circle of Life program.