Alfred (Alf) Oscar Platt Lawrence, OBE was an outstanding Victorian forester and community leader. Alf Lawrence was born in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick on 20 July 1904, the son of Robert Platt Lawrence and Elizabeth Malvina, née Davis. Alf's family were of modest means but he won a scholarship to attend University High School in Parkville. He later won a tertiary scholarship to study at the Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) at Creswick in 1920.