In the 1920s, there was only one chair in geography in an Australian university, occupied since 1921 by Thomas Griffith Taylor, as an Associate Professor. In 1928, Taylor, frustrated by the failure of the University Senate to promote him to a full professorship, moved to a full professorship in Geography at the University of Chicago. Fenner applied for the advertised position of Associate Professor in Sydney, with strong support from Sir Edgeworth David, the father of Australian geology, Mr W. T. McCoy, the then Director of Education in South Australia, Sir Douglas Mawson and others, but he was not selected. David wrote to McCoy on 14 May, 1929, as follows:
My dear McCoy,
As you were so kind as to give Dr Charles Fenner a strong testimonial for the Associate-Professorship at this University [Sydney], I regret that I cannot congratulate those of us like Sir Douglas Mawson, Dr Ward, Professors Skeats and Richards and yourself who supported Dr Fenner's candidature, on the success of our advocacy, for the Committee of advice in London comprising the leading geographers in the British Empire, placed Dr Fenner second on the list, stating officially that he was well qualified to succeed Prof Griffith Taylor, but that on the whole they preferred to recommend to our Senate a Mr Holmes, now in charge of Geography at Durham University. A reason that Prof J. W. Gregory of Glasgow in a private letter to me mentioned in favour of Holmes as compared with Dr Fenner was that he was 33 years of age, compared with Fenner's age of 45, and moreover Holmes had for 8 years been a phenomenally good teacher of Geography on the most up-to-date lines at British Universities. Nevertheless I feel strongly that the Committee of Advice did not fully appreciate the brilliance of Dr Fenner's work, and his great efficiency as a lecturer and organizer as we do. The report however of the Committee being unanimous it was hard to gainsay it and the Senate adopted it. I may add that in placing Dr Fenner second it placed him above two full Professors of Geography at other Universities [in the UK], which shows what a high opinion they have of Dr Fenner.
Yours sincerely,
T. W. Edgeworth David.
On 17 May, Mr McCoy sent a copy of David's letter to Sir William Mitchell, then Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, suggesting that ‘The information may be of use if the Council wishes to establish a Chair in Geography.’
In my opinion (FF), to some extent this choice represents 'cultural cringe' and also the fact that at the time Charles Fenner had never been to the United Kingdom. The situation might have been different if the position had been advertised after his visit in 1931 (see Chapter 17).