Australian Wildlife Society

The Australian Wildlife Society was founded in Sydney, Australia in May 1909 as the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia (WPSA) to encourage the protection of, and to cultivate an interest in, the Australian flora and fauna. The founding president of the society was The Hon. Frederick Earle Winchcombe MLC. David Stead was one of four vice presidents and a very active founder of the society.

The current president is Doctor Julie Old,^[1] and the organisation publishes a quarterly magazine Australian Wildlife. Australian Wildlife Society is a national not-for-profit wildlife conservation organisation. The Society is dedicated to the conservation of Australian wildlife through national environmental education, public awareness, advocacy, hands-on wildlife conservation work, and community involvement. The Society is a tax-deductible gift recipient and registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission. Its public fund is listed on the Register of Environmental Organisations under item 6.1.1 of subsection 30–55(1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.

The society’s members are dedicated to preserving Australia’s native wildlife for future generations of young Australians.

The society celebrated a centenary of wildlife conservation in 2009.

In 2013, the WPSA was rebranded as the Australian Wildlife Society (AWS).^[2]

In 2019, AWS celebrated its 110th Birthday and released a birthday video in collaboration with Design Centre Enmore TAFE New South Wales. In the same year, the board engaged its first paid employee – National Office Manager Megan Fabian.

In 2020, the Society established a new National Head Office in Hurstville, New South Wales.

Serventy Conservation Medal[]

The Serventy Conservation Medal was inaugurated in 1999 to commemorate conservation work by members of the Serventy family, the siblings , Dominic and Vincent Serventy. The award honours conservation work that has not been done as part of a professional career for which the person will have been paid and honoured, but for work done for a love of nature and a determination that it should be conserved. The first award of the Medal was made in 1998. People who have been awarded the Medal are:^[3]

• 1998 – Margaret Thorsborne – for work in the conservation of local fruit pigeons and cassowaries and environmental conservation at Mission Beach, Queensland
• 1999 – – for lifetime devotion as a local environmentalist and long-time Towra/Botany Bay campaigner
• 2000 – – for outstanding contribution to conservation and environmental protection work in New South Wales
• 2001 – Ron and Valerie Taylor – for promoting a greater understanding of the Great Barrier Reef and the need to protect its wildlife
• 2002 – – for wildlife habitat conservation on their property, Lanark, in south western Victoria
• 2003 – – of the Australian Seabird Rescue team
• 2004 – Wayne Reynolds – for work with the Cape Solander Whale Migration Study on the coast of the Royal National Park, Sydney
• 2005 – – for lifetime contribution to the conservation movement in New South Wales and the Northern Territory
• 2006 – Lindsay Smith – for wildlife conservation work involving seabirds
• 2007 – – for dedication to the conservation of native forests in New South Wales
• 2008 – Barry Scott – of the Koala Foundation, for dedication to Koala conservation
• 2009 – – for dedication in promoting the welfare of native animals
• 2010 – Helen George – for dedication to the welfare of native animals
• 2011 – Jenny Maclean – for her contributions to saving the spectacled flying fox
• 2012 – Bob Irwin – for services to conservation and education
• 2013 – Not awarded
• 2014 – Helen Bergen and Ray Mjadwesch – for helping injured animals
• 2015 – John Weigel – of the Australian Reptile Park, for his work to help the Tasmanian devil
• 2016 – Awarded jointly to Graeme Sawyer – Lord Mayor of Darwin from 2008–2012
• 2017 – Jennie Gilbert
• 2018 – Lorraine Vass of Lismore, New South Wales
• 2019 – Alexandra Seddon of Merimbula, New South Wales
• 2020 – Professor Kevin Kenneally AM of Scarborough, Western Australia

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Australian Wildlife Society on Twitter