Serventy Conservation Award

The prestigious Serventy Conservation Award was inaugurated in 1999 to commemorate the outstanding wildlife conservation work by the Serventy family members – Vin Serventy, his brother Dr Dominic Serventy and his sister Lucy.  Each family member has given a lifetime of commitment to the conservation and preservation of our Australian wildlife.  The award is intended to recognise and celebrate conservation work that has not been done as part of a professional career.  It is awarded to those who labour in the field for a love of nature and a determination that it should be conserved.  Often, these have been non-scientists who have earned their conservation skills through sheer hard work. 

History of the Serventy Conservation Medal

In 1999, the Australian Wildlife Society board decided to perpetuate the memory of the Serventy family for their outstanding contribution to wildlife preservation in Australia by establishing the Serventy Conservation Medal.  In 2015, the title was changed to the Serventy Conservation Award.

Australian Wildlife Society will provide an annual award of $5,000 to an individual helping to save Australia’s precious wildlife.  A trophy and certificate will accompany the award.

The application process will be promoted via the website, social media platforms, monthly newsletters, and the Australian Wildlife magazine.  Applications will be received annually by 31 December.

Winners will be notified by email, and full results will be published in the Society’s magazine.  Announcement and presentation to the winner will be made at the AGM/Luncheon alongside the Wildlife Rehabilitation Award, the Community Conservation Award, and the Youth Conservation Award.

To nominate an individual for the Serventy Conservation Award, please fill in the online form or download the PDF nomination form here »

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Serventy Conservation Award - Nomination Form

2023 Serventy Conservation Award

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2023 is Robert Westerman of Hope Island, Queensland.  Robert (Bob) is a retired TAFE teacher and passionate birdwatcher.  For more than two decades, he has dedicated his time to safeguarding the endangered migratory shorebirds of Broadwater on the Gold Coast by monitoring and collecting data MORE>>

2022 Serventy Conservation Award

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2022 is Patricia LeeHong of Murphys Creek, Queensland.  Patricia is passionate about educating young people on the importance of wildlife conservation, showing them what she does, and allowing them to help so they can continue to conserve our precious native species.  Patricia focuses on rehabilitating orphaned echidnas but does not ignore the cries for help from other orphaned species.  In 2010, Patricia established the Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation and Education Association, a non-profit organisation with members from diverse backgrounds to unite in a common goal to provide resources for the rescue and rehabilitation of Australian fauna.  Patricia has given thirty years of service to wildlife conservation MORE>>

2021 Serventy Conservation Award

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2021 is Maureen Christie of Carpenter Rocks, South Australia.  Maureen has devoted herself to wildlife conservation work for more than twenty-seven years.  Her accomplishments include initiating a plan to trap feral cats at known roost sites of the Critically Endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), being active in shorebird counts in south-eastern South Australia, helping to establish the Friends of Shorebirds SE, and has been the Secretary/Treasurer of the Friends of Shorebirds SE since its inception MORE>>

2020 Serventy Conservation Award

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2020 is Professor Kevin Kenneally AM of Scarborough, Western Australia.  Kevin has been a true warrior for wildlife conservation for over fifty years and his contribution to education and science is considerable.  Kevin was the founder and scientific director of the multidisciplinary landscape expeditions that provided research opportunities for Australian and overseas scientists.  Over seventeen years, this program involved over 1,000 volunteers and raised two million dollars for wildlife research.  For such an outstanding lifelong contribution to wildlife conservation, science, and education Kevin is a worthy recipient of the Serventy Award MORE>>MORE>>MORE>>

2019 Serventy Conservation Award

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2019 is Alexandra Seddon of Merimbula, New South Wales. Alexandra, founder and patron of Potoroo Palace, has devoted her life and money to the protection of Australian wildlife. Alexandra conducts regular talks and lectures, writes articles and produces documentaries. She has also written several children’s books about Australian animals and their environment MORE>>.

2018 Serventy Conservation Award

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2018 is Lorraine Vass of Lismore, New South Wales. Lorraine has for 19 years been the driving force behind Friends of the Koala, a Lismore based group. Her efforts have made the whole Lismore region more koala conscious and helped stabilise, and possibly increase, the koala population in the region. Lorraine has overseen a strong education program and has forged a close association with local schools. She also has established a close relationship with universities, particularly the University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and Southern Cross University. MORE »  MORE »

2017 Serventy Conservation Award

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2017 is Jennie Gilbert.  Jennie has devoted her life to caring for all animals, but for her, there is nothing more rewarding than watching a healthy sea turtle swim its way to freedom.  The co-founder of the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CTRC), Jennie, along with her dedicated team of volunteers, has helped nurse hundreds of sick and injured reptiles back to health over the past 20 years, releasing them back onto the Great Barrier Reef with satellite trackers attached to monitor the success of the release.  MORE »

2016 Serventy Conservation Award

For the first time, the judging panel could not separate two outstanding nominations for the Serventy Conservation Award and it was decided to make two awards in this category.
The two awardees are Rupert Russell of Mt Molloy, North Queensland and Graeme Sawyer of Darwin, Northern Territory.

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2016 is Rupert Russell. Rupert has made a remarkable contribution to wildlife conservation in North Queensland for over 40 years, ranging from the protests over the road building in the Daintree to his present involvement in the yellow-bellied glider project. He has been a constant campaigner for the preservation of habitat crucial to this animal and also to the endangered tropical bettong. Rupert has succeeded in having forest areas freed from logging and actually achieved the creation of a new national park – Hasties Swamp National Park (near Atherton). He is the author of several publications and is considered an expert on the wet tropics, leading to him being frequently consulted for his knowledge on this subject.MORE»

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2016 is Graeme Sawyer. Graeme was actively involved in the establishment of the Australian Association for Environment Education (Northern Territory) in 1987 and has maintained an active involvement in it ever since. He is Vice-President of the Australian Association for Environmental Education (nationally), and President of the Northern Territory branch. Graeme was responsible for developing innovative programs such as a multimedia information system about wildlife and habitats, which became part of a display at Questacon, Canberra for six years. He is the cofounder of Frogwatch and has been heavily involved in community awareness and education campaigns about biodiversity, and about frogs, cane toads, and reptiles. He has also been instrumental in the formation of Toadbusters and of Reptilewatch. He has been the community representative on the National Cane Toad Taskforce. Graeme’s work has led to several West Australian Government initiatives to stop the western movement of cane toads. Graeme was Lord Mayor of Darwin from 2008-2012. MORE»

2015 Serventy Conservation Award

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Award for 2015 is John Weigel of the Australian Reptile Park. John has been an active wildlife campaigner for over 35 years. In the 1990s he devised and implemented a highly successful mobile education program for primary and high schools in all states. John’s most recent venture was, with his wife, to invest $1,000,000 in Devil Ark, a program at Barrington Tops, New South Wales, to provide a safe haven for the Tasmanian devil, after the outbreak of devil facial tumour disease occurred. John is truly a man who has devoted his life to wildlife conservation and we welcome him to the list of those recognised by the Serventy Conservation Award. MORE»

2014 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winners of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2014 are Helen Bergen and Mr Ray Mjadwesch. Not only have Helen and Ray been responsible for directly saving the lives of many injured animals, they have saved many more by educating the public on how to live harmoniously with wildlife. MORE »

2013 Serventy Conservation Medal

The Serventy Conservation Medal for 2013 was not awarded.

2012 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2012 is Bob Irwin. Bob has devoted most of his adult life to the conservation of Australian wildlife and to educating people about its unique characteristics. MORE »

2011 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2011 is Jenny Maclean of North Queensland for her long-standing contribution to savingthe endangered spectacled flying fox. MORE »

2010 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2010 is Helen George of New South Wales for her outstanding dedication to the welfare of native animals for over 45 years. MORE »

2009 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2009 is June Butcher of Western Australia for her outstanding dedication to promoting the welfare of native animals for over 40 years. MORE »

2008 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2008 was made to Barry Scott of the Australian Koala Foundation for his outstanding dedication to the conservation of the koala. MORE »

2007 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2007 was made to Bev Smiles of Wollar in Western New South Wales for her outstanding dedication to the conservation of native forests. MORE »

2006 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2006 was made to Lindsay Smith OAM of Unanderra in New South Wales for his outstanding wildlife conservation work involving seabirds. MORE »

2005 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2005 was made to Lyall Kenneth Metcalfe of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. MORE »

2004 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2004 was made to Wayne Reynolds. MORE »

2004 Serventy Conservation Medal

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2003 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2003 was made to Lance Ferris of the Australian Seabird Rescue team. MORE »

2002 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2002 was made to John and Cecily Fenton. MORE »

2001 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2001 was made to Ron and Valerie Taylor of Sydney. MORE »

2000 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 2000 was made to Dr Judy Messer of New South Wales. MORE »

1999 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 1999 was made to Bernie Clarke OAM of Botany Bay, Sydney. MORE »

1998 Serventy Conservation Medal

The winner of the Serventy Conservation Medal for 1998 was made to Margaret Thorsborne of Caldwell in Queensland. MORE »