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 cultivate an interest in, 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 Dr Julie Old, and the Society 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 organization is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission. History. In 2009, the Society celebrated a centenary of wildlife conservation. In 2013, the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia was rebranded as the Australian Wildlife Society (AWS). In 2019, the Australian Wildlife Society 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 Ms Megan  Fabian. In 2020, the Society established a new National Head Office in Hurstville, New South Wales. In 2021, the Society established 'Snip Rings for Wildlife', a campaign that aims to raise awareness and encourage individuals to protect Australia’s wildlife, by cutting through plastic rings, rubber bands, hair ties, the loops of facemasks, and plastic dome-shaped lids, in their entirety, before disposing of them. In 2022, the Society increased the value of its annual University Research Grants to ten $3,000 grants – totalling $30,000 each year. Serventy Conservation Medal. The Serventy Conservation Medal was inaugurated in 1999 to  commemorate conservation work by members of the Serventy family, the siblings Lucy, 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: