Vincent Noel Serventy
Encyclopedia
Vincent Noel Serventy OAM
(6 January 1916 – 8 September 2007) was a noted Australia
n author
, ornithologist and conservationist
.
Born in Armadale, Western Australia
, the youngest of eight children of migrant Croatian parents, he graduated from the University of Western Australia
in geology and psychology. He was a CSIRO researcher and teacher before beginning a career as a writer, lecturer and film-maker. He joined the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
(RAOU) in 1942 and served as either its Branch Secretary or State Representative for Western Australia
1943-1959. In 1946 he became a life member of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia
and was for many years its President.
In 1956 he bought a movie camera and began making documentary films which later led to Australia's first television environment program, Nature Walkabout(1967).
In 1974 he was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion
. He was a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia
.
Vincent Serventy was a younger brother of the eminent Australian ornithologist Dom Serventy
.
Serventy wrote numerous articles on natural history and conservation. Some of his books are:
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(6 January 1916 – 8 September 2007) was a noted Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, ornithologist and conservationist
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
.
Born in Armadale, Western Australia
Armadale, Western Australia
Armadale is a suburb within the City of Armadale, located on the south-eastern edge of Perth's metropolitan area. The major junction of the South Western and Albany Highways, which connect Perth with the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia respectively, is located within the...
, the youngest of eight children of migrant Croatian parents, he graduated from the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
in geology and psychology. He was a CSIRO researcher and teacher before beginning a career as a writer, lecturer and film-maker. He joined the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
(RAOU) in 1942 and served as either its Branch Secretary or State Representative for Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
1943-1959. In 1946 he became a life member of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia
Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia
The Wildlife Preservation Society of Australia was founded in Sydney, Australia in May 1909 to encourage the protection of, and to cultivate 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...
and was for many years its President.
In 1956 he bought a movie camera and began making documentary films which later led to Australia's first television environment program, Nature Walkabout(1967).
In 1974 he was awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion
Australian Natural History Medallion
The Australian Natural History Medallion is awarded each year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History...
. He was a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
.
Vincent Serventy was a younger brother of the eminent Australian ornithologist Dom Serventy
Dominic Louis Serventy
Dr Dominic Louis Serventy was an eminent Perth based Australian ornithologist. He was born at Brown Hill, Western Australia. He was educated at the University of Western Australia and Cambridge University to parents of Croatian origin. He was president of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists...
.
Serventy wrote numerous articles on natural history and conservation. Some of his books are:
- The Archipelago of the Recherche. Part 2: Birds (AGS Report No.1. Australian Geographical Society: Melbourne, 1952)
- The Australian Nature Trail (Georgian House: Melbourne, 1965)
- A Continent in Danger (Survival Books. A Survival Special. Andre Deutsch: London, 1966)
- Nature Walkabout (Reed: Artarmon, 1969)
- Southern Walkabout (Reed: Artarmon, 1969)
- Around the Bush with Vincent Serventy (ABC: Sydney, 1970)
- Dryandra. The story of an Australian forest (Reed: Sydney, 1970)
- The Handbook of Australian Sea-birdsThe Handbook of Australian Sea-birdsThe Handbook of Australian Sea-birds is a book published in 1971 by A.H. & A.W. Reed in Sydney. It was authored by Dominic Serventy, his brother Vincent Serventy, and John Warham. It is in octavo format and contains 264 pages bound in black buckram with a dustjacket illustrated with a photograph...
(Reed: Sydney, 1971) (with Dominic Serventy and John WarhamJohn WarhamDr John Warham was an Australian and New Zealand photographer and ornithologist notable for his research on seabirds, especially petrels....
) - Australia’s World Heritage Sites (1985)
- The Desert Sea. The Miracle of Lake Eyre in Flood (Macmillan Australia: Melbourne, 1985)
- Flight of the Shearwater (Kangaroo Press: Kenthurst, 1996)
- An Australian Life. Memoirs of a naturalist, conservationist, traveller and writer (Fremantle Arts Centre Press: South Fremantle, 1999)
External links
- http://www.wpsa.org.au/pdf/news/VincentServenty.pdf