By Professor Kevin Kenneally, AM
President, Western Australian Gould League
Distinguished
guests, ladies and gentleman, visiting schoolchildren and teachers - it
was to have been my great pleasure to have as our special guest today to
help celebrate our 70th Anniversary The Hon Dr Elizabeth Constable, Minister
for Education, Tourism and Women's Interest and the Independent Member for
Churchlands. As our local member Dr Constable has been a great supporter
and friend of the WA Gould League for decades. Her support over the years
has enabled the WA Gould League to establish the Herdsman Lake Wildlife
Centre as a leader in environmental education. However, Dr Constable has
just informed me that she has unfortunately been recalled to Parliament
for urgent meetings and cannot join us today.
In her place she has asked Mr Bill Marmion, Member for Nedlands, to represent
her at today's event.Before I introduce Bill and invitehim to address you
I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which
we are meeting and invite Marie Taylor from Yelakitj Moort Nyungar Association
to give us a "Welcome to Country".Thank you all for joining us today to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Western Australian Gould League and our first 25 years as managers of the Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre. To accomplish 70 years in any organisation in no small feat and the Gould League's success is due to those people who attended the inaugural meeting on the 22 March 1939 and voted that "a branch of the Gould League of bird lovers be formed". Charles Hadley was elected as President and Mrs Joyner (Little Citizens League) and Ludwig Glauert (Curator, WA Museum) were elected as Vice-presidents. Tom Edmondson (Acting Chief Inspector of Schools) was the Chairman of Committees. Vincent Serventy and Clee Jenkins were among the committee members and both went on to serve the Gould League for many decades. By 1955 the number of children joining the Gould League had risen to 18, 0000.
For many years the Gould League headquarters were located at the Correspondence School and the assistance given by Clarence Eakins as Headmaster, councillor and the League's first editor was outstanding. Using the schools official journal Our Rural Magazine (established in 1926) articles on natural history helped stimulate children's interest in the Gould League across the State.
Throughout its proud history the League has had great ambassadors of education such as Tom Edmondson, Bill Rourke, Charles Hamilton, Clarence Eakins, Stan White, Vincent Serventy, Jack Oates and Harry Butler.
I am pleased to say that women played a very important role in the success of the Gould League. The appointment of Olive Seymour (mention boardwalk) in a part-time capacity as Secretary/Treasure in 1941 and on a full-time basis in 1958 was a milestone. Her dedicated service and artistic skills inspired fellow workers and captivated the interests of children until her retirement in 1968. The raised boardwalk that extends into the Lake is named in her honour. Lucy Serventy, sister of Vincent and Dom also gave many years of service to the Gould League.
In 1956 a meeting adopted proposals to change the name from the Gould League of Bird Lovers to the WA Gould League and the objectives were extended to cover "the study and appreciation of all forms of nature".
So why the Gould League? John Gould was responsible for bringing the uniqueness of the Australian wildlife to the world's attention. In 1838 he visited Australia because he realised the need to do fieldwork if he was going to accumulate material to support his ambitious projects of completing the publications Birds of Australia and Mammals of Australia. Although Gould never visited Western Australia he sent his diligent collector John Gilbert to the young colony. Gould instructed Gilbert to collect as many plant and animal specimens as possible but most importantly to enlist the help of local Aboriginal people and to record traditional names whenever possible. When collecting in NSW Gould had remarked "I find the natives useful in assisting, being scarcely ever without a tribe or a portion of the tribe with me in neighbourhoods".
So, what is the Gould League's role in today's society? The answer is much as it has always been. The natural world has always held a fascination for children and this innate interest needs to be nurtured and focused. Conservation is an attitude of mind as much as an act and this attitude is learned in the formative years. If children do not appreciate the natural world, they may not value it as adults. The Gould League plays a seminal role by sowing these attitudinal seeds - we "Nurture a Passion for Nature".
The
Gould League is an important adjunct to classroom teaching. Children discover
that learning can take place outside traditional school hours and in unexpected
places. For example, sleepovers at the Wildlife Centre enable children and
their parents to discover the natural world at night, when frogs, bats and
nocturnal birds emerge from their hiding places. Children learn to look
at and listen to the sights and sounds of nature.The Gould League provides a training ground in the natural sciences. Although many members later become professionals, working in areas from science to ecotourism, some take up their interest again in retirement years, as volunteers. Laying the foundations for life-long-learning is one of the Gould League's most important roles. But opening eyes to nature's wonders isn't only for the young!
WILDLIFE CENTRE
Values-based education and sustainability are two words we often hear these days. The Gould League embraces these concepts in the activities we undertake at the HWLC. The Gould League runs regular programs, designed to educate school-aged children and the wider community about waste management, wildlife and environmental conservation and developing appropriate lifestyles. These activities encourage people to understand, appreciate and protect the environment.
In 1984 the Gould League accepted management of the Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre. Since its inception we are very fortunate to have had Centre Managers such as Dave Sieber, Eric McCrum, Rod Miflin, and Paul Reiffer who developed the programs we offer today.
In 2003 our incumbent Centre Manager Roger Harris launched the Indigenous Education Program, in partnership with Yelakitj Moort Nyungar Association who are here today. Every year some 3, 500 students participate in this program. I am pleased to acknowledge that in 2007 Roger received the "Premier's Prize for Excellence in Communication outside the Classroom".
BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT
What is it about nature that attracts people? An appreciation of nature forges deeper, more meaningful connections between the person and the environment visited. People extend their personal boundaries in the process. In these close encounters with nature, the whole person is engaged in the experience-body, mind and spirit. The body is exposed to new stimuli through the senses: viewing extraordinary landscapes with names like Dreamtime Gully, Echidna Chasm and Serpents Glen; hearing the nocturnal howl of a dingo or the cry of a bird such as the high-pitched eerie wail of a stone curlew; smelling aromatic spinifex gum or sandalwood or by touching the velvet skin of a gecko. Nature provides a simple and holistic experience, which is a healing balance to most people's frenetic, city-based lifestyles. And in times of financial constraint nature is affordable!
THE FUTURE
Children of every generation can be overcome with fear and helplessness, faced with a constant bombardment of doom and gloom from the media. Today messages on Global Warming, world recession, poverty and more recently the tragic Victorian bushfires dominate news headlines. Even the whale stranding and rescue at Hamelin Bay attracted world attention. So often these messages are hijacked by vested interest intent on pursuing their own goals. The Gould League aims to put some balance into these issues to provide students with a sense of hope and excitement in the natural world. We all need to remember that given a chance nature will heal itself!
The Western Australian Gould League has forged a proud 70 year history is one of Australia's most respected and influential nature conservation and environmental education groups. We will continue to inspire and nurture the interests of children and adults in natural history. John Gould's legacy lives on in the generations of Western who have been inspired by his quest for knowledge and his passion for nature.
Before I conclude today's formal part of the ceremony and invite you to morning tea it was my intention to present Dr Constable with a copy of Charles Darwin's illustrated On the Origin of Species. This year is the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth and 150th Anniversary of the publishing of On the Origin of Species. So what you may ask is this to do with the Gould League? Some people may know that John Gould classified Darwin's bird collections and pointed out the differences in the Galapagos finches he had collected and thus made a contribution to Darwin's theory. There is one other interesting connection. John Gilbert visited the Abrolhos Islands to gather specimens in January, 1843. This visit was based on the advice of John Clements Wickham the commander of HMS Beagle who had completed a survey of the Abrolhos. Gilbert also sent some of his collections back to Gould in England via the Beagle - the same vessel on which Darwin had travelled when under the command of Robert Fitzroy.