Field Naturalists Club of Victoria

The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation,[1] the oldest of its kind in Australia.[2]

It was founded in May 1880 by a group of nature enthusiasts that included Thomas Pennington Lucas.[3] Johann George Luehmann, Charles French, and Dudley Best.[4]

Since 1884 it has published a journal, The Victorian Naturalist, which is issued six times a year. Ferdinand von Mueller published many of his first descriptions in this journal, including Agapetes meiniana,[5] Oldenlandia psychotrioides,[6] Morinda hypotephra,[6] Phyllanthus hypospodius[7] and Wendlandia basistaminea.[7]

Currently there are eight special interest groups within the FNCV, these are Botany, Fauna Survey, Fungi, Geology, Juniors, Marine Research, Microscopy and Terrestrial Invertebrates. The club also has a Day Group.

The FNCV is situated at 1 Gardenia St, Blackburn, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. A range of services is available for members including a bookshop.

Since 1940 the FNCV has awarded the Australian Natural History Medallion to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian Natural History.[8] Past winners include: Alex Chisholm (1940), Helen Aston (1979), Jack Hyett (1985), and Richard Shine (2009).[9]

Presidents edit

Past presidents include:

Regional groups edit

The FNCV has informal links to a number of regional field naturalist groups across Victoria, including:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of Australian Science - Corporate entry, Field Naturalist Club of Victoria
  2. ^ Presland, Gary (2010). "The role of naturalists in environmental conservation". Transactions of the Royal Society of Victoria. 122 (2): xci–xcv – via CSIRO Publishing.
  3. ^ a b Sophie C. Ducker, 'Lucas, Arthur Henry Shakespeare (1853 - 1936)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, MUP, 1986, pp 163-164. Retrieved 2009-09-19
  4. ^ a b Gary Presland (2016) Understanding our natural world: the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria 1880-2015. Melbourne: Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
  5. ^ Ferdinand von Mueller (1887). "Descriptions of new Australian plants (continued)". The Victorian Naturalist. 3 (11): 157-160 [158]. ISSN 0042-5184. Wikidata Q124841229.
  6. ^ a b Ferdinand von Mueller (1889). "Descriptions of some new Australian plants". The Victorian Naturalist. 6: 54–55. ISSN 0042-5184. Wikidata Q124825709.
  7. ^ a b Ferdinand von Mueller (1892). "Descriptions of new Australian plants, with occasional other annotations (Continued)". The Victorian Naturalist. 8: 177–180. ISSN 0042-5184. Wikidata Q124826895.
  8. ^ Sheila Houghton (1987) The Australian Natural History Medallion Melbourne: Field Naturalists Club of Victoria
  9. ^ "Australian Natural History Medallionists" (PDF). Field Naturalists Club of Victoria. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  10. ^ Barrow, Elizabeth. "Dobson, Frank Stanley (1835–1895)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 20 October 2012.

External links edit