Lane, Selwyn George (1922 - 2000)

Summary

Bill Lane was an amateur ornithologist with a particular interest in seabirds and seabird islands. He was heavily involved in bird banding and trained many beginners in banding techniques. His wife, Lorraine, accompanied him on most field trips and her support has been acknowledged by having an island in the Recherche Archipelago named after her. Bill Lane was Honorary editor of The Australian Bird Bander for 10 years, Honorary Assistant Editor of Corella for five years and sometime Special Publications editor of Corella. He organised the Sydney Group of Albatross banders, a founding member and first President of the Bird Banders' Association of Australia (later the Australian Bird Study Association) and a founder member of the NSW Field Ornithologists Club. Lane was a prolific author of ornithological articles and was published in a number of the top journals. He was a staff member of the Sydney County Council for 44 years where he held a senior administration post and was mainly involved in training and education.

Details

Chronology

1940 - 1945

Military service - War service with the Australian Imperial Forces in the Middle East and New Guinea

1946 - 1972

Career position - Member of the Army Reserve

1947 - 1983

Career position - Member, Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

1958 -

Career position - Authorised bird bander

1961 - 1967

Career position - Honorary regional organiser of the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme

1962 - 1963

Career position - President, Bird Banders' Association of Australia

1962 - 1964

Career position - Chair of the combined RAOU/Royal Zoological Society Ornithological Group

1964

Award - Army Reserve Efficiency Decoration

1967 - 1969

Career position - Vice-President, Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

1967 - 1976

Career position - Editor, Australian bird bander: journal of the Bird Banders' Association of Australiar

1972

Life event - Retired from the Army Reserve with the rank of Colonel

1977

Career position - Editor, Corella: journal of the Australian Bird Study Association

1983 - 1997

Award - Fellow, Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union (FRAOU)

1995

Award - J. N. Hobbs Memorial Medal, New South Wales Group, Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union

1997 - 2000

Award - Fellow, Birds Australia

Related entries

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Llewellyn, L. C., 'A founder and father of the Bird Banders' Association of Australia: the late S. G. (Bill) Lane and his contribution to bird study in Australia', Corella, 36 (1) (2012), 3-11. Details

Resources

• 'Lane, S G (1922-2000)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-461871. Details

See also

• Robin, Libby, The Flight of the Emu: a Hundred Years of Australian Ornithology 1901-2001 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2001), 492 pp. Details