Person
Wilson, Stephen James (Steve) (1912 - 2009)
OAM
- Born
- 10 June 1912
Richmond, Victoria, Australia - Died
- 13 September 2009
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia - Occupation
- Ornithologist and Public servant
Summary
Steve Wilson was a keen ornithologist. His professional career was in the Australian public service, including 25 years in the Department of the Navy, from which he retired in 1971 as head of the naval personnel branch. Wilson took out a bird banding licence for his son (who was too young to hold a license) in 1960. From 1961-1982 he conducted field work every weekend with young volunteers in banding surveys of birds in various sites in the ACT, principally the Brindabellas, the Australian National Botanic Gardens and Lake George. Wilson was an active participant in several ornithological and bird banding organisations, including the Canberra Ornithological Group (which he helped found), the Bird Banders' Association of Australia (President 1965 - 1969), and the Australian Bird Banding Scheme. He was Editor for six years of Canberra bird notes, and a regular contributor to this, Corella and Emu. In 1999 he published Birds of the ACT: two centuries of change, the first book on birds of the ACT. He made significant contributions to Harold Frith's book Birds in the Australian high country (1969). David Purchase readily acknowledged Wilson's assistance when he became secretary of the Australian Bird Banding Scheme. With restrictions on the importation mist nets, to prevent their use in illegal bird smuggling, Wilson became the sole Australian agent for their importation.
Details
Chronology
- 1939 - 1945
- Military service - Served with the Royal Australian Air Force
- 1946
- Career event - Joined the Commonwealth Department of the Navy
- 1960
- Career event - Joined the Australian Bird Banding Scheme
- 1963
- Career event - Foundation member, Bird Banders' Association of Australia
- 1965 - 1966
- Career position - President, Bird Banders' Association of Australia
- 1970 - 1981
- Career position - Foundation member, Canberra Ornithologists Group
- 1971
- Life event - Retired
- April 1975 - January 1981
- Career position - Editor, Canberra bird notes
- 1981 - 2009
- Award - Life Member, Canberra Ornithologists Group
- 1997
- Award - Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to ornithological research, bird banding and to the community
- 1999
- Publication - Birds of the ACT: two centuries of change
Related entries
Colleague
Published resources
Books
- Wilson, S. J., Lane, S. G. and McKean, J. L., The use of mist nets in Australia (Melbourne: CSIRO, 1965), 26 pp. Details
- Wilson, Steve, Birds of the ACT: two centuries of change (Canberra: Canberra Ornithologists Group, 1999), 91 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Hermes, N., 'Steve Wilson - Life Membership of COG', Canberra bird notes, 6 (3) (1981), 88. Details
- Purchase, David, 'Obituary: Stephen James (Steve) Wilson OAM', Canberra bird notes, 34 (3) (2009), 197-203. Details
Resources
- 'Wilson, Stephen James (1912-2009)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1476009. Details
See also
Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn
Created: 20 April 2001, Last modified: 1 September 2026
- Foundation Supporter - Birds Australia