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The Western Australian Naturalists’ Club – writing a Centenary history
2 May 2025 , 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Dr Sue Graham-Taylor accepted the challenge of writing the centenary history of the Western Australian Naturalists’ Club being aware of the key role it has played in documenting and protecting WA’s environment as well as in educating the community. Her research has unearthed many aspects of our history that are not so widely known.
Sue will touch on some of her early findings. She will address why the Club was not established until 1924, when field naturalist clubs in other states were established from the 1880s.
Dr Sue Graham-Taylor in the Battye Library
The talk will outline the state of knowledge of Western Australian flora and fauna at that time and the work of those earlier natural history societies which preceded the founding of the Club.
The challenges in establishing the WA Naturalists’ Club were many but Dominic Serventy refused to believe, as the Museum’s Ludwig Glauert did, that establishing such an organisation would be impossible:
The people out here were not educated enough, all they thought about was horse racing, the trots, sports, etc.
Don Serventy decided to see for himself.
Sue will discuss this early membership, influential personalities, the huge range of early activities undertaken by the club such as exhibitions and Wildlife Shows, and their impact. Ideas, memories and photos from today’s members will be welcomed as she continues the task of working on our history.
Dr Sue Graham-Taylor AM is a professional historian and researcher, previously Curator History and Sustainability at the Western Australian Museum. Since that time, Sue has curated a range of exhibitions, including the WA Museum Boola Bardip’s Changes Gallery that looks at environmental change in Western Australia and has worked on a range of Swan River research projects. Sue has an ongoing interest in the environment being involved with the Conservation Council and regularly volunteering with the Swan Estuary Reserve Action Group.