James Francis Lacey (5 June 1934 – 31 January 2008) was an Australian whose work was considered instrumental in the development of the

Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo, formerly known as (and still commonly referred to as) Western Plains Zoo and commonly known as Dubbo Zoo, is a large zoo near Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia. It opened to the public on 28 February 1977, to provide ...

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, as its general manager from 1988 to 1992. Lacey also served as the administrator of

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

beginning in 1983.

Early life

Lacey was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia, in 1934. He resided in the city until he was 29 years old. He moved to

Young, New South Wales Young is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and the largest town in the Hilltops Region. The "Lambing Flat" Post Office opened on 1 March 1861 and was renamed "Young" in 1863. Young is marketed as the Cherry Ca ...

, with his wife, Judith, and their oldest daughter, Elizabeth, in 1963. The family moved again in 1971, this time to the city of

Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (; informally called Wagga) is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, with an urban population of more than 56,000 as of June 2018, Wagga Wagga is the state's la ...

. There, Lacey was employed as a Regional Development Officer for The

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

Career

Jim Lacey was appointed the administrator of

in 1983 by the Department of the NSW Government of the

Premier of New South Wales The premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster Parliamentary System, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. ...

Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman of ...

. Lacey was praised for his work as administrator of the island, which is a territory within

. Lacey's work on Lord Howe Island was noticed by John Kelly, the chief

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...

Director of Parks and Wildlife. Kelly asked Lacey to join the

in 1988 as general manager, an offer which Lacey accepted. (The Western Plains Zoo is now called the Taronga Western Plains Zoo). During his time at the zoo, Lacey worked to grow and develop the zoo's facilities, while maintaining an open-range

concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...

for the animals. Lacey oversaw the introduction of

Asiatic lions The Asiatic lion is a population of ''Panthera leo leo'' that today survives in the wild only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujara ...

to the Western Plains Zoo. Another of Lacey's initiatives involved the construction of elevated

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

-level platforms in the zoo's koala exhibit, so visitors could view the koalas at eye level instead of from the ground. Lacey also travelled to Zimbabwe to negotiate the acquisition of several endangered

black rhinos Black Rhinos Football Club is a Zimbabwean football club based in Harare. It is a Zimbabwe National Army owned team. They play in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League.They are coached by Stanford 'Stix' Mutizwa. Their home stadium is Figaro Stadium ...

. The black rhino breeding program at the Western Plains Zoo is now a well regarded initiative. Lacey hosted

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

on her visit to the Western Plains Zoo in 1992. He also aggressively promoted the zoo as a major area

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural b ...

. Lacey voluntarily left the zoo in 1992. Lacey moved to

Darwin, Australia Darwin ( ; Larrakia: ) is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. With an estimated population of 147,255 as of 2019, the city contains the majority of the residents of the sparsely populated Northern Territory. It is the smalle ...

, where he took a position at the Northern Territory Wildlife Park for two years and developed a similar open range concept for the animals of that zoo as well. Lacey and his wife later moved to

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

. He served as the New Business Development Manager on the local council until his retirement in 2004. He moved to

Woonona Woonona () is a northern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney. It is served by Woonona Station on the South Coast (Illawarra) Line, and by the Princes Highway. The suburb has a strip of commerce along the highway ...

upon his retirement.

Death

Jim Lacey died on 31 January 2008, at a hospital near

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

at the age of 73. He was survived by his wife, Judith, and their five children: Elizabeth Hirst, Mary Louise Lacey, Catherine McClintock, Andrew Lacey and Anne Lacey. Lacey's funeral was held at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Bulli.

References

External links

Sydney Morning Herald: James Francis LaceyTaronga Western Plains Zoo Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacey, Jim 1934 births 2008 deaths Lord Howe Island People from Dubbo Australian directors Australian public servants Zoo directors