The Royal Society of Victoria's Hall, October 2022

The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is the oldest scientific society in the state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Foundation

In 1854 two organisations formed with similar aims and membership, these being ''The

Philosophical Society of Victoria The Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is the oldest scientific society in the state of Victoria in Australia. Foundation In 1854 two organisations formed with similar aims and membership, these being ''The Philosophical Society of Victoria'' (fou ...

'' (founded 15 June, 1854, inaugural president

Andrew Clarke Andrew Clarke may refer to: *Andrew Clarke (British Army officer, born 1793) (1793–1847), Governor of Western Australia *Sir Andrew Clarke (British Army officer, born 1824) (1824–1902), Governor of the Straits Settlements, son of the above *And ...

) and ''The Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science'' (founded 12 August, 1854, inaugural president Justice Sir

Redmond Barry Sir Redmond Barry, (7 June 181323 November 1880), was a colonial judge in Victoria, Australia of Anglo-Irish origins. Barry was the inaugural Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, serving from 1853 until his death in 1880. He is arguably ...

). These two merged in July 1855 to form the

Philosophical Institute of Victoria The Philosophical Institute of Victoria was a scientific institute functioned in Victoria, Australia during 19th century. It was founded in 1854 through the amalgamation of the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science and the Philosophica ...

, with Clarke as the inaugural president. The Philosophical Institute received Royal Charter in 1859, and the first president of the freshly renamed Royal Society of Victoria was

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

(later Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller), then Victoria's Government Botanist. In 1860 the RSV organised the ill-fated

Burke and Wills expedition The Burke and Wills expedition was organised by the Royal Society of Victoria in Australia in 1860–61. It consisted of 19 men led by Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills, with the objective of crossing Australia from Melbourne in the s ...

under the Presidency of Victorian Governor Sir

Henry Barkly Sir Henry Barkly (24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences. Early life and education Born on 24 February 1815 at Highbury, Middlesex (now London), he was the eldest son of ...

Activities

Conversatione of the Royal Society of Victoria

The Society has played an important role in the life of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and Victoria, including a foundational relationship with the

Melbourne Museum The Melbourne Museum is a natural and cultural history museum located in the Carlton Gardens, Melbourne, Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia. Located adjacent to the Royal Exhibition Building, the museum was opened in 2000 as a project of t ...

, the

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are botanical garden, botanic gardens across two sites–Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Melbourne and Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Cranbourne. Melbourne Gardens was founded in 1846 when land was rese ...

, the

Melbourne Observatory Melbourne Observatory is an observatory located on a hill adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. The observatory commenced operations in 1862 and was decommissioned from official Government work in 1945. The observatory has since continu ...

and Victoria's National Parks. The Society convened the first Australian Antarctic Exploration Committee in 1885, commissioned the

and established the Victorian Institute of Marine Sciences in 1978 (now the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre in Queenscliff). Many long-standing community organisations concerned with nature and conservation have grown from an early association with the Royal Society of Victoria, such as the

Victorian National Parks Association The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) is the prime supporter of nature conservation in the Australian state of Victoria. ThVNPAis an independent, not-for-profit nature conservation organisation whose vision is for Victoria to be a place w ...

and the

Field Naturalists Club of Victoria The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) is an Australian natural history and conservation organisation. It was founded in May 1880 by a group of nature enthusiasts that included Thomas Pennington Lucas. Sophie C. Ducker,Lucas, Arthur Henr ...

. Located in its heritage-listed headquarters at 8

La Trobe Street La Trobe Street (also Latrobe Street) is a major street and thoroughfare in the city centre of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs roughly east–west and forms the northern boundary of Melbourne's central business district. The street wa ...

, in the centre of Melbourne, the Society's modern role is to communicate and advocate for the important role of science in society, providing twice-monthly public lectures about the latest scientific work and thinking underway in Victoria, and convening forums with government and community to explore an evidence-based approach to issues facing the state. The Society conducts a state-wide program through management of the Inspiring Victoria program, a federally-funded initiative to engage communities with science and promote scientific literacy, including National Science Week. The Society edits and produces the ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria'', one of Australia's longest-running regional science journals. Back issues from the 19th century through to the early 21st century are digitised and accessible from the

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

's online catalogue, along with holdings of the Society's historical papers and archives. Issues published from 2009 are available online, open access through

CSIRO Publishing CSIRO Publishing is an Australian-based science and technology publisher. It publishes books, journals and magazines across a range of scientific disciplines, including agriculture, chemistry, plant and animal sciences, natural history and envir ...

Awards

The Society confers prizes, awards and medals to recognise high-achievement throughout a scientist's various career stages. RSV bursaries are provided to school students through annual sponsorship of the Science Talent Search run by the Science Teachers' Association of Victoria. Early career researchers are acknowledged annually through the Young Scientist Research Prizes and the Phillip Law Postdoctoral Award. Peak career achievements are recognised through the annual award of the RSV Medal for Excellence in Scientific Research. Distinguished lifetime contributions to science, in particular the public engagement with and understanding of science, are recognised through election as an RSV Fellow. Fellows of the Royal Society of Victoria are entitled to the use of the professional postnominal FRSV; subscribed members of the RSV are entitled to use of the professional postnominal MRSV.https://rsv.org.au/how-to-join/ RSV Membership

Presidents

* 1859: Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller * 1860-1863:

Sir Henry Barkly Sir Henry Barkly (24 February 1815 – 20 October 1898) was a British politician, colonial governor and patron of the sciences. Early life and education Born on 24 February 1815 at Highbury, Middlesex (now London), he was the eldest son of ...

* 1864: Sir Frederick McCoy * 1865: Rev. Dr John Ignatius Bleasdale * 1866-1884: Robert L.J. Ellery * 1885-1900:

William Charles Kernot William Charles Kernot (16 June 1845 – 14 March 1909), was an Australian engineer, first professor of engineering at the University of Melbourne and president of the Royal Society of Victoria. Early life and family William Charles Kernot, elde ...

* 1901: Dr James Jamieson * 1902:

Edward John White Edward John White (8 December 1831 – 2 August 1913) was an English-born meteorologist and astronomer, president of the Royal Society of Victoria in 1902. White was born in Bristol, England. From approximately 1853 to 160 he worked the Bendigo g ...

* 1903:

John Dennant John Dennant (1839 – 12 June 1907) was an English-born educational administrator and geologist, president of the Royal Society of Victoria in 1903. Dennant was born in Ipswich, Suffolk. He migrated to Victoria (Australia) in 1872 and was a head ...

* 1904: Sir Walter Baldwin Spencer * 1905:

George Sweet George Sweet (1844 – 1920) was an English people, English-born Australian geologist, president of the Royal Society of Victoria in 1905. Sweet investigated fossils in the Mansfield, Victoria, Mansfield district for Frederick McCoy 1888-95, and ...

* 1906:

Edward John Dunn Edward John Dunn (1 November 1844 – 20 April 1937) was an English-born Australian geologist, winner of the 1905 Murchison Medal. Early life Dunn was born at Bedminster near Bristol, England, the son of Edward Herbert Dunn and Betsy Robinson Dun ...

* 1907
Calder E. Oliver
* 1908-1909: Pietro P.G.E. Baracchi * 1910-1911:

Ernest Willington Skeats Ernest Willington Skeats (1 November 1875 – 20 January 1953) was an English-Australian geologist and academic Skeats was born in Berais Town, Southampton, England, son of Frank George Skeats, a bank clerk and his wife Alice Erena Martin and ...

* 1912-1913: John Shephard * 1914-1915:

Thomas Sergeant Hall Thomas Sergeant Hall (23 December 1858 – 21 December 1915) was an Australian geologist and biologist, recipient of The Murchison Fund in 1901. Early life Hall was born in Geelong, the son of Thomas March Hall, a business man originally from L ...

* 1916-1917: William A. Osborne * 1918-1919
James A. Kershaw
* 1920-1921:

Alfred James Ewart Alfred James Ewart, FRS (12 February 1872 – 12 September 1937) was an English-Australian botanist. Early life and education Ewart was born in Toxteth Park, Liverpool, England, second son of Edmund Brown Ewart, B.A. and his wife, Martha ...

* 1922-1923: Frank Wisewould * 1924: Thomas H. Laby * 1925-1926:

Joseph M. Baldwin Joseph Mason Baldwin (9 September 1878 – 6 July 1945) was Victorian government astronomer 1920–1943. Baldwin was born in Carlton, Melbourne, Australia, the third son of Joseph Baldwin (d.1887) and his wife Emma Maria, née Graham. J.M. Ba ...

* 1927-1928:

Wilfred Eade Agar Wilfred Eade Agar FRS (27 April 1882 – 14 July 1951) was an Anglo-Australian zoologist. Agar was born in Wimbledon, England. He was educated at Sedbergh School, Yorkshire, and at King's College, Cambridge, where he read zoology. He serv ...

* 1929-1930: Frederick Chapman * 1931-1932: Herbert S. Summers * 1933-1934: William J. Young * 1935-1936: Norman A. Esserman * 1937-1938
Samuel M. Wadham
* 1939-1940
Daniel J. Mahony
* 1941-1942: Reuben T. Patton * 1943-1944:

William Baragwanath William Baragwanath (1878–1966) was an Australian surveyor, geologist and public servant. In 1922 he was appointed director of the Geological Survey of Victoria, and in 1932 Secretary for Mines. He discovered fossils of ''Baragwanathia'', a g ...

* 1945-1946:

John King Davis John King Davis (19 February 1884 – 8 May 1967) was an English-born Australian explorer and navigator notable for his work captaining exploration ships in Antarctic waters as well as for establishing meteorological stations on Macquar ...

* 1947-1948: Dermot A. Casey * 1949-1950:

Philip Crosbie Morrison Philip Crosbie Morrison (19 December 1900 – 1 March 1958) was an Australian naturalist, educator, journalist, broadcaster and conservationist. Early years Morrison was born in Hawthorn, Victoria. He attended Auburn State School and Univers ...

* 1951-1952: John S. Turner * 1953-1954:

Frank Leslie Stillwell Frank Leslie Stillwell OBE, (27 June 1888 – 8 February 1963) was an Australian geologist, winner of the David Syme Research Prize awarded by the University of Melbourne in 1919 and the Clarke Medal awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wa ...

* 1955-1956
Edwin S. Hills
* 1957-1958: Valentine G. Anderson * 1959-1960: Geoffrey W. Leeper * 1961-1962: Richard R. Garran * 1963-1964: Richard T.M. Pescott * 1965-1966: John H. Chinner * 1967-1968: Phillip G. Law * 1969-1970: Edmund D. Gill * 1971-1972: Alfred Dunbavin Butcher * 1973-1974: Sir Robert R. Blackwood * 1975-1976: James D. Morrison * 1977-1978: John F. Lovering AO * 1979-1980: Lionel L. Stubbs * 1980-1982: Gordon D. Aitchison * 1983-1984: David M. Churchill * 1985-1986: Dr Grisha A. Sklovsky * 1986-1987: Dr Terence P. O'Brien * 1987 (Jul-Dec): Dr Grisha A. Sklovsky * 1988-1990: Dr William R.S. Briggs * 1991-1992: Dr Graeme F. Watson * 1993-1994: Dr John W. Zillman AO * 1995-1996: Dr Maxwell G. Lay AM * 1997-1998: Professor Em. Herbert H. Bolotin * 1999-2001: Associate Professor Gordon D. Sanson * 2001-2003
Associate Professor Neil W. Archbold
* 2006-2007: Associate Professor Bruce Livett * 2007-2010

* 2010-2012: Professor

Lynne Selwood Lynne Selwood FRSV (née Bedford) is an Australian reproductive biologist whose work focuses on marsupials. In 2010 she began a three-year term as the first woman president of the Royal Society of Victoria. Education and career Selwood wa ...

AO * 2013-2017: Dr William D. (Bill) Birch AM * 2017-2021: Mr David Zerman * 2021- : Mr Robert Gell AM

Publication

''Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria.''
Melbourne : The Society, 1889- Semiannual. ISSN 0035-9211. Formerly the ''Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria''

References

Science and the making of Victoria

External links

The Royal Society of Victoria
The Royal Society of Victoria's web site.
The Royal Society of Victoria Building Tour
Virtual tour of the headquarters of The Royal Society of Victoria headquarters in Melbourne.

Current, open access editions of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria published online by CSIRO Publishing.
State Library of Victoria, Digitised Collections
Access to the digitised Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, together with those of its foundation societies.
The RSV's Australian Eclipse Expedition to Cape York in 1871
An account of the RSV's Australian Eclipse Expedition to Cape York in 1871 in the ''Journal of Astronomy History and Heritage'' by Dr Nick Lomb.
Burke & Wills Web
A comprehensive website containing many of the historical documents relating to the Victorian Exploring (Burke & Wills) Expedition.
Burke & Wills 150th
A website recording the activities for the Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Victorian Exploring Expedition (Burke and Wills).
The Burke & Wills Historical Society
The Burke & Wills Historical Society. {{Authority control Society of Victoria, Royal Organizations established in 1859 Clubs and societies in Victoria (Australia) Learned societies of Australia 1859 establishments in Australia