Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Medal
The Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Scholars Medal was established by the Council in 2023 to reflect the full scope of the Society’s values.
It is awarded for sustained, meritorious contributions to knowledge and society made by scholars identifying as Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and conducted mainly in New South Wales. Recipients may be resident in Australia or elsewhere.
When appropriate, this Medal recognises teams as well as individuals. Nominators are welcome to consult the Society for guidance before making a team nomination, noting that only one physical medal is presented.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Medal 2024
The winner of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Medal for 2024 is Professor Jason Sharples FRSN FTSE of UNSW Canberra.
Jason Sharples is renowned as one of the world’s leading experts in wildfire science. A proud Wahlabul Bundjalung man, he has made outstanding research contributions that have substantively improved our understanding of fire weather, fuel moisture modelling, wildfire risk assessment, firefighter safety, dynamic fire behaviour, fire-atmosphere interactions, and extreme wildfire development. His paradigm-shifting contributions are widely acknowledged as leading international thought on how the problem of wildfires should be approached around the world, and under his leadership, the Bushfire Research Group at UNSW has emerged as a global leader in the interdisciplinary field of wildfire science.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Medal 2023
The winner of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Medal for 2023 is Aunty Frances Bodkin of Western Sydney University.
Aunty Frances Bodkin has made significant contributions to Aboriginal knowledge across multiple disciplines, including medicine, linguistics, the environment, and psychology. Since her first publication in 1986 on native and exotic plants in Australia, Aunty Fran has contributed to 36 different works spanning fields of knowledge such as native flora and fauna, environmental sustainability, Dream time and Ancestral knowledge, climate, D’harawal Language, medicine, and psychology. Her D’harawal Pharmacopeia consists of 1,885 pages of native plants prevalent in D’harawal Country (the Sydney region), their medical uses, and their associations with other native plants. Aunty Fran has dedicated herself to teaching others in higher education, schools, and community organisations, and to documenting her knowledge in literature for future generations. Without the contributions of Aunty Fran, undoubtedly a significant amount of Indigenous cultural knowledge would have been lost.
List of Past Recipients of the RSNSW Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Medal
| Year | Recipient |
| 2023 | Frances Bodkin |
| 2024 | Jason Sharples |