Royal Society of NSW Medal
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About the Medal
The Society’s Medal is awarded from time to time to a member of the Society who has made meritorious contributions to the Society’s administration, organisation, and endeavours.
The Society’s Medal was the first initiative of the Society to recognise its members’ contributions, deriving in concept from the Society’s Money Prize of 1882. It was awarded for published papers from 1884 to 1896, together with a money prize of £25, but was discontinued from 1897 to 1942. In 1943, it was revived (without the money prize) as an award for a member of the Society who had made meritorious contributions to the advancement of science, including administration and organization of scientific endeavour and for services to the Society.
Recent Medal Winners
2023: Ms Judith Wheeldon AM FRSN
Judith Wheeldon is first mentioned in the annual report of the RSNSW in 2013, being one of four panellists in the Society’s third Forum at the Powerhouse Museum. Elected as a Fellow of the Society and Councillor in 2014, there began a continuous and meritorious involvement with the Society for the next decade. Her Fellowship citation reads “Judith Wheeldon is recognised for eminent and long-standing service to Australian secondary education at senior levels and for service to professional organisations.”
Judith was elected to the RSNSW Council as a member in 2014 and as Vice-President in 2015, a position she held until her retirement in 2023. In addition, she served as a member of the Fellows, Nominations, Membership, Events, Voice and Outreach, Community Engagement, and Fundraising Committees. Her contributions to the Society are typified by her work to establish strong relationships with other organisations including the State Library of NSW, the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, and Government House in Sydney where she established the series “Ideas@theHouse.”J
Judith’s impact in the wider community is as a leader in education and the arts. She is a recognised innovator in the education of girls through her roles as principal or headmistress of four schools including Abbotsleigh and Queenwood. As a director on the Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Judith contributed to the management and planning of teaching across Australia and was a Trustee of the Museum of Applied Arts and Science (Powerhouse Museum). She was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 in “Recognition of contribution to Australian public life, specifically in education leadership and pro bono work in the community.”
2020: Emerita Professor Mary O’Kane AC FRSN FTSE Hon FIEAust
Emerita Professor Mary O’Kane was appointed as the first New South Wales Chief Scientist and Engineer in 2008 and remained in the position until 2018. Prior to that she was Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Adelaide from 1996 to 2001. From 1994 to 1996 she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Adelaide. From 1989 to 1993 she was Dean of the Faculty of Information Sciences and Engineering at the University of Canberra.
Early on, as the New South Wales Chief Scientist and Engineer, she established a relationship between her office and the Royal Society of New South Wales which, in essence, provided the Society with access to the State Government. She was a strong supporter of the Society, providing funding for the publication of the Journal and Proceedings. Later she provided funding and hosted the Four Societies Lecture when it was the Royal Society’s turn to organise this event. She also instigated an awards mechanism for the Society, by which the Science Deans of NSW and ACT universities came together under her chairmanship to make recommendations for the Society’s prizes and scholarships. She advocated for the Society in government and also was a strong supporter of the Royal Society of New South Wales and Four Academies Forum held annually at Government House, Sydney.
2019: Emeritus Professor Brynn Hibbert AM FRSN
Emeritus Professor David Brynn Hibbert AM FRSN was the second incumbent of the Chair of Analytical Chemistry at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. His research interests are in electroanalytical chemistry and chemometrics and metrology in chemistry. He has published approximately 250 papers, five books and holds several patents. He is past Chair of the Analytical Division of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Secretary of the Analytical Division of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, was a Council member of the Australian Academy for Forensic Sciences and was President of the Society during 2016-17.
As a Council member of the Royal Society of NSW, Vice-President and President he has contributed strongly to every aspect of the Society’s governance. He was key in establishing the reputation of the category of Fellow when it was introduced in 2012, and has continued this work as Chair of the Fellows and Members Assessment Committee to this day.
As President, he continued to provide momentum to the Society’s growth through a most effective, good-natured leadership style that encouraged the contribution of the entire membership and fostered the collegiate nature of the Society to great effect. Continuing as Vice-President (immediate Past President), he has brought wisdom and good judgement to many important issues considered by Council.
Emeritus Professor Hibbert is a worthy recipient of The Royal Society of NSW Medal.
2017: Dr Donald Hector AM FRSN
Dr Hector was President of the Society from 2012 to 2015. Under his presidency, the Society undertook major strategic initiatives that rebuilt its membership, invigorated its programs, including the now annual Forum, and modernized its back-office processes. Dr Hector’s infectious enthusiasm and his approach of leading by doing, combined with his scientific, managerial and administrative skills, have helped move the Society forward to new endeavours, reinforcing the Society’s position as a leader in the intellectual life of New South Wales and the country.As President, he continued to provide momentum to the Society’s growth through a most effective, good-natured leadership style that encouraged the contribution of the entire membership and fostered the collegiate nature of the Society to great effect. Continuing as Vice-President (immediate Past President), he has brought wisdom and good judgement to many important issues considered by Council.Emeritus Professor Hibbert is a worthy recipient of The Royal Society of NSW Medal.
List of Recipients of the Royal Society of NSW Medal
| Year & Recipient | Year & Recipient |
|---|---|
| 1884 W.E. Abbott 1886 S.H. Cox 1887 J. Seaver 1888 Rev. J.E. Tenison-Woods 1889 T. Whitelegge Rev. J. Mathew 1891 Rev. J. Milne Curran 1892 A.G. Hamilton 1894 J.V. De Coque R.H. Mathew 1895 C.J. Martin 1896 Rev. J. Milne Curran 1943 E. Cheel (Botany) 1948 W.L. Waterhouse (Agriculture) 1949 A.P. Elkin (Anthropology) 1950 O.U. Vonwiller (Physics) 1951 A.R. Penfold (Applied Chemistry) 1953 A.B. Walkhom (Palaeobotany) 1954 D.P. Mellor (Chemistry) 1955 W.G. Woolnough (Geology) 1956 W.R. Browne (Geology) 1957 R.C.L. Bosworth (Physical Chemistry) 1958 F.R. Morrison (Applied Chemistry) 1959 R.C.L. Bosworth Ida A. Brown 1960 T. Griffith Taylor 1961 A. Bollinger 1962 H.W. Wood 1963 R.S. Nyholm 1964 F.D. McCarthy 1965 F. Lions 1966 H.A.J. Donegan 1967 A.F.A. Harper 1968 H.H.G. McKern 1969 R.J.W. Le Fevre |
1970 J.A. Dulhunty 1971 J.L. Griffith 1972 W.H.G. Poggendorff 1973 R.L. Stanton 1975 W.H. Robertson 1976 E.K. Chaffer 1977 J.W. Humphries 1978 M.J. Puttock 1979 A.A. Day 1980 M. Krysko v Tryst 1981 W.E. Smith 1982 W.B. Smith-White 1984 R.S. Vagg 1985 D.J. Swaine 1986 S.C. Haydon 1987 G.S. Gibbons 1988 R. Bhathal 1989 J.H. Loxton 1990 F.L. Sutherland 1991 D.E. Winch 1992 W.G.K. Ford 1993 H.G. Royle 1994 E.C. Potter 1995 G.C. Lowenthal 1996 P.M. Callaghan 1997 E.D. O’Keeffe 1998 D.F. Branagan AM 1999 D.J. O’Connor 2000 P.R. Evans 2001 P.A. Williams 2003 C.F. Wilmot 2007 G. Brown DistFRSN 2012 J. R. Hardie AM FRSN 2014 The Hon Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO DistFRSN 2017 D. C. Hector AM FRSN 2019 D. B. Hibbert AM FRSN 2020 M. O’Kane AC FRSN 2023 J. Wheeldon AM FRSN |