June 2011 President message
SSAA National farewells Arthur Bentley
SSAA National was saddened to hear of the passing of Arthur Bentley in April this year, who is regarded by many as the ‘Father of deer’ in Australia.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Arthur at the 2007 SSAA Victoria Awards Night, where I presented him with the Landseer Medal in recognition of his outstanding and prolonged service, effort and contribution to deer research, management and hunting in Australia. The Landseer Medal is named after Sir Edwin Landseer, who was one of the world’s most famous animal painters.
Arthur has often been referred to as the guru for all deer hunters and conservationists since the publication of his book An Introduction to the Deer of Australia in 1967. This book was one of the first about deer in our country and today remains one of the most outstanding and comprehensive reference books on the subject.
Arthur was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1975 for his services to deer conservation. He was one of the driving forces behind the formation of the Australian Deer Association (ADA) and was, in fact, the first person granted life membership by the ADA. He was also the founding chairman and a long-time director of the Australian Deer Research Foundation.
Arthur inspired or was the major driving force behind many deer initiatives. He was the mastermind behind the first deer conservation group in the modern era, the Victorian Deer Conservation Cooperative. Arthur was also one of the founding fathers who formed the Para Park Cooperative Game Reserve on Sunday Island in Victoria in 1965, which has now become a model hog deer management project.
Arthur was a man of many talents. He was an author, artist, poet, sculptor, conservationist, mentor, friend and family man. He will be missed by many. On behalf of all the SSAA National Board and staff, we extend our condolences to Arthur’s family and friends.
Bob Green
SSAA National President
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