John Wamsley facts for kids
John Wamsley, born in 1938, is a well-known Australian environmentalist. He is famous for trying to create many wildlife sanctuaries across Australia. In 2003, he was even named the Prime Minister's Environmentalist of the Year.
John Wamsley's Early Life and Education
John Wamsley was born in Ourimbah, New South Wales. His love for Australian wildlife started when he was seven years old. His family moved to a large bushland area at Niagara Park. This natural environment sparked his passion for animals and plants.
When he was sixteen, John began training as a metallurgist at BHP. This job involves studying and working with metals. However, he soon realized it wasn't what he wanted to do. He then worked as a labourer and also renovated houses. By the time he was 23, he had become very successful.
A few years later, John decided to go to university. He studied at the University of Newcastle. At age thirty, he earned a PhD in Mathematics. After graduating, he became a lecturer at Flinders University.
Creating Warrawong Sanctuary
In June 1969, John Wamsley bought a dairy farm in Mylor, South Australia. This farm became his very first wildlife sanctuary, called Warrawong. His goal was to make it a safe place for native Australian animals.
To protect the sanctuary, John removed all feral plants and animals. Feral animals are those that have escaped from domestication and live in the wild, often harming native species. He also built a special fence around Warrawong. This fence kept out animals like foxes and cats that could harm the native wildlife.
John Wamsley became well-known to the public because of an unusual event. He attended an awards ceremony wearing a hat made from the fur of a dead feral cat. This caused a lot of discussion and debate. As a result, the law was changed, making it legal to humanely control feral cats. This was an important step for protecting Australia's native animals.
Earth Sanctuaries Limited (ESL)
John Wamsley wanted to create more sanctuaries like Warrawong. So, in 2000, he started a company called Earth Sanctuaries Limited (ESL). This company was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. At its busiest, ESL had plans for 11 sanctuaries across three states. These sanctuaries covered a huge area of 100,000 hectares.
ESL was very successful in some of its projects. They focused on rewilding and ecosystem restoration. Rewilding means bringing back wild animals and plants to an area. Ecosystem restoration means helping a damaged natural area become healthy again.
ESL was a pioneer in using special fences to keep out feral animals. Thanks to these fences, many native Australian animals were successfully brought back to areas where they had disappeared. This helped to restore the natural balance of these ecosystems.
Even though ESL had great success in conservation, the company faced financial challenges. In 2005, ESL was closed down. The sanctuaries were sold, but many of them are still operating today. Some are managed by groups like the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and the Mount Rothwell Biodiversity Interpretation Centre. ESL was the first company in the world focused on conservation that was publicly listed on a stock exchange.
