CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY ERIC PHILLIPS OAM; COURTESY ROBERT PURVES AM; COURTESY DANIELE CAGNAZZI /
Orcaella heinsohnI; COURTESY DANIELLEMURDOCHYour Society is edited by Natsumi PenberthySOCIETY FUNDR AISERH
ELP US TO protect
one of our rarest marine
mammals – the
Australian snubfi n dolphin. It’s
thought there could be fewer than
10,000 adults of this highly
sociable marine creature left,
mostly in small populations along
Australia’s northern coastline. To
ensure the future of this unique
species, which was only identifi ed
in 2005, we need to understand
more about its natural history and
protect its habitat from increasing
human impact. Your donation will
provide much-needed funds for
two crucial research and conserva-
tion projects: a study by Southern
Cross University’s Capricorn
Cetaceans Project and the cam-
paign by the Mackay Conservation
Group to save snubfi n and seagrass
habitat along the central Great
Barrier Reef.OR VISIT http://www.australian-
geographic.com.au/society,
or send a cheque to: The Australian
Geographic Society administrator, Level 9,
54–58 Park Street, Sydney NSW 2000.Support our snubfin
Australia’s own dolphin
species needs help.DONATE
Use the free viewa
app to scan this page
and donate
to our appeal.M
ORE THAN A decade ago, Robert
Purves AM sold his shares in a publicly
listed radiology and aged-care company to
raise $10 million and establish the Purves
Environmental Fund. The organisation now
donates $2 million annually to champion
environmental sustainability and biodiversity.
Robert has also personally donated more
than $5 million to environmental causes. Just
as importantly, he gives up much of his time
to make the planet more sustainable: he is
the current president of WWF Australia, a
founding member of The Wentworth Group
of Concerned Scientists and a director of
Earth Hour Global. He is also a director of the
Climate Council of Australia, a patron of the
Lizard Island Research Station and a governor
of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.W
HEN PRINCE HARRY began recruiting
explorers for his 2013 Antarctic expe-
dition Walking with the Wounded, Eric Philips
was top of the list. Now Hobart-based, Eric is
the only person to have skied across Earth’s
four largest icecaps – Antarctica to the
South Pole, Greenland, the South Patagon-
ian Icecap and Ellesmere Island. His 84-day
journey to the South Pole pioneered a new
route through the Transantarctic Moun-
tains. His expeditions have featured in three
internationally screened documentaries,
most notably the Emmy Award-winning fi lm
on Greenland, Chasing the Midnight Sun.
Along with adventurer Jon Muir, Eric was
part of the fi rst Australian team to reach
the North Pole unsupported, and to ski to
both the North and South poles.YOUNG ADVENTURER OF THE YEAR DANIELLE MURDOCHI
N 2010 DANIELLE Murdoch became
the fi rst recipient of the AGS Nancy
Bird Walton grant for female adventurers
(AG 101). With the support of the AGS,
Danielle travelled by motorcycle from
Brisbane to Darwin, before transporting
her bike by ship up the Indonesian
archipelago. After crossing Sri Lanka,
India and Pakistan, she made her way
across the Middle East attempting to
avoid confl icts along the way. Starting
in Egypt, she then motored down the
east coast of Africa, where she broke
down and had to be towed 760km by
another motorcyclist to the nearest
mechanic. In October 2014, four years
after she’d left, Danielle completed her
epic journey and surrendered her broken
motorcycle to customs at Victoria Falls,
Zimbabwe. Her journey spanned 24
countries and she weathered eight break-
downs along the way.November–December 2015 119LIFETIME OF CONSERVATION
ROBERT PURVES AMLIFETIME OF ADVENTURE
ERIC PHILIPS OAM