The David G. Stead Memorial Wildlife Research Foundation of Australia (or Stead Wildlife Foundation or Stead Foundation) is an Australian

non-profit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that aims to promote conservation and environment advocacy and education. Established in 1963 as a memorial to

David George Stead David George Stead (6 March 1877 – 2 August 1957) was an Australian marine biologist, ichthyologist, oceanographer, conservationist and writer. He was born at St Leonards in Sydney, and educated at public schools and the Sydney Technical Col ...

, a pioneer conservationist and

marine biologist Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies sp ...

throughout the early 20th century, the Stead Foundation is a project-based organisation. Its inaugural and most enduring project was the establishment of the

Wirrimbirra Sanctuary The Wirrimbirra Sanctuary is a heritage-listed fauna sanctuary, native plant nursery, education centre and flora sanctuary located off the Hume Highway at 1305 Remembrance Drive, in outer south-western Sydney in the settlement of Bargo in t ...

, gifted to the

National Trust of Australia The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's I ...

(New South Wales) in 1965. The Foundation boasts a list of leading conservationists as supporters and board members. The Stead Foundation receives no recurrent government funding and relies on grants, donations and bequests.

Wirrimbirra Sanctuary

Wirrimbirra Sanctuary is a property of the

National Trust of Australia (New South Wales) The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's ...

, established in

Macarthur, New South Wales Macarthur is a region in the south-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region includes the local government areas of the City of Campbelltown, Camden Council, and Wollondilly Shire. It covers an area of 3, ...

and managed as a wildlife refuge by the Stead Foundation. Created in the 1960s by

Thistle Stead Thistle Yolette Harris (29 July 1902 – 5 July 1990), also known as Thistle Stead, was an Australian botanist, educator, author and conservationist. Biography She was one of three daughters born to Charles Thomas Harris and Illma Richardso ...

to preserve the native 'Bargo Brush', a thick dense brushland covering the Bargo Plateau. It was a haven for escaped convicts during early settlement and a hazard for travellers heading to wards the rich grazing grounds of the Southern Highlands, and promote education and propagation of Australian native plants, Wirrimbirra operates as a

flora and fauna In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fungi ...

reserve, native plant nursery, education and research centre, listed on the

NSW State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

. Wirrimbirra has about of preserved native bush and gardens. Wandering the paths of the sanctuary, including the Fauna Protection Area, for encounters with endangered species and plants from around Australia. You will also see

wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and so ...

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The ...

s and maybe

echidna Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae . The four extant species of echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs and t ...

possums Possum may refer to: Animals * Phalangeriformes, or possums, any of a number of arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi ** Common brushtail possum (''Trichosurus vulpecula''), a common possum in Australian urban ...

, a wide variety of birds and other native animals in natural habitats. The sanctuary has walking trails, an environmental studies centre, visitors centre, native plant nursery and picnic areas. The environmental studies centre (known as a field studies centre at the time of creation) was established with the support of the

Gould League The Gould League is an independent Australian organisation promoting environmental education, founded in Victoria in 1909 and named after the English ornithologist John Gould. Largely autonomous branches were subsequently established in other A ...

who helped raise funds for the first classroom on the site.

References

{{Conservation and environmental foundations Wildlife conservation organizations 1963 establishments in Australia Conservation and environmental foundations in Australia Environmental organizations established in 1963

Wirrimbirra Sanctuary

See also

References