History and Honour Roll 

Our History 

  • With a 75-year history, the origins AIHS belong to a small group of students who enrolled in and attended the first industrial Safety and Accident Prevention course conducted by the (then) Melbourne Technical College in 1948, at the site of what today is RMIT, on Kulin Nation land. This group remained together and formed the nucleus of the Safety Engineering Society of Australia and held regular monthly meetings.
    • Membership of the society expanded steadily and reached the stage where every State had formed a division. With time, it became apparent that the term “Safety Engineering” in the society’s name had an implied bias and emphasised only one of the many disciplines associated with the effective control of accidents, injuries and diseases. As a result, the Safety Institute of Australia (SIA) was incorporated in 1977 with a new constitution and members of the society became members of the new SIA.
      • AIHS has a long and proud history of working with regulators, employers, unions and government departments in the pursuit of more effective health and safety policy, regulation and in particular, practice. Today across Australia, the AIHS has thousands of members and partnerships with many companies who share our vision of safe and healthy workers in productive workplaces and communities.

AIHS Presidents/Chairs since 1976 

  • Cameron Montgomery: 2023 - Current
  • Naomi Kemp (COHSProf): 2019 - 2023
  • Patrick Murphy (FAIHS - ChOHSP): 2013 - 2019
  • Malcolm Burgin (FAIHS - ChOHSP): 2012 - 2013
  • Sue Pilkington (FAIHS - ChOHSP): 2010 - 2012
  • Barry Silburn (Life Member): 2008 - 2010
  • Geoff Dell (Life Member): 2007 - 2008
  • Phil Lovelock (Life Member): 2005 - 2006
  • David Skegg (Life Member): 2002 - 2005
  • Geoff Dell (Life Member): 1996 - 2002
  • Gill Ross (FAIHS): 1994 - 1996
  • Brian Emerson (FAIHS): 1992 - 1994
  • Ivon Northage: 1991 - 1992
  • Gary Knobel: 1987 - 1991
  • Bill Lessels: 1986 - 1987
  • Frank Davis: 1985 - 1986
  • Laurie Mason: 1983 - 1985
  • Lyle Leibhardt: 1979 - 1983
  • Ron Moulds: 1977 - 1979
  • K. Isbester: 1976 - 1977

Life Members 

  • Betts, Neville (FAIHS)
  • Bills, Kym (FAIHS)
  • Brindley, Stephen 
  • Capra, Mike (FAIHS)
  • Chaplin, Gary (FAIHS)
  • Cook, Dr Margaret (FAIHS)
  • Corva, Cipriano  (FAIHS)
  • Dell, Dr Geoffrey (FAIHS)
  • Dell, Sheryl (FAIHS)
  • Dine, Neil (FAIHS)
  • Doherty, Patrick 
  • Fairfax, Roger 
  • Farr, Terry (FAIHS)
  • Frank, Davis (FAIHS)
  • Fred, Catlin
  • Hitchings, Geoffrey (FAIHS)
  • Hopkins, Andrew  (FAIHS)
  • Jackson, Les 
  • Jansz, A/Prof Janis  (FAIHS)
  • Johnstone, Kelly (FAIHS)
  • Kirwan, John (FAIHS)
  • Lawrence, Patrick (FAIHS)
  • Leeson, Ted 
  • Love, Trevor (FAIHS)
  • Lovelock, Philip (FAIHS)
  • Millard, Ern 
  • Mitchell, Tony (FAIHS)
  • Moroney, John (FAIHS)
  • Murphy (WA), Patrick  (FAIHS)
  • Nuzum, Peter (FAIHS)
  • Pearce, Allan 
  • Pryor, Pam (FAIHS)
  • Randall, David (FAIHS)
  • Ruschena, Leo (FAIHS)
  • Segrott, David (FAIHS)
  • Silburn, Barry  (FAIHS)
  • Skegg, David (FAIHS)
  • Tacy, Robert 
  • Taylor, Geoffrey (FAIHS)
  • Toshach, Jim  (FAIHS)
  • Williams, Glyn  (FAIHS)
  • Willson, Ralph (FAIHS)
  • Wolfe, Karen (FAIHS)

Honorary Fellows 

  • Chan, Michael
  • Clayton, Alan
  • Costello, Michael
  • Cross, Jean
  • Dawson, Professor Drew
  • Dolan, Martin
  • Douglas, Andrew
  • Ellis, Niki
  • Else, Dennis
  • Gibson, Brian
  • Grace, Grace
  • Hale, Emeritus Professor Andrew
  • Hayes, Professor Jan
  • Hector, Donald
  • Honore, Julie
  • Hudson, Emeritus Professor Patrick
  • Hutchinson, Lois
  • Jensen, Trevor
  • Kidziak, Sylvia
  • Lawson-Smith, Gary
  • McDonald, John
  • Merritt, John
  • Patterson, Michele
  • Plovits, Jocelyn
  • Randall, Frederick
  • Schofield, Don
  • Seljak, Rob
  • Sherriff, Barry
  • Stewart-Crompton, Robin
  • Vallance, Deborah
  • Viner, Derek
  • Watson, John

Harold Greenwood Thomas Award and Lifetime Achievement Award 

From 2019 onwards, the HGT and and Lifetime Achievement Awards were combined

  • Professor Patrick Hudson (Harold Greenwood Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award - 2022)
  • Dennis Else (Harold Greenwood Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award - 2021)
  • Professor Andrew Hopkins (Harold Greenwood Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award - 2020)
  • Professor Mike Capra  (Harold Greenwood Thomas Llifetime Achievement Award - 2019)
  • Michael Tooma (Lifetime Achievement Award 2018)
  • Leo Ruschena (Lifetime Achievement Award 2017)
  • Ciaran MacCarron (Lifetime Achievement Award 2016)
  • Geoffrey MCDonald (Lifetime Achievement Award 2015)
  • Dr Geoff Dell (Harold Greenwood Thomas Award - 2011)
  • Neville Betts (Harold Greenwood Thomas Award - 2005)
  • Pam Pryor (Harold Greenwood Thomas Award - 2003)

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