Celebrating 50 years of the Australian Society for Fish Biology

ASFB’s 50th anniversary event was a wonderful opportunity for members past and present to reflect on the society’s importance, writes Martin Gomon.

The evening of 22 September 2021 will go down in our society’s history as a night to remember. Due to COVID, we couldn’t get together and celebrate how we normally would… but that didn’t stop us!

Thank you to the overwhelming number of past and present members who fronted on the night to celebrate the society’s 50th anniversary, by sharing recollections of what has made our society so rewarding over the years. To see faces that go back to the beginning of ASFB, and to hear why our annual gatherings have continued to be successful year in and year out, speaks volumes not only of the society’s value, but even more so to the quality of our members that keep it charging along.

Doug Hoese (left) and Helen Larson (right) shared their memories of the society’s earliest days.

John Koehn (left) and Mark Lintermans (right) discussed the establishment of ASFB’s committees and student prizes.

Ably “steered” by the ever funny and courageous Mike Steer, we first heard about how ASFB has grown from its inception in the early 1970s from some of our earliest members, Doug Hoese and Helen Larson. From past presidents John Koehn and Mark Lintermans, we learnt how the society evolved and expanded its functionality through the formation of ongoing committees dedicated to threatened species, alien fishes, and the continuing encouragement of student members. From Bronwyn Gillanders, we heard about ASFB’s ever-increasing reach on the international stage. Finally, Leanne Currey-Randall and Krystle Keller emphasised the importance of the society in the early and formative stages of their career, and the welcoming and encouraging environment we strive to achieve for our early-career members.

Bronwyn Gillanders (left) spoke about the society’s rise on the international stage. Master of ceremonies Mike Steer (right) did an exceptional job keeping the evening on schedule.

Leanne Currey-Randall (left) and Krystle Keller (right) described the importance of ASFB for early-career researchers.

Hearing these stories was not only inspiring, but brought a feeling of accomplishment to those, like myself, who attend conferences for the sheer enjoyment of pursuing science and achieving challenging goals whose success was never assured. The breakout sessions were no less rewarding, providing the opportunity for random groups of members to share their experiences about what inspired them and keeps them “coming back”. There were a few mentions of exploits past, and to infamous “Don Francois” award – fond memories for past members, but also a signal of the society’s adapting culture. Some stories are best kept in the vault!

Perhaps my greatest reward was seeing familiar faces from throughout the society’s 50 years (more than a few absent from conferences in recent times) registering the impact the society has had on them right to the present. Still, one thread stood out as tying the memories of conferences together and ran through each and every story – our gatherings were, and continue to be, FUN. It was great to see some new faces in the crowd. Here’s to our next fun gathering coming along really soon.

Happy anniversary, ASFB!