Leonard Smith
Len Smith was the Director of National Parks in Victoria from 1958 until his retirement in 1975. Before 1958 he had been involved in research in Organic Chemistry and in 1936 earned the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Throughout his professional life, Len Smith wrote several books on the lyrebirds in sherbrooke, two of which are now collectors items, The Lyrebirds of Sherbrooke and The Lyrebird. His last book The Life of The Lyrebird intimately describes the year in the life of a lyrebird, the different aspects of life in Sherbrooke forest and his own experience with lyrebirds in Sherbrooke and even the introduced population in Tasmania.
Leonard Smith was a keen photographer, and also recorded lyrebird calls all over Victoria. With Smith’s recordings, BOCA published a CD exploring the development of mimicry in Superb lyrebirds. The calls and song include young birds practising for later life, and compares the quality of mimicry between adult and juvenile male lyrebirds. The proceeds of the CD are used to advance the appreciation and protection of Australia’s birds and the conservation of their habitats(through BOCA).
Len Smith’s main expectations from the insight he gives of the Sherbrooke lyrebirds was really to evoke a better understanding and appreciation of the nature of this sometimes elusive bird. He encourages the reader of his books to think about the threats from feral animals that the birds have to face, and the ways in which we can overcome them.
Recently Len Smith died, but his interest in the lyrebird still lives on in the members of the Sherbrooke Lyrebird Survey Group.