The estate of the late Dennis David Shearing, member from 1995, has left the Society $18,000. The money will be applied to Society activities identified through the Society’s Strategic Implementation Committee for Council endorsement.
Dennis, educated at Marion, South Australia, was domiciled on Kangaroo Island after a career in the UK.
During his membership, Dennis attended some Society events including field trips and expressed a desire to assist with the bush-walking program in the Flinders Ranges. He assisted on the program several times. Dennis was involved with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – a living and learning exchange. WWOOF wrote that Australia lost a very dear friend when Dennis Shearing passed away in 2019.
Dennis had been a WWOOF Host for over 20 years and touched the lives of everyone that crossed his path. Some WWOOFers who had the opportunity to spend time with Dennis on his property were repetitive WWOOFers; always returning to visit Dennis over the years. Dennis also hosted members Sue Barker and Rob Marshall OAM on Kangaroo Island as they revised our publication Discover Kangaroo Island in 2017 for its fourth reprint.
Dennis had friends all over the world and regularly visited his ex-woofers in Europe. He was a stalwart member of several Kangaroo Island ecological/regeneration groups. His friendship and quirky sense of humour are sadly missed by so many.
© The Royal Geographical Society of South Australia