PESA Distinguished Membership Award, PESA Meritorious Service Award and Barry Goldstein Medal
PESA Distinguished Service Award
The PESA Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recognises an outstanding long term commitment to the Society (including leadership and involvement in Committees), the profession and to the upstream industry. It is the highest honour bestowed on an individual member by the Society. A recipient of the DSA becomes a Distinguished Member of the society and has all the rights of an Active Member but shall not be required to pay any subscription.
Normally, not more than one Distinguished Service Award shall be made in a single year and that an individual can only receive the award once. Recipients of a DSA will receive a suitable inscribed certificate and medal.
PESA Meritorious Service Award
The PESA Meritorious Service Award (MSA) recognizes who voluntarily provide exceptional service to PESA at State or Federal level over a significant period of time.
Normally, not more than three Meritorious Service Awards shall be made in a single year and an individual can only receive the award once. Recipients of the MSA will receive a suitable inscribed certificate and medal and name included on a honour board on the PESA website (see below).
State Branch Committees nominate candidates to the Federal Executive. Both awards will not be awarded more frequently than annually at a ceremony at the PESA AGM (or State Branch Christmas event). If in the opinion of the PESA Federal Executive suitably qualified candidates have not been nominated, consideration of the awards shall be deferred until the following year.
Recipients of these awards must be members of PESA.
Nomination deadline: Friday, 31 October 2025.
Download the DSA and MSA Conditions of Eligibility
Download the DSA and MSA Nomination Form
Barry Goldstein Medal for Innovation, Collaboration and Communication in Geoscience
The world is changing fast, as the quality of life improves across the global community, so does its demand for clean sustainable energy to protect the planet for future generations. The dependency on fossil fuels as the main source of energy is no longer desired but necessary to transition us towards a clean energy future. Understanding the geology of the earth and its processes is paramount to the sustainable future of human-kind’s need for energy.
Along with this scientific pursuit, innovation, collaboration, and communication are intrinsic to the future of a clean energy world.
To recognise the value of these skills directed towards Energy Geoscience, PESA is offering a new prize which honours those demonstrating high skill level in at least one of these criteria:
- Communication: the applicant will have demonstrated and communicated the value of geoscience to the wider community, at the state, across Australia or internationally
- Innovation: the applicant can demonstrate the application of an innovative approach, method, or invention to progress geoscience understanding and/or solve geoscientific problems
- Collaboration: the applicant has shown high levels of working with others to facilitate excellence in geoscience
The prize includes a medal and name included on a honour board on the PESA website (see below).
The award will be offered on an annual basis* and is open to anyone in the geoscience field. Self-nominations shall not be accepted.
The applicant:
● Must be a resident in Australasia
● Must be relevant to or associated with geoscience
Submission must include:
Name, contact details, PESA membership status; and a minimum of 1 page to a maximum of 5 pages describing the applicant’s contributions to geoscience addressing the above criteria. The application must include two references, and timelines of delivery (if relevant).
The application should be sent through to Vice-President@pesa.com.au
Nomination deadline: Friday, 30 January 2026.
* The PESA Membership committee will assess the applications and reserves the right to award or not award, based on the quality of the submissions. The successful applicant will be awarded the medal and prize at the next Federal PESA AGM, pending final approval by the PESA Board.
Honour Board
PESA Distinguished Service Awards
| YEAR | NAME | STATE BRANCH |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Earl Abbott (deceased) | NSW |
| 1973 | Charles Martin (deceased) | SA |
| 1973 | Heli Wopfner (deceased) | SA |
| 1975 | Rees Withers (deceased) | VIC |
| 1976 | Ken Horler (deceased) | NSW |
| 1980 | Murray Johnstone (deceased) | NSW |
| 1980 | Reg Sprigg (deceased) | SA |
| 1981 | Dave McDonald | QLD |
| 1986 | Dick Dumbrell | QLD |
| 1987 | Bevan Devine | SA |
| 1989 | Richard Paten | QLD |
| 1990 | Jaap Poll | WA |
| 1991 | Douglas Guest (deceased) | NSW |
| 1991 | El Horstman (deceased) | WA |
| 1993 | Ted Moorcroft (deceased) | SA |
| 1993 | Leo Stach (deceased) | VIC |
| 1993 | Eric Webb (deceased) | VIC |
| 1994 | Eric Rudd (deceased) | SA |
| 1995 | Bob Laws | SA |
| 1995 | Adrian Williams | WA |
| 1998 | Rodney Brown | QLD |
| 1998 | Peter Jamieson | NSW |
| 1999 | Bob Day | QLD |
| 2000 | Eve Howell | WA |
| 2000 | Andy Rigg | NSW |
| 2000 | David Gravestock (deceased) | SA |
| 2001 | Phil Playford (deceased) | WA |
| 2002 | Wal Muir | QLD |
| 2004 | Ian Grierson | NSW |
| 2013 | John Draper | QLD |
| 2014 | Barry Goldstein (deceased) | SA |
| 2015 | Marita Bradshaw | ACT |
| 2017 | Sue Slater | QLD |
| 2017 | Max Williamson | NSW |
| 2017 | Gordon Wakelin-King | VIC/TAS |
| 2018 | Steve Mackie | SA/NT |
| 2020 | Phil Cooney | NSW |
| 2024 | John Gorter (deceased) | WA |
PESA Meritorious Service Awards
| YEAR | NAME | STATE BRANCH |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Jim Durrant | WA |
| 1998 | James Prater | SA |
| 1998 | Deidre Brooks | VIC/TAS |
| 1998 | Gregory Thomas | NSW |
| 1999 | Mark Stevens | WA |
| 1999 | Naz Saunders | SA |
| 2000 | John Gorter | WA |
| 2000 | Andy Pietsch | SA |
| 2000 | John Humphrys | SA |
| 2001 | Rowley Butters | WA |
| 2001 | Elinor Alexander | SA |
| 2002 | Brian Logan | WA |
| 2002 | Robert Frears | SA |
| 2002 | Colin Glazebrook | VIC |
| 2003 | Peter Purcell | WA |
| 2003 | Robyn Purcell | WA |
| 2004 | Barry Goldstein (deceased) | SA |
| 2004 | Peter Bailie | WA |
| 2005 | John Mebberson | NSW |
| 2014 | Bev Butters | WA |
| 2015 | Phil Cooney | NSW |
| 2015 | Barry Smith | NSW |
| 2015 | Bevan Warris | WA |
| 2016 | Ed Kopsen | WA |
| 2016 | Don Poynton | WA |
| 2016 | Steve Moss | WA |
| 2016 | Myra Keep | WA |
| 2017 | Wendy Rhonda | QLD |
| 2017 | Sandy Menpes | SA/NT |
| 2017 | Cedric Griffiths | WA |
| 2017 | Simon Brealey | SA/NT |
| 2017 | Alex Ross | SA/NT |
| 2018 | Paul Bouloudas | WA |
| 2019 | Tim O’Brien | Vic/Tas |
| 2020 | Helen Debenham | WA |
| 2020 | Mark Di Bacco | QLD |
| 2020 | Melanie Fitzell | QLD |
| 2021 | Simon Lang | WA |
| 2021 | Robert Seggie | WA |
| 2021 | Rachel Kieft | QLD |
| 2021 | Tobias Colson | QLD |
| 2021 | Bonnie Lowe-Young | SA/NT |
| 2022 | Stuart Jones | SA/NT |
| 2023 | Katherine Gioseffi | QLD |
| 2023 | Chris Elders | WA |
| 2024 | Andrew Riznyczok | NSW/ACT |
Barry Goldstein Medal Awards
| YEAR | NAME | STATE |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jon Cocker | SA |
| 2024 | Simon Lang | WA |
| 2025 | Bruce Ainsworth | SA |
PESA Fellow Memberships
This is open to active members who have 15 years or more petroleum industry experience who have, in the opinion of the Federal Executive, achieved prominence in the petroleum industry.
| YEAR | NAME | STATE BRANCH |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Barry Smith | NSW |
| 2019 | John Warburton | NSW |
| 2019 | Simon Smith | QLD |
| 2023 | Andrew Long | WA |
| 2023 | Bruce Ainsworth | SA |
PESA Federal Horstman Postgraduate Student Recipients
| YEAR | NAME | UNIVERSITY |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Natalie Debenham | Australian School of Petroleum, University of Adelaide |
| 2017 | Amy I’Anson | University of Sydney |
| 2018 | Partha Mandal | Curtin University |
| 2019 | Michael Curtis | Australian School of Petroleum, University of Adelaide |
| 2020 | Bronwyn Campbell | Macquarie University |
| 2021 | John Shepherd | University of Western Australia |
| 2022 | Krista Davies | Edith Cowan University |
| 2023 | Alison Troup | University of Queensland |
| 2024 | Christopher Watts | Curtin University |