Career
He joined the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) in 1947, was a State Representative for New South Wales on that body from 1964 until 1967, and a Vice-President from 1968 to 1969. He was elected a Fellow of the RAOU in 1983. He was a founding member and President of the Australian Bird Study Association.
He banded Australian birds for half a century (from the 1950s to the 1990s) throughout Australia, and was an early experimenter with cannon netting.
He also helped in the training of many of Australia"s bird-banders. Lane published numerous articles in the Australian Bird Bander, Corella and Emu.
He was instrumental in raising the awareness of the impact urban development has upon the habitat and distribution of Australia"s native birds and other animals. He was awarded the inaugural John Hobbs Medal of the RAOU in 1995 in recognition of his contributions to amateur ornithology.
The South.G. "Bill" Lane Award is presented annually by the Australian Bird Study Association to the most outstanding student in ornithology at Charles Sturt University.
Recipients of the award are:
2001: Cheryl Gole
2002: Helen Stevens
2003: Maria Grazia Bellio
2004: Lara Juliusson, of Denver, Colorado, United States of America. 2005: Gavin Jackson
2006: Alison Bowling
2007: Jennifer Nicholls, Leonie Daws and Philip Hughes
2008: Simon Robinson
2009: Doctor Anne Lehnert
2010: Peter McGregor
2011: Bronwyn McCulloch
2012: Michelle Smart
2013: Mary Thompson
2014: Sara Judge
2015: Kirsty Wilhes.