Celebrating remarkable contributions

Richard Barley (OGC 1972) MBE, CHort, MCIHort, FLS

In the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours List, Richard was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to horticulture.

He earned a Bachelor of Applied Science (Horticulture) from the University of Melbourne in 1991 and received a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 1999 for landscape management research. In 2013, he was recognised as ‘Person of the Year’ by the International Garden Tourism Council for his achievements in promoting garden tourism.

Richard initially worked in various agricultural roles before joining the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in 1980. He later took on the role of providing guidance to Victoria’s regional botanic gardens. From 1992, he served as the manager and eventually became Director of Melbourne Gardens for the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, where he led the development of plant collections, conservation initiatives, water management, historic feature restoration, and education programs. He held this position until 2010 when he became the CEO of Open Gardens Australia, overseeing the opening of approximately 600 gardens for public visitation and delivering major gardenbased events across Australia.

In 2013, he relocated to the UK to become the Director of Horticulture for The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, the world’s largest botanic garden organisation.

He was initially responsible for managing Kew’s botanic garden, arboretum, display glasshouses, nurseries, and the School of Horticulture. His role expanded in 2015 to include Kew’s Learning and Participation, and Visitor Operations activities, and now also includes oversight of Kew’s second site Wakehurst, in West Sussex.

Richard spearheaded several major projects at Kew, such as the restoration of the Temperate House, the development of the Great Broad Walk Borders, the Children’s Garden, and the Agius Evolution Garden. He currently serves as the Director of Gardens for Kew. In 2019, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the UK’s National Garden Scheme and is also a Trustee (and Vice President) of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Trustee of the Yorkshire Arboretum at Castle Howard, and Trustee of the Kew Guild.

Richard credits his lifelong interest in the natural world to his parents who were both avid bushwalkers and garden makers, and to some key people from his school days including Fred Elliott, David Gilbert and Charles Harbison, who inspired his sense of inquiry and wonder. Richard notes that “the work of botanic gardens and horticulturists has never been more important for our wellbeing, and for the future of our planet.”

George Stewart OAM (OGC 1953)

George was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the Australia Day 2023 Honours List for his outstanding services to the Colac community.

George’s journey began at the College, where he was a boarder. After completing Form 5, in 1954, he embarked on his career with Strachan & Company Ltd, a woolbroking firm located in Geelong. In 1956, he was posted to their Lismore branch, where he served as an assistant to the manager. It was during this time that he crossed paths with Yvonne (LEE), a former Morongo College boarding student and fellow employee of Strachan’s. Their connection blossomed, culminating in their marriage in 1958. In 1961, George and Yvonne relocated to Colac, where he joined the family business, Charles Stewart & Company (Stock & Property Agents). Initially an Auctioneer, he eventually ascended to the position of Managing Director until his son Michael took over the role in 1998.

In 1962, their elder son, Nicholas, was born, followed by Michael in 1965 and Fiona in 1967. All three children were boarders at the College.

George’s foray into community involvement commenced in 1967 when he was elected as a commissioner of the Colac Water Trust and Sewerage Authority. Over the next 25 years, he remained a dedicated member of the organisation and served as its chairman from 1979 to 1982. His leadership extended to the Victorian Water and Sewerage Authorities Association, where he held an executive position from 1983 to 1990, including a term as President in 1987-88. Notably, in 1994, he was appointed by the Victorian

Government to spearhead the amalgamation of the Shire of Colac, the City of Colac, and the Otway Shire Council into one unified municipality, which was successfully completed in 1996.

George’s commitment to community welfare led to his appointment as a director of the Barwon Regional Water Authority in 1997, a role he served until 2000. Between 2006 and 2010, he assumed the position of Chairman of the fundraising committee for the establishment of the Anam Cara

Community Hospice in Colac and remains its Founding Patron. In 2016, he was ordained as an Elder of Scots Presbyterian Church Colac.

George said: “I am deeply honoured and incredibly humbled to have received this award which was totally unexpected and something I will treasure for the rest of my life. I believe my involvement in the various organisations serving the Colac community has been a privilege and a most rewarding experience.”

Noel Graham AM (OGC 1972)

Noel Graham has been awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the King’s Birthday 2023 Honours List for his significant service to agriculture and the rice-growing-industry.

Noel has devoted his life to the rice and broader agricultural sector, following the footsteps of his family, who have been farming at ‘Corunna’ for 114 years. His father, Greg, held the presidency of the Ricegrowers Association (RGA) for a significant duration.

His extensive involvement in the RGA included serving as the secretary of the Deniliquin RGA branch for two terms, followed by his election as Vice President, a role he held from 1986 to 2018. In the same year, he was appointed as an Honorary Councillor of the RGA. During this period, Noel represented the RGA at the Rice Marketing Board from 2001 to 2018 and served as a member of the Rice Research and Development Advisory Panel for 15 years.

Noel’s corporate sector roles, as outlined in his citation, include his partnership in N.G. and L.E. Graham (a business he shares with his wife, Louise) since 1990. He also served as a member of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation’s Rice Research and Development Committee from 1988 to 2000. Additionally, he served as the chair of SolRice (Solomon Islands) from 2006 to 2015, the chair of SunFoods LLC (California) from 2010 to 2015, and as a director

of Trukai (Papua New Guinea) from 2003 to 2009. Noel was also chairman and non-executive board member of the Rice Marketing Board and deputy chair and non-executive director of Sunrice, from 2000 to 2017.

Noel described his involvement in these various roles as being part of an era of exciting and challenging changes within the industry. He highlighted the “great upheaval of the rice industry” and the pivotal role he played in introducing technology for recording local data, resulting in a doubling of rice yields within five years. He also took immense pride in his contribution to the

development of land and water management plans, notably the Murray LWMP, which was the first allencompassing environmental plan in Australia. It led farmers to recognise the connection between their farms and the environment.

While Noel has retired from his agricultural committee roles, he continues to contribute to the community by serving as a nonexecutive director of Intereach, a not-for-profit organisation delivering NDIS, Aged care, and supporting children, families, older individuals, people living with mental health, and caregivers.