Australian Plants Society (Victoria)

Australian Plants Society Victoria:
promoting Australian plants for more than 50 years

Arthur Swaby had a deep conviction that Australian plants deserved a prominent place in Australian horticulture. For several years he wrote a column called “Know Your Natives” in the popular gardening magazine Your Garden. In 1957, inspired by enthusiastic interest in his column, he called a meeting for anyone who liked to grow Australian native plants. The response was overwhelming, and the Society for Growing Australian Plants was established in Victoria. Now, there are 29 District Groups across Victoria, and APS Victoria is a member of ANPSA – The Australian Native Plants Society (Australia), Australia’s largest horticultural society.

Our Objectives:

• Promote growing Australian plants in home gardens and public places
• Encourage the nursery industry to propagate and supply Australian plants
• Improve Australian plants as garden subjects
• Encourage the recognition and development of distinctive landscape styles and forms using Australian plants
• Encourage and facilitate the conservation and study of Australian plants and their habitats
• Monitor and encourage the strengthening of the laws for preservation of flora

Honour Board

The Society has three awards recognising those who have made special contributions:
Honorary Life Membership For people who have made an outstanding contribution towards furthering the Society’s aims
Impressa Award For members who have rendered outstanding service in one of the following categories:
Outstanding service to the Australian Plants Society Victoria Inc
Outstanding service to a District Group
Outstanding service to Australian Native Plants
Outstanding service to Conservation and Sustainability
Certificate of Commendation For members who have rendered distinguished service to the Society worthy of acknowledgement and commendation

Honorary Life Members

1957	Thistle Harris* (Mrs D G Stead) Miss Jean Galbraith* Miss Alison Ashby*	Mr George Althofer* Mr Dave Gordon* Mr Alf Gray*	Mr Ivo Hammet* Mr Frederick Payne*
1961	Mr A Hargrave*
1963	Mr Arthur Swaby*
1972	Miss Enid Bowman*	Mr Fred Rogers*
1974	Dr Jim Willis*	Mrs Marielies Fisch*
1978	Mr Laurie Baglin*	Mrs Freda Baglin*	Mr Mal Erskine*
1982	Mr Tom Blackney*	Mrs Hazel Blackney*
1983	Mr Alf Salkin*	Mrs Esma Salkin*
1984	Mr Fred Jeffs*
1986	Mr Bill Cane*
1987	Mr Rodger Elliot	Mrs Gwen Elliot
1988	Mr Glyn Sago*
1990	Mr Alby Lindner*	Mr David Davie*
1993	Mrs Beryl Birch*	Mr Ross Field
1994	Mrs Bev Fox
1995	Mr Bill Gunn* Mrs Doris Gunn*	Mr George Smith*	Mrs Alvina Smith
1996	Mrs Stephanie Rennick*
1998	Mr Paul Kennedy	Mrs Barbara Kennedy
1999	Mrs Cherree Densley
2000	Mr Ern Perkins*	Mrs Lesley Perkins	Mrs June Rogers
2001	Ms Nicky Zanen (Rose)
2002	Mrs Marilyn Bull (Gray)
2005	Mrs Norma Bathie
2007	Mrs Barbara Buchanan
2008	Mr Bill Aitchison	Ms Sue Guymer
2011	Mrs Helen Kennedy
2012	Mr Neil Marriott
2015	Mr Ross McDonald
2016	Mr Brendon Stahl
2017	Mrs Cathy Powers
2019	Mr Royce Raleigh	Mrs Maureen Schaumann
2023	Mr Chris Long

* = (Deceased)

Impressa Award

		for outstanding service to		for outstanding service to
2014	Philip Robinson*	APS Victoria	Virginia Barnett	APS Waverley
2017	Paul Kennedy	APS Victoria	Kevin Sparrow	APS Warrnambool
	Judy and Keith Smith	Conservation and Sustainability
2019	Maree Goods	Australian Native Plants	Jeanne Raleigh	APS Victoria
2020	John Thompson	APS SE Melbourne	Graham Goods	Australian Native Plants
2021	Michael Beamish	APS Latrobe Valley
2022	Barry Teague*	Australian Native Plants
2023	Coral Hughes	APS South Gippsland	Barb & David Pye	Australian Native Plants
2024	Anne Langmaid	APS Victoria	Phil Williams	Australian Native Plants
	Jill Lulham	APS Yarra Yarra	Ian Chisholm	Conservation and Sustainability

* = (Deceased)

Certificates of Commendation

1986	Peg Flattely	Carl Rayner
1988	Alvina Smith
1990	Ross McDonald
1996	Valerie Marburg*
1998	Don Weybury*	Jean Weybury
1999	Beverley Graham*
2000	Agnes Coxan
2005	Tony Moore	Brenda Moore	Karen Russell
2007	David Pye Barbara Pye Tony Cavanagh John Nagorcka Laurel Nagorcka	Jan Hall Alan Hall* Peter Lang Marion Lang Brendon Stahl	Kerry Artis Anne Kerr Bryan Loft Barry Norton Sue Gwilym
2008	Ngaire Turner Max Kennedy* Helen Kennedy Glenda Datson Noel Gaskett Graham Goods	Maree Goods Royce Raleigh Jeanne Raleigh JanBert Brouwer* Mabel Brouwer Norma Boschen	Keith Boschen Douglas McColl Evelyn McColl Keith Buck Joy Buck Anne Langmaid
2009	Bruce Grose*
2010	John Facey* Graeme Rowe Sybil Smith Bob O’Neil	Dot O’Neil Lance Lewis Judith Lewis	Pat McKeown Phil Williams Jane Williams*
2011	Bernard Boulton* Dallas Boulton	Raymond Sykes* Kathleen Sykes	Patricia Ettwell Ian Graham
2012	Graeme Nicholls Jan Nicholls	Ian O’Halloran* Bob Shoebridge	Mike Williams Graeme Woods
2013	Marlee Petrie Graeme Stone	Joan Carr	John Thompson
2014	Russell Best* Geoff Beilby	Kerry Davis Phil Hempel	Joan Rand*
2017	Ron Powers*
2019	Shirley Carn*
2021	Colin Jackson
2023	Jan Chisholm	Alison Chatfield
2024	Alex Smart

* = (Deceased)

Presidents of Australian Plants Society Victoria

1957 – 1959	Ivo Hammett*	1959	Jim Addison*
1959 – 1960	Adrian Francis*	1960 – 1964	Geoff Echberg*
1964 – 1968	Fred Rogers*	1968 – 1970	Tom Blackney*
1970 – 1973	Barrie Norton	1973 – 1975	Tom Blackney*
1975 – 1978	David Fletcher	1978 – 1982	Ross McDonald
1982 -1986	David Davie*	1986 – 1988	Bruce Grose*
1988 – 1991	Ross Field	1991 – 1994	Cherree Densley
1994 – 1997	Royce Raleigh	1997 – 2001	Nicky Zanen
2001 – 2004	Neil Marriott	2004 – 2007	Paul Kennedy
2007 – 2010	Brendon Stahl	2010 – 2013	Cathy Powers
2013 – 2016	Greg Brown	2016 – 2019	Chris Long
2019 – 2022	Chris Clarke	2022 – current	Miriam Ford

* = (Deceased)