APS Newcastle is proud to congratulate long-standing member Kevin Stokes, who has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the King’s Birthday 2026 Honours List, recognised for service to conservation and the environment.
Background
In 1975, Kevin Stokes joined the Society for Growing Australian Plants (now the Australian Plants Society – APS) and worked hard on the committee of Newcastle group for well over twenty years. He served the Newcastle Group of the APS enthusiastically in many committee positions, including the Presidency for two years. Other positions that he has held being Vice President, Librarian, outings organiser and member of the landscape Sub- committee. Kevin, who is a brilliant photographer, has been a speaker and showed many superb photos of Australian flora at APS meetings.
Kevin has a deep love and extensive knowledge of our Australian environment, especially of its unique flora. He has been an ardent advocate of ecosystem preservation and promotion against its ever-present and continuing destruction. Kevin has collected plant material for propagation from far away areas, while enjoying the experience of our environment. Before his retirement, Kevin worked at Newcastle University as a Glasshouse Technician. He provided plants for students and did his own research on Australian flora.
In 1981 Kevin and two other members of APS responded to a request from the Northern Parks and Playgrounds Movement and attended a meeting called to examine the prospect of establishing a Botanic Gardens in the Newcastle region. After many sites were investigated by Kevin and an elected committee, the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens (HRBG) was established at Heatherbrae near Newcastle in 1986. Kevin has provided advice on the restoration and rehabilitation of HWCAs’ forty-five-hectare site over the many years since.
His enthusiasm and commitment to this project, including committee member (President), has never wavered.
Kevin’s passion for grevilleas has also never waned, with him being actively involved in the APS Grevillea Study group as well as being the curator of the magnificent grevillea garden at HRBG. See his article on grevilleas and the grevillea garden at the HRBG.
Congratulations Kevin- You deserve it!
High regards
Mark Henley, Paddy Lightfoot and all the APS Newcastle committee.
Eligibility for Order of Australia 2026:
The Order of Australia celebrates Australians who make an outstanding contribution to the community – at the local, national or international level. The Council decides who should be recommended based on a person’s actions, achievements and the difference they have made. People who are recognised go above and beyond what is reasonably expected (or could be expected) to make life better for others.
To be eligible for the Order of Australia, a nominee must: Be alive at the time their nomination is received
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident (see note below)
- Have not been recognised through the Order of Australia in the last five years.
Australians from all walks of life are recognised through the Order of Australia. They may: Be a volunteer whose service is over and above the contributions of other volunteers
- Have made an outstanding contribution within their professional field (whatever that is)
- Have done both – made an impact in their job/s and contributed as a volunteer. Usually, recipients have contributed in many ways.
It doesn’t matter what their background is or what type of work they do, if someone makes a positive difference they may be recognised
Kevin Stokes photo: thanks to HRBG
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Acknowledgement by Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
per HRBG Facebook page 24 May:2026
MAN OF THE MOMENT
The Gardens longest serving volunteer Kevin Stokes today delivered a heartfelt and inspiring speech celebrating 40 years of continuous service, reflecting on decades of environmental stewardship and a lifelong passion for Australian native plants. Kevin recalled that the early development of the botanic gardens was anything but easy and reflected on the pioneering challenges faced by the small group of dedicated community members who believed in creating a botanic garden for the Hunter.
Grevilleas at the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
Kevin Stokes, Curator Grevillea Garden, Hunter Region Botanic Gardens
The Grevillea Garden at HRBG has had a chequered history of success and hard times. Begun in the late 1980s by Heather Clarke, it flourished under her care to the extent that several large hybrids had to be removed to allow room for more species. Heather at one time had about 85% of known Grevillea species growing there.
I took on the job of curator at the start of 2021, inheriting a garden well past its usefulness as a display garden due to old and unkempt plants and weeds. There has been an upgrade of major paths to facilitate disabled access and a program of plant maintenance and replanting is underway. The focus will be on species, particularly threatened species, including local Hunter Valley threatened species such as Grevillea mollis, G. linsmithii, G. guthrieana, and two forms of G. gillivrayi from New Caledonia.
Several hybrid Grevilleas have sprouted naturally in the garden and been maintained, with the Hunter prefix assigned — Hunter Beauty, Hunter Scarlet, Hunter Rambler, and others. Two recent additions are G. Radiance and G. Obsession.
Although I can’t predict the Grevillea Garden at HRBG will reach the quality of some private collections, I hope with time it can be promoted as a worthwhile place to visit to view the genus Grevillea. The HRBG website is www.huntergardens.org.au, with a tab containing about 160 images of grevilleas growing there.