20-10-1911 ~ 01-07-2003

It was with a great sadness that we learnt of the death of Roy on the 1st day of July 2003 after a short stay in an Adelaide hospital.

Roy’s passion in life was the conservation and promotion of Australian native orchids. In 1977, Roy and Les Nesbitt co-founded the Native Orchid Society of South Australia. Les became the foundation President and Roy foundation Secretary, a position he held for seven years. He subsequently went on to hold many positions in the Society and was its first Life Member.

Roy enjoyed a long history of plant societies, being a member of standing in the Society for Growing Australian Plants and a Life Member of the Orchid Club of South Australia where he always promoted Australian orchids.

Roy was a great supporter of the Black Hill Flora Reserve where he looked after the extensive and well-grown Native Orchid collection. He went there for many years, at least one day every week where he would sell the excessive stock that he had propagated to promote the native orchids and to support the research being done at Black Hill. He was also involved in the production of educational material on native orchids that was sent out to the schools. Roy would present to the children pots of Pterostylis, which earned him the name “Mr Curta”.

Roy was a Foundation member of The Australian Orchid Foundation believing wholeheartedly in the aims of the Foundation of supporting orchid research, conservation and education especially to the young people, so much so that Roy became a regular donor to the projects.

Roy was co- initiator of the R.S. Rogers Native Terrestrial Orchid House at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. For sixteen years he managed the collection, attending to them one full day every week.

In recognition of his dedication to conservation, Roy was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for ‘Service to conservation of the Australian native orchids and to the Native Orchid Society of South Australia’ on Australia Day, 1997.

Roy had a quiet and unassuming manner, but as those who had met him experienced, he had a dogged determination to promote orchid conservation whenever it was possible.

We now say “Roy, your work will not be forgotten, rest in peace”

A donation has been made to the Australian Orchid Trust Fund by the Directors of The Australian Orchid Foundation.

AOTF: 2349