This citation was read on the occasion of Maurice O’Shea's induction into the City of Cessnock Hall of Fame on 26 November 2008.
Maurice George O’Shea was born in 1897 in North Sydney, the son of an Irish-born wine-and-spirit merchant and his French wife. Maurice was educated in Sydney and France, before training as a viticulturist and analytical chemist at the University of Montpellier, where he also lectured. He returned to NSW in 1920.
Maurice began to make wine on the family property, which came to be known as Mount Pleasant, at Pokolbin. After a number of years working independently, in 1932 he sold a half-share in the vineyard to McWilliam's Wines, and became manager and a director of its subsidiary, Mt Pleasant Wines.
This arrangement left him free to concentrate on winemaking, even after 1941 when he sold out completely, but remained manager and winemaker.
Maurice became a major purchaser of Hunter Valley grapes and wine for resale and blending. His individualistic and innovative approach enabled him to develop new expertise, breaking with tradition by using varietal rather than generic names for his products and calling wines after individual vats and vineyards.
He was also knowledgeable about food, and highly regarded by owners of Sydney restaurants.
Maurice had a long association with the Wine and Food Society and was president of its Newcastle branch.
Maurice’s career as a winemaker saw him gain a legendary status in the Australian wine industry, and his contribution to that industry helped to make it the international success that it is today.
Maurice died in 1956 at the age of 58.
This citation was read on the occasion of Len Evans's induction into the City of Cessnock Hall of Fame on 28 November 2007.
Leonard Paul Evans was born in England in 1930.
He arrived in Australia in 1955 via New Zealand. His early career included stints as a fitness instructor, golf teacher, tree feller, dingo fence builder, welder, and scriptwriter for The Mavis Bramston Show.
Eventually, he settled on a career in the food and wine industry.
Len established the finest cellar of Australian and imported wines in the country at the Chevron Hilton in the 1960s, and was Australia’s first regular wine columnist.
In 1968 he founded Len Evans Wines and The Rothbury Estate, commencing his long association with Pokolbin as a resident and businessman.
His expertise in and knowledge of wine won him national and international accolades and awards and led to his appointment as judge at all the major wine shows. He was also a prolific author and wrote the first encyclopedia of Australian wine in 1973.
His business enterprise saw the establishment of further companies including the Evans Wine Company, Petaluma, Evans Family Wines and Tower Estate.
His contribution to the development of the Hunter wine and tourism industries over the past 30 years has been of great significance. For example, under his leadership, Rothury Wines went from a 10,000 case company in 1972 to one of 650,000 cases in 1996, employing over 200 people.
Len has also been a major fund raiser for charity on hundreds of occasions.
He was awarded an OBE in 1982 and an AO in 1999.
Len died in 2006.
http://www.rcnsw.asn.au/hof/evans.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/an-influence-worth-bottling/2006/08/21/1156012469552.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Evans_%28wine_columnist%29
This citation was read on the occasion of Glen Renfrew's induction into the City of Cessnock Hall of Fame on 28 November 2007.
Glen McGarvie Renfrew was born in Aberdare in 1928, the tenth child of a coal miner who had left the pit to become a lay preacher for a Gospel Church.
Glen studied modern languages at Sydney University, graduating in 1947.
He spent some time working on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme, before travelling overseas where he eventually joined Reuters staff in 1952, for what was to be the start of a lifelong career with that company.
Until 1959, he was assigned to a series of postings to develop commercial services in South Africa, South-East Asia and Belgium.
The next decade took Glen to Singapore, and then to Brussels again to oversee the development of Reuters services for South East Asia and the Common Market countries respectively. He gained further experience with the development of computer based and economic services.
He spent the 1970s as Manager, Reuters North America before being appointed to lead the company in 1981 as Chief Executive, Reuters Ltd (only the seventh chief in the 154 year history of the company).
As leader of the organisation, Glen oversaw the transformation of the company into a major supplier of real-time financial information delivery. He also managed the first simultaneous transatlantic public float, achieving global recognition for Reuters.
Glen retired to Bermuda in 1991, and later died in England in 2006.
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article1164547.ece
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/Former-Reuters-chief-Glen-Renfrew-dies/2006/07/04/1151778904187.html
This citation was read on the occasion of Douglas Daft's induction into the City of Cessnock Hall of Fame on 6th December 2006.
Douglas Daft was born in Cessnock in 1943, and completed his local education at Cessnock High School . He subsequently graduated from the University of New England , and had a brief career as a teacher.
In 1969, Douglas joined the Coca-Cola Company as a planning officer in the Sydney office, and subsequently held positions throughout East Asia . In 1982, he was appointed Vice President of Coca-Cola Far East, and later, in 2000, he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Coca-Cola Company, the only non-US citizen to serve in those positions.
During his time in that role, Douglas Daft helped to establish the Coca-Cola Mayoral Academic Awards, a program which helps undergraduates from the Cessnock area.
Douglas retired from Coca-Cola in 2004, but continues to serve on the boards of major corporations such as Wal-Mart and The McGraw Hill Companies.
He was awarded a Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) in 2005 for service to leadership in the global business community, commitment to corporate social responsibility, contributions in the field of education, and support for community based development initiatives.
This citation was read on the occasion of Meg McDonald's induction into the City of Cessnock Hall of Fame on 6th December 2006.
Meg McDonald was born in Bellbird in 1956. She was educated at St Patrick’s Primary School, and St Joseph ’s College, Lochinvar, before completing a degree at the University of New South Wales .
Meg’s early career was spent in the Australian public service, where she became a career diplomat. She served in Geneva doing trade negotiations and was later staff adviser to several Government Ministers. She served as Assistant Secretary of the Environment and Antarctic Branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) from 1995 to 1997.
As Australia ’s Ambassador for the Environment in 1997 – 1998, she was lead negotiator for the Kyoto Protocol and other environment treaties. From that role, in 1998 she was appointed Australia ’s Deputy Ambassador in Washington DC , a position she held until 2002.
Meg has been a member of several boards and Australian Government Advisory Councils.
In 2002, Meg McDonald was appointed General Manager Corporate Affairs, for Alcoa in Australia , and at the beginning of 2006 she was made President of the Alcoa Foundation. Meg now lives in New York .
