About Us
Honorary Life Members
The honour is bestowed at the discretion of TREENET’s Management Committee.
Honorary Life Members have the right to receive notice of and attend and cast a vote, at the Annual General Meetings.
Honorary Life Members are able to freely attend the annual Symposium as guests.
David Lawry OAM
Co-founder TREENET, Founder Avenues of Honour
David co-founded TREENET (Tree and Roadway Experimental and Educational Network) in 1997 with Dr Jennifer Gardner, curator of the Waite Arboretum and was its Director until December 2012. He is also responsible for founding the “Avenues of Honour 1915-2015” project in 2004.
With a Degree in Agricultural Science and a long horticultural history in the nursery and landscaping industry, David is a respected champion for the emerging science aimed at improving the establishment and retention of trees in urban settings, particularly street trees.
In 2008 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia:
“For service to arboriculture and the environment, particularly through research and support for sustainable plantings in the urban landscape, and to the community through the Avenues of Honour project.”
Brian Measday
Former TREENET Treasurer
As a ‘semi-retired’ chartered accountant with a passion for environmental causes, he was easily persuaded to take on the role of honorary Treasurer with TREENET from its origins.
Brian was instrumental in helping TREENET to navigate the challenges of legal processes, governance issues and ultimately ensuring TREENET’s long-term, financial independence.
Brian’s 15-year tour of duty was interrupted for a brief time, thinking he had relinquished his time volunteering. However, one day, on the pretext of a fishing trip organised by David Lawry, he was lured back into the fold amid much celebration by the TREENET team.
Brian’s legacy and wonderful financial stewardship remains well beyond his eventual retirement from TREENET.
Dr Jennifer Gardner OAM
Co-founder TREENET
Jennifer assisted David Lawry to co-found TREENET in 1997. Jennifer’s University liaison role on TREENET’s Management Committee and Advisory Board, taking minutes, collating and accurately preserving TREENET’s history and formally as Public Officer, provides TREENET with an unmatched legacy.
Jennifer retired from TREENET service in 2017, when also retiring as Curator of the Waite Arboretum at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Campus– a position she held for 31 years.
For Jennifer the Waite Arboretum is a very special place as a valuable experimental collection, a repository for rare and endangered species, an asset for teaching and research, wildlife habitat, a resource for landscape architects, planners, arborists and the nursery industry and a tranquil green space for the enjoyment of the whole community, as well as its environmental benefits.
Jennifer continues her association as a Waite Arboretum volunteer, working projects and participating in working bees in the Waite Arboretum, Gardens and the Waite Conservation Reserve – 121 ha of remnant Grey Box Grassy Woodland.
Mark Willcocks
TREENET Advisory Board
In 1974 Mark started a small business, which has since grown into Active Tree Services, an industry leading organisation.
Mark has been instrumental in bringing together tree contracting organisations through leadership of industry bodies and the sponsorship of Arboriculture Australia and the Utility Arborist Association of Australia.
In similar fashion, Mark’s unbroken 20 years of annual sponsorship for TREENET is a natural extension of his generosity towards the urban forest research and education sector.
Mark’s most notable support for TREENET is of course largely reflected in his passion for TREENET’s national “Avenues of Honour Project”. His shared values about living memorials and wonderful philanthropic support to ensure the success of the project is highly regarded.
In 2012 Mark was selected by Australian Arbor Age as the first Living Legend of the Australian tree industry.
Judy Fakes
TREENET Advisory Board
Upon her retirement, Judy had been a long-serving member of TREENET’s Management Committee, from the very early days.
Her advisory capacity within TREENET built on her educational prowess, as in a former life, Judy was Head Teacher of Parks, Gardens & Arboriculture at Ryde College of TAFE where for 30 years she specialised in the teaching of the theory and practice of soil science and arboriculture. She holds qualifications in Agricultural Science, Education, Tree Surgery, Forestry and Planning.
Post-Ryde, Judy became a full-time Commissioner in the NSW Land & Environment Court.
Fondly dubbed “Queen Judy” within the TREENET fraternity, she remains a volunteer member of the TREENET Advisory Board.
Dr Greg Moore OAM
Former Chair, TREENET
Greg was Principal of Burnley College of the Institute of Land Food Resources at Melbourne University from 1988 to 2007. Prior to this he was a Senior Lecturer and Lecturer in Plant Science and Arboriculture at Burnley from 1979. He was Head of the School of Resource Management at the University from 2002 to 2007.
Apart from a general interest in horticultural plant science, revegetation and ecology, Greg has a specific interest in all aspects of arboriculture, which is the scientific study of the cultivation and management of trees. He has contributed to the development of Australian Standards in pruning, protection of trees on development sites and amenity tree evaluation and has been a major speaker at conferences in Australia, China, Israel, Hong Kong, USA, France and New Zealand. He was the inaugural president of the International Society of Arboriculture, Australian Chapter. He has been a regular on Melbourne radio, particularly with ABC 774 and 3AW.
He has been a member of the National Trust of Victoria’s Register of Significant Trees since 1988 and has chaired the committee since 1996. Greg was on the Board of Greening Australia (Victoria) 1988 – 2012. He has been on the board of TREENET (chair 2005-2019) since 1999 and has been on the Board of Sustainable Gardening Australia since 2002. He was a ministerial nomination for the Trust for Nature from 2009 to 2017 and for Yarra Park from 2010 – 2020. He has also served on a number of industry and TAFE sector committees, especially those that deal with curriculum and accreditation matters.
He continues to pursue an active research profile in any matters that relate to trees in the urban environment and revegetation. He has written three books, seven book chapters and has had some 180 papers and articles relating to tree biology and management published. He was awarded an OAM in 2017 for services to the environment, particularly arboriculture.
Glenn Williams
Former Director, TREENET
Glenn enjoyed the role of Director of TREENET for 9 years, from January 2013 through to December 2021.
In a past life, Glenn has a background as a former school teacher and adult educator; followed by professional career in local government as a Natural Resources Officer and personal involvement in the care and conservation of natural areas for over 30 years.
As a former Natural Heritage Manager with the National Trust of South Australia, Glenn commanded the Trust’s Register of Significant Trees. His experience supporting the panel of significant tree experts, only served to increase his love affair with culturally significant trees. Whilst Glenn is no longer an active volunteer with the Trust’s Significant Tree Team, his passion for special-merit trees remains undiminished.
As a TREENET volunteer, Glenn’s passion for heritage tree conservation continues to be rewarded with a focus on Australia’s living memorials, for war service, sacrifice and suffering, through the national, Avenues of Honour project.
