The late Antony (Tony) Smith, founder of Plantagenet Wines in the Great Southern region, has been posthumously awarded the Order of Australia.
He was recognised in the Kings Birthday Honours for service to oenology.
A fierce advocate for Western Australian wine, Tony established Plantagenet at Mount Barker in 1968 – the first commercial winery in the region.
Tony planted trial vineyards of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon on his Bouverie property in Denbarker.
In 1972 he planted Riesling in the Wyjup vineyard and the first wines were made in 1974.
Tony was a great contributor to the wine and broader community.
He was co-founder and president of the WA Grape Growers and Wine Producers Association, co-founder of the Wine Show of WA and vice-chair of the Small Winemakers Forum.
Tony was involved in the Rotary Club, Apex, Royal Flying Doctor Service and Mount Barker Hospital.
He was appointed a patron of Australian Grape & Wine in 2001 and won the Jack Mann Award in 1995.
Tony was raised in county Berkshire in England, his family running a business selling books.
He came to Australia in 1960 and took a job as a jackeroo near Deniliquin in NSW.
Tony and his wife Alison moved to Western Australia, buying a small holding at Mount Barker, 360km south of Perth.
They grazed sheep and cattle and cleared 50 hectares of virgin country, before planting the first vines.
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