Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Revenue) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia and, indeed, the international wine industry suffered a great loss with the passing of Len Evans on 17 August. No-one did more than Len Evans to awaken traditionally beer-drinking Australians to the delights of wine consumption. No-one has done more to promote Australia’s now-famous wines in other countries.

Born in England in 1930, Len declined a scholarship at Cambridge to become a professional golfer, a game he enjoyed until his passing. Living in Sydney during the 1950s, he became a writer of note, contributing to the Observer and to the script of the Mavis Bramston Show. He later contributed to many publications and books on wine.

His love of wine began when he took a job as a glass-washer at the Ship Inn and developed extensively and rapidly when he became food and beverage manager at the Chevron Hilton. Soon after, Len was sharing his knowledge of, and passion for, wine through regular columns in the Bulletin. During the 1960s Len was employed by the then Wine Board as its first national promotions executive, and at around the same time he began his love affair with what we now know as the Hunter Valley wine country, where he established the world renowned Rothbury Estate and, later, Tower Estate.

Len was, of course, one of the world’s most highly respected wine judges—an art he went to great lengths to share unselfishly with others. Len Evans AO, OBE was one of Australia’s great ambassadors and will be sadly missed by all those in the wine industry and beyond. On behalf of the House, I extend sympathy to his wife, Trish, and his children, Sally, Jodie and Toby.