2025 Recipient – Dr John Gladstones AO
Dr John Gladstones AO has been posthumously awarded a Wines of Western Australia Life Membership for his significant contribution to the development of the WA wine industry at state and regional level.
The Hon Stephen Dawson, Minister for Regional Development presented the award at the Western Australian Wine INdfustry Parliamentatry Sundowner on 11 November 2025. Accepting the award on Dr Gladsones’ behalf were his duaghter Helen
Dr Gladstones’ impact on Western Australian viticulture cannot be overstated. While his illustrious career at the Western Australian Department of Agriculture spanned more than 20 years with a primary focus on lupin breeding—for which he is considered the “father of the lupin industry”—it was what he modestly called a “side interest… more of a hobby” that would transform Western Australia’s wine landscape forever.
Following conversations with Professor Olmo and the legendary Jack Mann in the 1960s, and recalling childhood holidays in Augusta, Dr Gladstones applied his formidable scientific mind to the question of viticulture potential in Western Australia’s south west. His groundbreaking 1965 paper demonstrated with meticulous detail that the western coast between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste was climatically similar to Bordeaux. This research provided the spark that led to the establishment of a world-class wine industry in Margaret River and opened the door to development across the Great Southern, Geographe, Blackwood Valley, Manjimup and Pemberton regions.
His subsequent publication, Viticulture and Environment (1992), firmly placed Dr Gladstones on the viticultural map of Australia and internationally. The book was awarded Special Distinction in Viticulture by the Office International de la Vigne et du Vin in 1994 and remains a viticultural classic, utilising vast climatic data to illustrate the profound interactions between viticulture and environment.
Dr Gladstones was not simply a brilliant scientist with an exceptional eye for detail—he was a generous mentor and natural leader who championed shared knowledge. As Vanya Cullen recalls, it was Dr Gladstones who advised her father Kevin that he would be “mad to plant lupins, you should plant grapes”—guidance that helped establish Cullen Wines and the broader Margaret River wine region. His collaborative approach and willingness to share his expertise influenced countless future leaders in the Western Australian wine industry.
Throughout his long career and well into retirement, Dr Gladstones continued his research and publishing, demonstrating the curiosity and dedication that defined his life’s work. His contributions were recognised through numerous prestigious accolades including the Farrer Medal for plant breeding (1975), the Sheraton Jack Mann Award (1987), Honorary Life Membership of the American Society for Ecology and Viticulture (2002), the Margaret River Wine Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), the Maurice O’Shea Award (2008), the Cullen Award for Excellence (2017), and Officer of the Order of Australia (2022) for distinguished service to primary industry, particularly agriculture and viticulture.
The JS Gladstones Trophy, awarded annually at the Wine Show of Western Australia to the wine showing the best and most distinctive regional character, stands as a permanent tribute to his vision and legacy. As DPIRD Deputy Director General Cec McConnell noted, Dr Gladstones was “not only a brilliant scientist, with a great eye for detail, he was also a great visionary who could see the bigger picture and integrate science and systems with opportunity.”
Dr John Gladstones was a humble and articulate gentleman whose unmatched work ethic and generous spirit laid the foundations for Western Australia’s thriving wine industry—an industry that generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually and employs thousands of Western Australians. His work continues to influence research, development and wine production throughout our regions to this day.
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