Tasmanian Senior of the Year for 2022 has been named as 76-year-old agricultural scientist and founder of Food Plants International, Bruce French AO.
Mr French was one of four Tasmanian of the Year recipients named at a ceremony this afternoon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Hobart in the presence of the Governor of Tasmania, Her Excellency, Barbara Baker AC.
The winners are:
2022 Tasmania Australian of the Year – Craig Leeson of Burnie;
2022 Tasmania Senior Australian of the Year – Bruce French AO of Burnie;
2022 Tasmania Young Australian of the Year – Kaytlyn Johnson of Lapoinya;
2022 Tasmania Local Hero – Kimberley Smith APM of Hobart.
National Australia Day Council CEO, Karlie Brand congratulated the award recipients.
“The Tasmanian award recipients are all working towards better futures for everyone,” said Ms Brand.
“They are passionate about what they do and lead by example. We look forward to welcoming them to Canberra for the national awards event in January.”
The state’s new Senior of the Year has dedicated his life to collecting and distributing information about edible plants. His work has made a practical difference in improving food security, nutrition and health outcomes for people in developing countries.
In 1999, Mr French founded Food Plants International, with the goal of documenting edible plants around the world. There are now more than 33,500 species detailed on its website.
Food Plants International’s origins go back to the 1970s when Bruce was living in Papua New Guinea. He noticed many villagers suffering from disease and malnutrition, often while surrounded by nutritious edible plants. From that moment, Bruce went on a mission to document the many species in Papua New Guinea.
That effort soon expanded to include plants all around the world.
Food Plants International teamed up with Rotary Tasmania in 2007 and other organisations to create the Food Plant Solutions project. The aim is to provide regions with information on how to grow the most nutritious and viable food plants for their particular environment.
The four Tasmanian recipients will join those from the other states and territories for the national awards to be announced on 25 January 2022.
For more information on the Australian of the Year Awards visit australianoftheyear.org.au.
