The affable Don McWilliam, who has notched up over 50 years and 45 vintages in Australian wine, was awarded a Member in the Order of Australia (AM) for service to Australian wine. He was made a director of McWilliam’s in 1957, chief executive in 1970 (retiring in 1993) and chairman (a position he still holds) in 1988. A Patron of the Wine Industry, he also collected the Graham Gregory Trophy in 1995 for his contribution to horticultural research and development. He has served on more committees than most successful bureaucrats and was instrumental behind the creation of the Maurice O’Shea Award, the most prestigious acknowledgement in Australian wine.
