Ian Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 Blyth, South Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Known for | Painting |
| Awards | Medal of the Order of Australia 2013 |
| Website | http://www.medikagallery.com.au |
Ian Thomas Roberts OAM (born 1952, Blyth, South Australia) is a nationally recognised Australian bird and native vegetation painter; he is a co-director, with his wife Narelle, of the Medika Gallery (Blyth).
Starting from 1983, Roberts devotes most of his time to painting which was his hobby during the previous 18 farming years. His interest in the natural world explains the main focus of his paintings. [1] He is also a book illustrator; his drawings appeared in Eucalypts of Western Australia's Wheatbelt by French Malcolm [2] and Native Eucalypts of South Australia by Dean Nicolle. [3]
A third generation Blyth dweller, Ian Roberts is active in a local farming community in Blyth (pop. 306) located in the Clare Valley region, South Australia, situated 132 kilometres (82 mi) north of Adelaide. He was a member of a District Council of Blyth, the Blyth Hospital Board and Country Fire Service, & in 2013 is still a member of the Blyth Development Board, BlythCinema, Blyth Progress Association, & Blyth Town Management.[ citation needed ]
He was also the instigator of Blyth Cinema, a community based movie theater opened in May 2005 in a former Masonic Hall, and continues to be its manager. [4]
The Blyth local and regional (community and private) solar photovoltaic power development was another of Roberts' projects, through his chairmanship of Blyth Development Board. [5] This involved the installation of 2.7 kW of solar power on each of 7 community sporting club-rooms and over 60 private installations from 1KW to 3KW systems and took place in 2009.
Roberts was the prime mover behind the Brooks Lookout development, which was opened on 21 October 2001. This Lookout has sweeping views to 100 km across the Blyth plains and includes a reserve that protects valuable remnant native vegetation.[ citation needed ]
Roberts was also involved in the establishment of the Padnaindi Reserve in Blyth. The original development took place in 1984; Roberts designed the 16 panels for the laser cut fence surrounding the park which were installed in 2012. [6] [ citation needed ]
In 2013, Ian Roberts received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). [7] Previously, he was acknowledged in 2007 as a member of the group of Blyth's Cinema volunteers with the inaugural regional Emu Award and in 2008 travelled to Melbourne to accept the national Westpac Community Idol 2008 Award for the Blyth Cinema. [4]
The author of Native Eucalypts of South Australia Dr. Dean Nicolle, director and head of research at Currency Creek Arboretum (CCA), which is a world-known eucalypti research facility, acknowledged Robert's help in producing the book, which included 97 watercolor paintings by Ian Roberts. [8] Nicolle wrote that Ian Roberts "not only painted and allowed reproduction of all the seedlings illustrated in this book, but also grew most of these seedlings at a community nursery at Blyth". [9]
The Wheatbelt is one of nine regions of Western Australia defined as administrative areas for the state's regional development, and a vernacular term for the area converted to agriculture during colonisation. It partially surrounds the Perth metropolitan area, extending north from Perth to the Mid West region, and east to the Goldfields-Esperance region. It is bordered to the south by the South West and Great Southern regions, and to the west by the Indian Ocean, the Perth metropolitan area, and the Peel region. Altogether, it has an area of 154,862 square kilometres (59,793 sq mi).
Eucalyptus cladocalyx, commonly known as sugar gum, is a species of eucalypt tree found in the Australian state of South Australia. It is found naturally in three distinct populations - in the Flinders Ranges, Eyre Peninsula and on Kangaroo Island.
Eucalyptus erythronema, commonly known as the red-flowered mallee, is a species of mallee or tree and is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth, dark pink to red bark that is shed to reveal whitish bark, and has lance-shaped adult leaves, pendulous flower buds mostly arranged in groups of three, red or yellow flowers and conical fruit.
Blyth is a small town in the Mid North of South Australia, located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west of the renowned Clare Valley. The town is located on the lands of the Kaurna people, the indigenous people who lived there before European settlement. It has a population of 306, the farming community spanning the plains between the Clare Hills and the Barunga/Hummocks ranges. Altitude is 189 metres (620 ft), and rainfall is approximately 400 millimetres (16 in) per annum.
Eucalyptus dumosa, commonly known as the white mallee, dumosa mallee, or Congoo mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to south eastern Australia. It usually has rough, flaky grey bark on the lower trunk, smooth bark above, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped, cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.
Eucalyptus fasciculosa, commonly known as pink gum, hill gum or scrub gum, is a species of small tree that is endemic to southern Australia. It has mostly smooth, light grey to pinkish bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and conical to barrel-shaped fruit.
Eucalyptus gracilis, commonly known as yorrell or white mallee, is a species of mallee or small tree endemic to Australia, where it is found in south-western New South Wales], Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. It has smooth white bark, usually with rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the lower stems, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in group of between seven and eleven and cup-shaped, cylindrical or barrel-shaped fruit.
Eucalyptus leptophylla, commonly known as the March mallee, slender-leaved red mallee or narrow-leaved red mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to inland Australia. It has smooth greyish bark, linear to narrow lance-shaped, oblong or curved adult leaves, flower buds in groups of between seven and thirteen, creamy white flowers and cup-shaped, barrel-shaped or hemispherical fruit.
Eucalyptus socialis, commonly known as the red mallee, or grey mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to inland Australia.
Eucalyptus effusa, commonly known as rough-barked gimlet, is a species of mallee or small tree that is endemic to Western Australia. It has thin, rough bark on the base of the trunk, smooth bark above, linear to narrow lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds arranged in groups of seven, white flowers and cup-shaped to conical fruit.
Eucalyptus gypsophila, also known as the kopi mallee, is a species of mallee that is native to Western Australia and South Australia. It has rough, flaky bark on the lower part of the trunk, smooth light grey bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds mostly in groups of between seven and eleven, creamy white flowers and conical to cylindrical fruit.
Eucalyptus pendens, commonly known as the Badgingarra weeping mallee, is a mallee that is native to a small area on the west coast of Western Australia.
Eucalyptus phenax, commonly known as green dumosa mallee or white mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to southern Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of seven or nine, white flowers and cup-shaped to cylindrical fruit.
Eucalyptus yalatensis, commonly known as the Yalata mallee, is a species of mallee or a shrub that is endemic to southern Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark on the stems, smooth bark above, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds mostly in groups of nine, creamy white or yellowish flowers and hemispherical to shortened spherical fruit.
Eucalyptus wimmerensis, commonly known as the Wimmera mallee box or the broad-leaved green mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to an area around the border between Victoria and South Australia. It usually has smooth bark on the trunk and branches, linear to narrow oblong leaves, flower buds in groups of seven to eleven, white flowers and cup-shaped to barrel-shaped fruit.
Eucalyptus vokesensis, commonly known as the Vokes Hill mallee, is a species of mallee that is endemic to South Australia. It has rough bark on the lower stems and larger branches, broadly lance-shaped to broadly egg-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in group of nine to thirteen, pale yellow flowers and cup-shaped to barrel-shaped fruit.
Eucalyptus arcana, commonly known as the Mallee manna gum or Carpenter Rocks gum is a mallee that is endemic to South Australia. It has rough bark from the base of the trunk to the thinnest branches, lance-shaped, sometimes curved leaves, flower buds in groups of seven, white flowers and hemispherical fruit. It is only known from a single population near Carpenter Rocks.
Eucalyptus extrica, commonly known as eastern tallerack, is a species of mallee that is endemic to Western Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves arranged in opposite pairs, flower buds in groups of three, whitish flowers and cylindrical to barrel-shaped fruit.
Eucalyptus alatissima is a mallee that is endemic to central parts of the Great Victoria Desert. It has rough bark on the lower part of its stems, smooth tan to cream-coloured bark on its upper parts, egg-shaped to lance-shaped leaves and buds in groups of three. The buds have a powdery covering and are prominently winged.
Eucalyptus orthostemon is a species of mallee that is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It has smooth coppery and greyish bark, linear adult leaves, oval to spindle-shaped buds in groups of seven, creamy white flowers and conical to cup-shaped fruit.