On January 26, Mr Purbrick was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the General Division.
This appointment is given to individuals for service in a particular locality or field of activity or to a particular group.
In the Australian honours system, appointments to the Order of Australia confer the highest recognition for outstanding achievement and service.
Nominations for awards in the General Division come directly from the community and are considered by the Council for the Order of Australia, which makes recommendations directly to the Governor-General.
Over the years, the Nagambie resident has clearly exhibited his dedication to the wine industry.
Among other positions within the group, Mr Purbrick has twice been nominated Australian Grape and Wine Inc vice-president (formerly Winemakers Federation of Australia), first from 1994 to 1999, and currently has held the title since 2018, and was president from 1999 to 2001.
Mr Purbrick was a member of the selection committee and the inaugural chairman of the Bulk Wine Task Force at Wine Australia (formerly Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation.)
Mr Purbrick was twice a board member, and the president, of the Australian Regional Winemakers Forum, and he was also the director and inaugural chairman at Australia’s First Families of Wine.
Arguably, most notable, is Mr Purbrick’s dedication to Nagambie’s own Tahbilk Winery, which has been in his family for five generations since 1925.
Mr Purbrick was the first formally-trained winemaker in his family and was Tahbilk’s chief winemaker from 1978 to 2000.
Mr Purbrick has been director of Tahbilk Pty Ltd and Tahbilk Group since 1980, and stepped down as CEO in 2022, following a reign of over 40 years.
Mr Purbrick has also had appointments in the Shire of Strathbogie, being an Audit and Risk Committee member since 2016, and was a councillor from 2012 to 2016.
The Victorian Legend of the Vine of the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards was awarded to Mr Purbrick in 2023.
Mr Purbrick also received the Len Evans Award for Australian Wine Industry Leadership in 2012, and the ‘Legend’ status at the Melbourne Wine and Food Festival in 2011.
Mr Purbrick’s commitment, hard work and service, to not only the wine industry, but his community as well, is what has driven him to receive this honour.
To appoint community members as an AM is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate inspiring people who make the nation what it is.
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