Honouring our
Significant Redlanders
Following the opening of the Redlands Learning Hub in 2020, significant alumni were identified in order to acknowledge and celebrate their contribution in alignment with each of the respective faculties within the building.
The following Alumni are honoured within the Redlands Learning Hub.
dr thistle stead (harris) am
class of 1920
botanist and environmental activist
Level 5: Roof Top Garden is named in honour of Dr Thistle Stead (Harris) AM, Class of 1920, a botanist and environmental activist.
Roof Top Garden
Dr Thistle Stead (Harris) AM
Class of 1920
Botanist and Environmental Activist
Thistle Stead (Harris) attended Redlands from 1916 to 1920 and was Dux of the School. She was also involved in Sport and Debating. She was strongly influenced by her Redlands education, including field trips, and was introduced to her future husband, botanist David Stead, by her Botany teacher and long-time staff member, Miss Constance le Plastrier.
Thistle graduated with a Science degree and a Diploma in Education from the University of Sydney. One of her first positions was as a school teacher in Broken Hill, where she was able to study flowers of the desert. Her first of many books, Wildflowers of Australia, published in 1938, was in print for decades and profoundly influenced the way Australians view their flora today.
Her legacy saw the establishment of the 50-acre Wirrimburra Sanctuary at Bargo and the David G Stead Memorial Wildlife Research Foundation of Australia.