President's Monthly Message

July 2026 

Honours and Awards

We are delighted to announce that two ICS members have recently received outstanding honours:

• Stephen Utick, ICS Vice-President (Oceania) and Chair of the ICS Committee for Historic Camellia Conservation, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in recognition of his services to horticulture and historic camellia conservation.
• ICS member Bobbie Green has received the sixth Ralph Peer Sasanqua Cup Award from the American Camellia Society. No one else has won it more than twice.

First International Sasanqua Symposium, Shanghai, December 2026

Registration is now open for the First International Sasanqua Symposium, which will take place in Shanghai in December 2026.
Detailed information and registration details are available on the ICS website. https://internationalcamellia.org/first-international-symposium-on-sasanquas.

Membership and Society News

• We warmly welcome Stéphane Lehuede as the new Membership Representative for France, succeeding Yves Chapel, who has served the ICS and its members with great dedication over many years.
• We are pleased to welcome Villa Taranto, Italy, as a new member of the International Camellia Society.
• An eclectic mix of Dr George Orel's extensive writings — previously available only through journals and other scientific publications — are now on offer through his bookstore at georgeorelbooks.com.
• It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Marc de Coninck in June 2026. Marc was widely respected as a specialist in historic camellias, particularly Belgian cultivars and their history. A full tribute to Marc's life and contributions to the camellia world will appear in the next ICS Journal.

Your thoughts and feedback are most welcome. Please feel free to contact us.

Prof. Gianmario Motta gianmario.motta@unipv.it

President, International Camellia Society

Anke Koschitz

Secretary, International Camellia Society