Stanley Alfred Cottier joined the Coast and Mountain Walkers (CMW) in 1937 after a chance meeting with CMW members on a Coxs River walk. During World War II his bushwalking was curtailed by his duties in the RAAF and consequent deployment out of Sydney. He met his wife Tony Day on a CMW walk in 1940 and they married when his RAAF duties allowed him to return to Sydney in 1944.
Stan was Walks Recorder and served several terms as Vice-President of CMW, while Tony was also an Executive Committee member. He was awarded Life Membership in 1965.
He became President of the Federation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW (now Bushwalking NSW) from 1946—1949, then took the role of Secretary. He had a keen interest in the work of the Federation’s Conservation Bureau and campaigned tirelessly for the NSW government to increase the number of national parks and improve their conservation and management practices.
In the early days national parks were administered by Trustees, and Stan became a Trustee for Garrawarra Park, which consisted of Burning Palms, Werrong, Era and part of Heathcote. Stan had first visited Burning Palms in 1934. He now became an Honorary Park Ranger, which necessitated spending many weekends in the Rangers Hut at Burning Palms, which had been erected by the Federation in 1948 at the southern end of the beach. His duties there involved organising working bees for cleaning, weeding and planting, as well as liaising with the hut owners, and ensuring visitors behaved appropriately in accordance with park regulations.
When Burning Palms was amalgamated with the Royal National Park, Stan was appointed to the Advisory Committee from 1965—1982.
Stan was one of four bushwalkers who installed the World War 2 bushwalkers memorial plaque at Splendour Rock. In particular, Stan carried the bronze plaque, a special privilege.
He was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1990 ‘In recognition of service to the conservation and the environment.’
He died in 1998 at the age of 86.
For more information on Stan Cottier see his obituary
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13jl1BBxWLAv68-HhQILjoAw3WiTlBMhm