Stuart grew up on the NSW Mid-North Coast in a banana farming family. For the past 25 years he has worked for Australian and international community environmental organizations across the Murray-Darling Basin, Northern and Eastern Australia and the Hunter Region. He has had stints working in river management for the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, and in restoration ecology in France’s Camargue wetlands. He led the Environment Centre of the Northern Territory from 2009 to 2014, and then Hunter Wetlands Centre Australia until 2018. Stuart currently works in forest conservation policy for WWF-Australia, seeking to end deforestation and industrial native forest logging in Australia. He has a degree in ecology, a doctorate of philosophy in the ecology of water plants in the Murray River, and a postgraduate degree in environmental law. He has authored and co-authored research papers and reports in river and wetland ecology and conservation, Koala habitat conservation, hydrology, renewable energy, marine and freshwater protected areas and sustainable development.

Stuart was involved in seeking to establish A Rocha Australia from 2005. In December 2020 Stuart submitted this article to Manna Gum, sharing his and A Rocha Australia’s journey of serving the Lord in creation care. He spoke about hope in the face of the climate emergency in A Rocha International’s short film, Bounce Back.

Stuart is a founding member of the Board of Directors of A Rocha Australia and is serving his third term. He lives near Newcastle, Australia with his wife Lianne and two adult daughters, and worships at Charlestown Presbyterian church.