A forest near Nachal Assaf in the Western Negev is dedicated in honor of Sir Zelman Cowen, the Governer-General of Australia from 1977 to 1982. The ceremony was attended by KKL-JNF Vice Chairman Gael Grunewald, Alex McCauley of the Australian Embassy in Israel, and two of Sir Zelman's sons, Rabbi Yosef Zvi Cowen and Ben Cowen.