 |
P.O. Box 155 CABOOLTURE Qld Australia 4510 |
| HOME PAGE | Our Team | History | Calendar | Events | Flower Albums | Links |
|
P.O. Box 155 CABOOLTURE Qld Australia 4510 |
HISTORICAL NOTES
| On 18th April, 1993, the Hibiscus Society of Queensland was born out of the need for a Society to foster the love of the Hibiscus and share the information and flowers with each other. It was in the following December that we became incorporated. All but two of the original members who set the Society going back then are still members. Over the time there has been a stable Executive Committee with only one change in the six years. There was just the one Branch then, Redcliffe. The original 30 or so members provided these Office Bearers: |
| Executive
Committee President -
Gynith Whatmough |
Redcliffe
Branch Committee Chairman
- Grahame Kennedy |
| The Society functioned
extremely well, growing each year in local memberships with many
from remoter areas of Queensland, other states of Australia and
even overseas. Membership entitled every member to a
Newsletter each quarter with all of the news from the Society and
the Branches, comments from members and some technical help
sections. We are lucky to eventually have six Branches at
Bundaberg, Buderim, Ningi, Redcliffe, Redlands/Bayside and
Brightview.
Out of meagre beginnings, the Redcliffe Branch was established on 18th July, 1993. As time progressed the need for new branches arose at Buderim - 7th August, 1994: Ningi - 11th August, 1994: Redlands/Bayside - 27th August, 1995: Brightview - 24th November, 1996: Bundaberg - 24th May, 1997. See Bundy's First Birthday Meeting - Bundy was not to last long, unfortunately. Redcliffe is now Redcliffe/Pine
rivers and District Branch. In recent years, Branch Representatives have been appointed to attend Executive Committee meetings to ensure good representation and communication. We are very fortunate and very proud to have had Mr. Colin Campbell Dip. Hort., FAIH (Fellow of the Institute of Australian Horticulture) who is one of ABC-TV's Gardening Australia presenters and his wife Bev Campbell as our Society Patrons since 1993. They are both wonderful ambassadors for all things horticultural and especially for the Society. Through the auspices of the Redcliffe Branch, we were able to have our Principal Judge, Miss Megan Fraser, train our Accredited Judges Thora Reardon, Michael Raabe and Anona Seib. (Sadly, Thora Reardon passed away in 1999 after a long illness.) Megan was only 17 years of age when she was appointed to the position in September, 1995, having been accredited previously with the A.H.S. and allowed to be a Junior Judge. Many of the members have been hybridising over the time and have produced many exquisite seedlings that sit proudly on the display benches. Our members, Julie and Greg Lindsay are by far the most prolific hybridisers in the Society with others slowly catching up and enjoying the experience along the way. On the 5-6th February, 1994, the Society had its first Annual Show at Mt Coot-tha and it was very successful according to comments received even though this is a very difficult time in the hottest part of Summer. The Annual Show is still held in the Auditorium of the Botanic Gardens at Mt. Coot-tha in Brisbane, Queensland at the end of January. Then each of the Branches has its own Annual Show and various displays during the year where members meet many people, even some tourists from across the world, who simply adore our Hibiscus blooms. Once a year we have a Field Day at Hibiscus Paradise P/L with many thanks to Julie and Greg Lindsay who have the acreage to cater for such large numbers at one time. A diversified program is presented each time coupled with a picnic lunch. It is a great fun/learning day for everyone and a chance to chat to old friends. We continue to provide cultivar registration facilities with Michael Raabe and Wally Morgan being responsible for that. Wally also provides from his Ganmor Gardens property a photographic service for our blooms and events that need promotion as you will discover at this and other websites. All registrations are now co-ordinated with the International Register for which the Australian Hibiscus Society Inc. is the International Registration Authority. Membership to the Hibiscus Society of Queensland Inc. currently costs A$10.00 per family/per year within Australia and A$15.00 annually for overseas membership. The Society has made a practice of presenting organisations with their very own hibiscus, appropriately named, in several successful promotions. Newstead House in Brisbane was built in August 1846 and is Brisbane's oldest surviving residence. For it's sesqui-centenary (150th) anniversary, a special bloom was presented to the Friends of Newstead House named Newstead. Ansett Airlines had been flying the Australian skies for 60 years and a Hibiscus named Ansett was presented to them marking their occasion. The Courier-Mail newspaper was 150 years old in 1996 and it was presented with a Hibiscus called Courier-Mail for its milestone.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the end of World War II, a very special Hibiscus called Australia Remembers was released in August, 1997. We were also priveleged to name one Remembrance Day to commemorate that 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month that reminds us of the end of World War I and the sacrifices demonstrated there. Hence it is a red flower that cannot replace the red poppy but reflects the thoughts that are embodied in the day. 1998 was the 80th anniversary. The presentation and release of the Colin Campbell hibiscus featured at our 1999 "Towards 2000" Show. This beautiful bloom has been hybridised and grown by Norm Richardson of the Buderim Branch and the flower was presented to Colin the previous year. On the 17th July, 1999, it was the Bicentenary of Matthew Flinders' landing at Skirmish Point on Bribie Island and this event was marked with a great deal of celebrations within our Caboolture Shire and that of the Redcliffe Shire. We had the Hibiscus Matthew Flinders - as well as one called Red Cliffs - presented at the Civic Reception for the boat crew doing the re-enactment. Incidentally, Redcliffe was originally called Red Cliffs and it was the first white settlement/penal colony in Queensland. Matthew Flinders is a large grey single with plum eye and hot pink edge and Red Cliffs is a red double with white spots in summer.
Many of our commemorative blooms just honour
ordinary people who have done extraordinary things. Billie honours Mrs. Billie Hughes, the State President for 40
years of the Queensland Division of the War Widow's Guild of
Australia. On the19th September, 1998. Greg Lindsay presented Morayfield
Magic, one of the Kaye
Stevans babies
to the Morayfield State School for their 125th Anniversary of the
founding of the School. This request came from the then
Caboolture Shire Mayor, Cr. Tom McLoughlin. Geoff
Moor, from the students
and staff of the Morayfield East State School - and another of Kaye
Stevans' babies, honours their respected Principal. Norma
Josephine was named for
the mother of Wayne Goss who was our Premier at the time. Wayne
did not want it for himself but for his Mother. Wings
Away is for the retired
T.A.A. Air Hostesses who do tremendous charity work for children.
Marjory
Brown was named for the
War Widow who was State Secretary for 47 years and has been state
President more recently. This list will grow, for sure. Our main aim is to help everyone to undertand how to get the best out of their Hibiscus by better informing them as to the proper way to grow this wonderful flower. Promotion of the Hibiscus is of paramount importance and every effort is made at every opportunity to do this with displays and shows. Each year the Society has a display at the famous Queensland Nurserymen's Industry Association Garden Expo at Nambour, north of Brisbane, where in excess of 35,000 visitors experience every facet of gardening displayed by the hundreds of stall holders. The Hibiscus Society of Queensland Inc. also has a display at the Royal Queensland Show, known nationally as the "Ekka", for the whole 10 days. Some events on the calendar each year such as The Canberra Yard & Garden Expo held in conjunction with the Floriade in October, the Australian Spring Flower Festival at Bowral in September and the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers in September are just a few that we would like to be a part of but it is impossible due to the distance between us and them. We did, however, manage to participate in the Cairns Tropical Garden Show in May, 1999. I followed this with a visit to my sister at Topaz outside Malanda on the Atherton Tableland to recover! The Special Needs Unit of Bribie Island High School has 12 students with varying degrees of disabilities from non-communicative to severe physical disability. These students are enjoying horticulture in all of its forms including vegetable growing. Beachmere State School has won the Environmental Award for Australia along with several State Awards. As one of the judges for the Caboolture Shire Annual Garden and Footpath Competition, I have judged this school ground and it has been well worthy of the achievements. Their Principal is wheel-chair bound and is held in very high esteem by his staff and students alike. Both groups of children were given separate field days at Hibiscus Paradise Nursery. It was a fulfilling though very challenging exercise. We received a letter of support
from our then Mayor Cr. Tom McLoughlin of the Caboolture Shire
Council saying: "The society has been involved with twelve
students at the Special Needs Unit of the Bribie Island High
School teaching them all about Hibiscus. In the future the school
will be teaching the students the art of hybridising and grafting
and other techniques. The students of the Beachmere State School
and the Banksia Beach Special primary School are also being given
this same opportunity in our special education programme. I
commend the Society for extending their activities to include the
youth of our area. I believe other organisations should be taking
a note of this initiative by the Society." We keep growing and showing. Our hibiscus "social" lives are busy, busy busy! Enjoy your activities with us when you can. Find your nearest Branch and "meet" the Office Bearers from the Committee and Branch Information page. If you can't join in, this site is where you can get that little extra information and with e-mail keep in closer contact so that you don't miss out on all the fun that comes with being a member of the Hibiscus Society of Queensland Inc. CLICK HERE to see some of our '99 EVENTS as they happened. So whatever your hibiscus interests, we will try to keep something coming in the coming years. (check the calendar from time to time)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME PAGE | Our Team | History | Calendar | Events | Flower Albums | Links |
