Celebration marks Narrabri Garden Club’s golden anniversary

Garden Club enthusiasts travelled from Gunnedah, Werris Creek, Coonabarabran, Dungowan and Sydney to attend a celebratory luncheon to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of the Narrabri Garden Club at the Crossing Theatre on Saturday.

The occasion was attended by special guests including Narrabri Shire mayor Ron Campbell, guest speaker Brian Roach accompanied by his wife Carol, North West Zone Garden Club coordinator Sandra Holmes, Garden Clubs of Australia president Lorraine Emerson and local poet Max Pringle.

A delicious luncheon was served followed by a beautiful cake made by club member Joan Burrell-Melbourne.

A highlight of the event was a presentation by guest speaker Brian Roach. Brian is a former Crown prosecutor and barrister. In his retirement, Brian runs a cottage industry native plant nursery from his home in Westleigh, as well as being a popular guest speaker at garden clubs on more than 130 occasions. He has also been a member of the Australian Plants Society for more than 45 years.

When Brian joined the Australian Plants Society, he became hooked on native plants and started to excavate the paths around his garden, using the soil to raise up the garden beds to provide the good drainage that many native plants need.

There are now about 400 different species of native plant in the garden he shares with his wife Carol.

Brian has always been interested in new plants being found and also propagates a lot of his favourite small-growing plants so other gardeners can grow them. He is always looking for the next Australian plant to be introduced into cultivation.

Perhaps one of the more iconic Australian native plants, at least on Australia’s East Coast, is the NSW Christmas Bush, Ceratopetalum gummiferum. Europeans have been adorning the Christmas Day table with this plant since around December 1788.

This plant occurs naturally all along the coastal strip of NSW, thriving in sandy soils and seeming to cope with whatever the summer seasons bring. Brian told his audience the fascinating story of his involvement in the production of a dwarf form which was registered with the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority in 2001.

The Roaches named this cultivar ‘Johanna’s Christmas’ after their daughter who passed away of cancer in June 1994.

Only since 2012 has it been commercially available, and even now it’s in very limited supply. This is because it must be propagated by cutting to preserve the clonal properties which determine the dwarfing characteristics, which Brian explained is not an easy task.

It was a special treat for Narrabri Garden Club members and guests to be able to purchase these most sought after plants after the luncheon. Brian also very kindly made a presentation to mayor Ron Campbell with a donation of a ‘Johanna’s Christmas’ bush for the Narrabri Shire Parks and Gardens.

Mayor Ron Campbell, North West Zone Garden Club coordinator Sandra Holmes and Garden Clubs of Australia president Lorraine Emerson each addressed the attendees and congratulated the Narrabri Garden Club on reaching their 50 Year milestone with a strong and thriving membership base.

President Wendy McNair responded and thanked everyone who attended.

She said the club committee and members are the backbone of an enthusiastic district of gardeners and look forward to many more years of cultivation and friendships.