The First Two Decades 1998-2018

Gardening in the Tweed Caldera

The first two decades 1998-2018

Our garden, the magnificent Tweed Valley, northern New South Wales

The Uki Garden Club aims to: build friendships through gardens and gardening; share knowledge of plants and gardens; promote environmentally friendly practices; participate in humanitarian endeavours. Contents

Our Code of Conduct 2 Tweed Shire and UGC member location map 3 Introduction and history of Uki Garden Club 1998-2018 4 Presidential roll call 5 Executive roll call (Vice Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers) 5 Growth of the club 5 Life members 6 Memorable moments 6 Media moments 9 Wise words 11 Community outreach 12 Welcome to the world 15 Rest in peace 16 Australia’s Open Garden Scheme 16 Bus trips 17 Members’ leisure activities 18 Special thanks 19 Meetings and hosts’ gardens 21 Images from our gardens 24

Our Code of Conduct

1. Treat all members with honesty, respect and consideration. 2. Respect access given to private gardens, observe directions given by owner and ask before taking cuttings or other material. 3. Treat all members equally with courtesy and without discrimination of any kind, regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or lifestyle. 4. Allow for alternative points of view to be expressed and show tolerance of the views held by others which are different from your own. 5. Carry out functions within the club well and in good faith. 6. Maintain confidentiality when required of meetings. 7. Maintain civil conduct during all meetings and not abuse or harass other members by word, act or deed at any time. 8. Not bring the name and reputation of the club, its members or office bearers, into disrepute. 9. Not criticise publicly the role or past performance of the club. 10. Committee members have an obligation to be independent in judgement and action and to take all reasonable steps to be satisfied as to the soundness of all decisions taken by the Committee.

Compiled by A Deen. Printed by Poster Paradise. © Uki Garden Club 2018

Introduction and history of Uki Garden Club 1998-2018

ust before I moved to Uki in December 1997 I opened my tiny inner city garden in Sydney to the public through Australia’s Open Garden Scheme. Despite torrential rain J I had 450 people through, including many neighbours I had never met before. I was determined not to make the same mistake in my new home so in August 1998 I started the Uki Garden Club.

The Club’s aim was, and still is, to provide a venue for like-minded people – whether newcomers to the area or long-standing residents – to enjoy each other’s company, exchange gardening advice, swap plants and seeds and visit great gardens. The following year the Club became an incorporated body, the first office bearers were elected and it joined Garden Clubs of Australia (CGA), an umbrella organisation linking groups across the nation.

What started as a small group of 11 people meeting in my house has grown to over 120 in the last two decades with members from all corners of the Tweed Shire. Together we have enjoyed bus trips, guest speakers, social events with other garden clubs, movie outings, flower arranging mornings and working bees. It has given me enormous pride, pleasure and satisfaction to see how the Club has thrived over the years.

Julia Hancock, founder

Erskineville, inner city Sydney Corymbia, Uki 1998 – 2009

Above and right: Murwillumbah 2009 to present

Presidential roll call

1998-2001 Julia Hancock (founder) 2011-2012 David Lintern 2001-2002 Lyn Reid 2012-2015 Fran O’Hara 2002-2006 Cathie Miles 2015-2017 Jenny Kidd 2006-2008 Jenny Wein 2017-2018 Jan Brooks 2008-2009 Barbara Waters 2018- Gillian Woodward 2009-2011 Don Capner

Many of the above members have also held Executive and/or Ordinary Committee Member positions at various times over the years.

Executive roll call

Every President needs a Committee – the following members have held positions of Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer since the incorporation of Uki Garden Club Inc on 8 July 1999 to the present. We also acknowledge and thank every Club member who has assisted in a myriad of ways as Ordinary Committee Members.

June Barker, Kate Botham, Bonnie Buzolic, Richard Buzolic, Alexsandra Deen Dot Francis, Graeme Gough, Marilyn Gough, Leonie Jennings, Mic Julien, Lorraine Lintern Barry Longland, Helen Madden, LaVerne Marshall, Nellmary McEwan, Di Morrison Jean Nuttall, Lynn O’Hara, Pamela Payne, Margaret Pichelmann, Peter Pichelmann Anne Pryke, Trish Reynolds, Pippa Smith, Tony Stanhope, Dianne Stevenson, Beryl Vear Lyn Webster, Philip Wilson

Growth of the Club

NB: One membership covers a household; theoretically the Club could have well over 100 attendees FY2017/18.

Life members

Sandra and Don Capner Pamela Payne and Merle and Kevin Munsie Keith Heckenberg

Julia Hancock Anne Pryke Jenny Wein Stella Wilkie

Memorable moments

2000, June: Jenny Wein receives an Order of Australia medal (OAM). 2001: Maris Morton inaugurates the Food Group (right). 2002: Dot Francis initiates the Seed Bank. 2002: Julia Hancock, Sue Phillips and Penny Watsford plant a native garden in the Sweetnam Park play area, Uki (below).

2004: Penny Watsford and Margaret Elliott publish Grasses of the Tweed Valley of NSW (right). 2004: Murwillumbah Show, numerous prizes won by Julia Hancock, Barry Longland, Heiti Miller, Cailean Reid, Lyn Reid and Jenny Wein.

2004: Jayne Parrott and Barbara Waters’ prize-winning gardening tips appear in the August edition of Gardening Australia magazine. 2005: Congratulations Margaret and Peter Pichelmann awarded First Prize for Best Rural Garden and Best Water Feature from Tweed Shire Council (right). 2006: Penny Watsford and Margaret Elliot publish Plants of the Forest Floor (left). 2006: Murwillumbah Show, a swag of prizes won by Julia Hancock, Lisa Harrell, Barry Longland, Heiti Miller, Cailean Reid, Lyn Reid, Dianne Stevenson, Jenny Wein and Liliana Morgan. 2007, October: Congratulations to Don and Sandra Capner and Lyn Reid who were winners in the Tweed Shire Council garden competition. 2007: Alan and Perri Wain publish Mount Warning moments of magic (right). 2007, November: Murwillumbah Show blighted by rain so entries were down. Julia Hancock, Barry Longland and Jenny Wein won prizes. 2008, November: Julia Hancock inaugurates the annual Images of Uki exhibition featuring works by local artists (right). 2008: David Lintern, Lorraine Lintern, Julia Hancock, Barbara Thomas and her partner Glen create the Uki Garden Club banner (left). 2008, August: the Club celebrates its 10th birthday at Gwen Rayner’s property at Burringbar. 2008, December: Ida Daly delights children at the Uki Residents Association Christmas party by donning a Santa outfit and handing out healthy lollies to all the kids; thanks to Barbara Thomas for putting together the lolly bags. 2010: Maris Morton wins the Scribe Fiction Prize and publishes A Darker Music (right). 2010, May: Penny Watsford and Margaret Elliott publish Forest Bountiful: Settlers’ Use of Australian Plants (left). 2010, June: Club members organise a stall at World Environment Day selling seeds, answering gardening questions, displaying examples of home grown and preserved foods; Linda Brannian provides information on birds.

2010, November: Club members outdo themselves at the Murwillumbah Show! Members entered exhibits in many categories, triumphant in most. Lyn Reid - 2nd for herb basket; 3rd for seasonal herbs; 2nd for collection of herbs; 1st for basket of natives; 1st for collection of natives; 1st for container of flowers. Lyn also received three Champion of Show awards, suffering a case of sash rash (Lyn Reid, right). Rosemary Baxter - 1st for mixed citrus marmalade and orange marmalade. Fran O’Hara - 2nd for guava jelly and 2nd for banana cake. 2010: Alan Wain is selected as a finalist in the Olive Cotton Award for photographic portraiture. 2011: Julia Hancock publishes Gardening in Tweed Shire (left). 2011, December: Alex Mitchell publishes Come the Revolution A memoir (Julia Hancock and Alex Mitchell, right). 2012, July: Several members join a large group to plant trees in the park at the junction of Glenock Road and Kyogle Road, Uki to commemorate National Tree Day. 2013: Costa comes to town! Julia Hancock grabs him for a squeeze (Julia and Costa Georgiadis, left). 2015, August: Julia Hancock organises a giant garage sale to raise money for humanitarian projects in Laos with the assistance of many members who donated goods and worked on the day. 2015, October: Lewis Hancock cleans up at the Murwillumbah and District Garden Club Flower Show winning a truckload of awards. 2016, May: Club member artists including Jo Armstrong, Don Capner, Julia Hancock, Zahra Martin and Judy Stanhope merge into a subgroup called Botanicus and show their art in the Murwillumbah Art Trail 2016: Art Seedings (Zahra Martin and Julia Hancock, credit photo source Tweed Daily News) 2016, July: Emma Jewry wins the $250 Shirley Kennedy Encouragement Award for her painting Sitting Woman 2015 in the Border Art Prize. Judy Stanhope and Jo Armstrong also submitted works. 2016: Julia Hancock receives the Garden Clubs of Australia award for ‘Outstanding contribution by an individual to Gardening and/or Horticulture’ (right).

2016, 6 December: Stella Wilkie turns 100! (right) 2017, May: Faye Martin volunteers at the Woodford Folk Festival site annual tree planting. 2017, May: Don Capner, Jo Armstrong and Julia Hancock display their work in the Murwillumbah Art Trail. 2017: Murwillumbah’s It Takes a Town Seed Project (part of the Thrive 2484 initiative) is supported by many members who donated seeds while Sheila Stevenson, Sue Yarrow, Sue Holzknecht, Hartmut Holzknecht, Nellmary McEwan and Julia Hancock fill 200 envelopes with seeds. 2017, November: John Bennett wins several Champion awards at the Murwillumbah and Gold Coast flower shows. 2017: Michael Balk creates the Uki Garden Club website. http://ukigarden.club/wp/ 2017, 20 October: Ida Daly turns 90 (left). 2018, Australia Day: Jenny Kidd is awarded Tweed Shire Council Volunteer of the Year for her tireless efforts following the devastating flood event in April 2017 (right). 2018, 18 August: The Uki Garden Club celebrates its 20th birthday at the Murwillumbah Community Centre, Knox Park.

Media moments

Tweed Daily News, January 21, 2002 Murwillumbah Weekly September 30 - October 6, 2007

The Tweed Shire Echo, March 19, 2009

The Tweed Shire Echo, May 6, 2010 2014, April: Linda Brannian graces the front page of the Tweed Border Mail promoting a new group called Birdlife Northern Rivers Credit source: Tweed Daily News

Tweed Daily News, 4 March 2015 2016, October: At still only 16 years of age Lewis Hancock again scoops most of the prizes at the Murwillumbah Garden Club Flower Show (left). Credit source: Tweed Valley Weekly

Wise words

Some handy hints to help in the garden …

“When watering pots and hanging baskets, mix a small quantity of Wettasoil in with your fertiliser water once a month to help it sink into the potting mix better.” Julia Hancock

“A secret of success is to mulch heavily by sheet composting thereby improving the soil from the top, so you don’t have to dig down into heavy clay.” Don Edwards

“If you’re moving to a new property make sure your water supply is adequate. Think of bores and dams. It has to be reliable.” Jean Nuttall

“I know it’s a cliché to say “one year seeding seven years’ weeding”, but I’ve been here for seven years now and yes, I’m still catching up with those little buggers that I didn’t get my first year. Now I’m much more disciplined and strike before they have a chance to reproduce – having a plan is already saving me heaps of time and energy.” Julia Hancock

“Soak water storage crystals in a fertiliser solution before incorporating them into the potting mix. They’ll go on releasing food to the plants roots for weeks.” Anon

“Losing tools is one of my great bugbears – I paint the handles with fluoro pink, blue and yellow so I can see them if I’ve left them lying around somewhere.” Dot Francis

“It takes two wet years to grow a rainforest.” Dianne Angus

“Staghorn fern spores have been found in the atmosphere 30 km from the earth’s surface.” Kevin Munsie

“When spraying with glyphosate, keep a small spray bottle filled with clean water tucked into your belt. If you accidentally spray a treasured plant, simply wash the poison off straight away and it won’t be affected.” Anon

“To peel garlic easily for cooking, place it in the microwave for 30 seconds on high. Just rub the skin off and use the garlic as per usual.” Fred Hancock

“When using a watering can make sure the rose is facing upwards, i.e. the holes are at the top. This creates an even spread of water.” Gloria Sandercock

“When starting a new garden or regenerating an existing property have a plan of what you want to do and be realistic about what you can achieve with the time and money you’ve got.” Tim O’Hara

“Have a tube of toothpaste handy when working in the garden in case of jumping ant bites (or other stings). Dab the toothpaste on and feel the relief!” Sue Holzknecht

Community outreach

Many Club members are involved in voluntary work outside the club, notably ongoing Landcare and Green Corps projects but other special activities include those listed below.

1998 Uki residents and club members join together to create a mural outside the Buttery, Uki (UGC mural tiles, right).

2004: Following the tragic drowning of Sean Woods of Rowlands Creek Road, the Club donates $100 for the Sean Woods’ Memorial Garden at Uki Public School.

2004, July: Club members organise the Uki Festival of Food at Uki Public School to raise funds for the Police-Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC). Activities included cooking demonstrations, talks, stalls and raffles.

2002-2008: Club members work with the Uki Branch of the Red Cross on their twice- yearly street stalls, selling plants and other produce donated by the Club.

2006: The Club donates watering equipment and plants to the Uki Historical Society to help with the establishment of a new garden.

2006: Barbara Waters activates a local Wrapped with Love collective. Founded by Sonia Gidley-King in 1992, this charity knits and donates blankets to those in need in Australia and overseas. Club Members Barbara Waters and Jean Nuttall participate.

2008, November: Club members join the effort to raise funds for the Uki Hall Restoration Project. The raffle raised $293 from selling tickets for the painting donated by Barbara Suttie. A year later in 2009 Uki residents and club members join together to create the Uki quilt which was also raffled to raise funds for the Uki Hall Restoration Project. The quilt was won by club member Beryl Vear (section of the quilt created by Julia Hancock, right).

Bopplenut Park, Uki 2009, March: Named after the rare and endangered Bopplenut tree (Hicksbeachia pinnatifolia) the park contains native trees and understorey plants donated by Tweed Shire Council’s Community Nursery and members of the Uki Garden Club or propagated by local residents (right: members of Uki’s Sustainability precinct celebrate the opening of Bopplenut Park, Smiths Creek Road, Uki Photo: Marcus Sanfelix Hancock)

For many years Jenny Wein has been involved in the Story Dogs program, designed to develop reading skills in children (right, Jenny with Stella Wilkie and Candy Helen).

2010, March: The Food Group held a stall at the Casino Flower Show with resounding success. Many members contributed produce, Lyn Reid designed the display and Kate Botham assembled the banner (left).

2010, May: The Club hosts Friendship Day at Uki Hall with a theme of sustainability. Guest speakers, a mini-market, delicious food and raffle prizes were enjoyed by a number of other garden clubs belonging to our zone (below).

Top, L to R: Uki Hall resplendant; a packed Hall; Lynn O’Hara; Graeme Gough Bottom, L to R: seed box; Friendship Day attendees; Marilyn Gough and Jenny Wein; Merle Munsie and Barbara Price 2010, June: Club members host a tent at Murwillumbah’s World Environment Day and talk about all aspects of gardening and associated activities such as birds, seed saving, preserving, composting and worm farming.

2011, June: Club members clean up the back bank and remove unwanted trees at Tweed Palliative Support’s Wedgetail Garden. Donations of soil, gravel, mulch and plants are received from various benefactors. Work at the facility is ongoing. (right: Marilyn Gough and Tess Thompson lending a floral touch at Wedgetail Retreat)

2011, November: Garden Club gourmets enjoy a fabulous evening at Foodie Friday, designed to showcase food from around the Tweed Valley. Held at the Murwillumbah Showground the event attracted over 1000 patrons who sat at tables decorated with cornucopias of flowers, fruit and frippery.

2014, June: The “Scratchers” (aka Club members) taking a break after some streetscaping work in Tyalgum village (from front left to right: Annette Baglin, Mic Julien, Ros Julien, Philip Wilson, Amanda Baker, Bonnie Buzolic, Richard Buzolic, Richard McKenna)

Graeme Waller participates in Sailability which enables disabled people to enjoy the experience of sailing in and around the Tweed.

Murwillumbah Seed Library 2015, June: Julia Hancock and Philip Wilson give a talk at Murwillumbah Library focusing on an overview of the history of seed saving and the importance of continuing the process in order to preserve crop diversity for future generations. The idea is that people take a packet of seeds (like borrowing a book) and once they have grown the plant and harvested some seeds at the end of its season, they can then return seeds to the library for someone else to ‘borrow’.

Murwillumbah Open Garden 2016, May: Julia Hancock opens her garden in conjunction with the Murwillumbah Art Trail. Don Capner displays his magnificent sculptures against a backdrop of the cane fields and Border Ranges beyond. Funds raised by selling seeds and cuttings at the event were donated to the Murwillumbah Seed Library. Left, Don’s staghorn carving, photo Julia Hancock

2017, April: Members donated seeds for It Takes a Town Seed Project held to encourage community cohesion. Attendees were gifted with free seeds and information on how to grow them.

2017, June: Members of the Food Group gathered in the grounds of the East Murwillumbah Primary School which was badly affected by Cyclone Debbie. Losses included vegetable gardens, chook pens, the frog pond, worm farms and compost bins. The Club donated $100 towards plants.

Ongoing: Annie Simmonds’ support of Friends of the Pound (pictured right); several members are active in charitable organisations such as Lions, PROBUS, Rotary and VIEW.

Welcome to the world!

Cailean Reid 22 January 2001 Member, Lyn Reid

Natalie Wilkinson born 4 September 2003 Member, Alexsandra Deen

Louis Aubert 27 September 2016 Leila May-Jane, a sister for Louis born 17 July 2018 Member, Rebecca Aubert

Rest in Peace

2002 Jeny Bukofzer 2013 Sheila Collings 2006 Roy Pryke 2016 Bob Bale 2008 Jim Taylor 2016 Kevin Munsie 2009 The Right Reverend 2017 Brian Sandercock Sir John Grindrod 2018 Cath Brown 2010 Sue Milsom 2018 John Govers 2011 Wendy McKechnie 2018 Hilda Brulotte

Australia’s Open Garden Scheme

Until its demise in 2014, several members participated in Australia’s Open Garden Scheme, raising funds for charity and enabling visitors to enjoy their private gardens.

2002 and 2005 Jo Armstrong at her permaculture garden at Beenleigh 2002 Adrielle Lansdowne at Kiah in Chowan Creek Road, Uki 2002 LaVerne Marshall at Koala Beach 2003 Julia Hancock at Corymbia, Uki (below)

2005 Peter and Margaret Pichelman at Avondkoor, Uki (right: plant stall raised funds for the Murwillumbah Scouts; far right: Dot Francis, Julia Hancock, Stella Wilkie and Lyn Reid)

2006 and 2008 Don and Sandra Capner at Morning Song, Farrants Hill (below)

Bus trips

2000 Lismore and Idyll Hours, Dunnoon. Lyn Reid drove the bus when she was heavily pregnant with Cailean. 2001 Tour of Grafton gardens with Nimbin Garden Club. We had to push start the bus when it broke down after morning tea! 2003 Gardening Australia Live, Brisbane. 2004 Mullumbimby Riverbank Garden, Kathallan Cactus at Billinudgel and Vireya Nursery at Palmwoods. 2005 Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens for the bromeliad and cactus show. 2006 Toowoomba for Pohlman’s Nursery, Mundey Garden and the Japanese Gardens at the University of Southern Queensland. 2006 Northey Street Permaculture Garden and Neilsen’s Native Plant Nursery. 2010 Pimlico Hilton Museum, Wardell and Thursday Plantation at Ballina.

2010 Tweed Richmond Organic Producers’ Organisation (TROPO) at Alstonville.

2010 Mudbrick Cottage, Mudgeeraba.

2016 Roma Street Parklands and Bamboo Downunder, Brisbane. Photos Lyn Reid

2017 Mt Tamborine Botanic Gardens and Bilbie Garden.

2018 Mt Coot-tha Botanic Garden and Coucals Open Garden, Mt Crosby

Left and middle, happy bus trippers! Right, Jackie Balk

Members’ leisure activities

We’re an active lot! Club members participate in many activities outside of gardening.

Art – Jan Brooks*, Helena Duckworth, Julia Hancock*, Gary Hay, Nellmary McEwan, Bridget Pieper, Peter Pichelmann, Cynthia Reid, James Robinson, Judy Stanhope*, Beryl Vear, Stella Wilkie *see below

Above: art by Jan Brooks

Above and left: art by Julia Hancock Above right: art by Judy Stanhope

Beekeeping – Don Capner, Mic Julien, Tony Stanhope Birdwatching – Linda Brannian (pictured right, photo Blainey Woodham), Barry Reid Bowls – Carolyn Caine, Julia Hancock, Barry Longland, Anne Pryke, Beryl Vear, Jenny Wein Ceramics – Jo Armstrong, Madeleine Murray, Pamela Payne, Bridget Pieper Choir and music – Graeme Gough, Bridget Pieper, Sheila Stephenson, Jenny Wein Crochet – Nellmary McEwan, Jean Nuttall, Jenny Wein Cycling – Jan Brooks and Axel Neumann, Tim and Fran O’Hara, Gillian and John Woodward

Flower arranging – Jackie Balk, Julia Hancock, Lewis Hancock, Lisa Harrell, Heiti Miller, Margaret Pichelmann, Lyn Reid, Annie Simmonds, Dianne Stevenson, Stella Wilkie

Heiti Miller with some of L to R: Margaret Pichelmann, L to R: Joan Butler, her creations Lyn Reid with Cailean, Mrs workshop guide, Stella Pichelmann and Stella Wilkie Wilkie and Dianne Stevenson Knitting – Nellmary McEwan, Jean Nuttall, Sheila Collings, Barbara Waters Mosaics – Betty Robinson (left), Barbara Thomas Netball – Ros Julien Photography – Tony Stanhope, Alan Wain and Perri Wain Quilting – Annette Baglin, Jackie Balk, Kate Botham, Sue Holzknecht (right) Sculpture – Jo Armstrong, Don Capner, Julia Hancock, Laura Mattocks, Nellmary McEwan (below: Don’s famous barbed wire balls)

Spinning – Lyn Reid Writing – Dot Francis, Julia Hancock, Diana Eriksen, Maris Morton, Penny Watsford (Diana pictured right and her book, Part of the Landscape, published 2003)

Special thanks to…

our wonderful members who bring such a wealth of goodwill, friendship, knowledge, generosity and talent to every meeting and activity we undertake

the volunteer committee office bearers who have run the Club with exceptional professionalism and grace over the years. They deserve special praise for dealing with the legal, official and logistical aspects of running a large and successful organisation. Without these tireless volunteers there would be no Club and their hard work and dedication merit our gratitude and admiration

19 hosts of our twice-monthly meetings who welcome us so warmly to their homes and share their gardens (photos, see pages 21–23) the newsletter editors, contributors of written and photographic material, envelope stuffers and printers who produce such a terrific monthly publication

Tony Stanhope who electronically scanned and stored every edition of the newsletter from #1 to the present day the keepers of the Seed Box and all the members who avail themselves of the treasures within it

the plant propagators and seed savers and people who share the bounty of their garden to donate to the swap tables. Below left: Food Group February 2018; middle: meeting June 2018 and right: Kevin Munsie admiring his pawpaws – photo Julia Hancock.

cooks who provide delicious morsels for our meetings

members who donate and source raffle prizes and those who buy tickets. Below: Marie Luxford happy winner of the 2018 Christmas raffle; Mt Burrell meeting raffle June 2018

the staff at Southern Cross Credit Union for assisting with our banking needs knowledgeable and experienced guest speakers who enlighten us on a myriad of topics

Michael Balk for developing our website http://ukigarden.club/wp/ and to the members who share photos, posts and comments in the Uki Garden Club public Facebook group.

the members who contributed time and effort in the production of this special 20th anniversary newsletter providing text, photos, proofreading and edits. Thanks especially to Julia Hancock, Sue Holzknecht and Pamela Payne.

Club meetings and hosts’ gardens

One of our smaller host gardens by A typical Garden Club meeting Graeme and Marilyn Gough, Hosts, Fran and Tim O’Hara Murwillumbah. Photo: J Hancock Clothiers Creek

September 2014 meeting Hosts Philip Wilson and Richard McKenna, Tyalgum

November 2014 Christmas Party Hosts, Don and Sandra Capner Farrants Hill (right).

Food Group, September 2017 Hosts, Hartmut and Sue Holzknecht Burringbar Below left: Sue Holzknecht, right: Sue’s guineafowl

Food Group, August 2017 Host, Sue Yarrow, Byangum

Food Group, October 2017 Above: Jan Brooks, Hosts, Philip Wilson and Iain Finlay, Julia Hancock Iain Finlay and Trish Clark Richard McKenna, Tyalgum and Trish Clark

October 2017 L to R: Phil Keegan, Hosts, James and Betty Robinson, Tyalgum Hartmut Holzknecht, Michael Balk

November 2017 - Christmas party, Hosts Don and Sandra Capner, Farrants Hill Above middle: Jenny Kidd, Nellmary McEwan, Lynn O’Hara Above right: the shadehouse

Above and right: Don and Sandra’s garden Far right: Lynn O’Hara

Food Group, February 2018 Hosts Jan and Alec Lobban (right) Tyalgum

Food Group, Hosts, Marie Luxford L to R: Barbara Waters, Marcella Keegan, April 2018 and Peter Hall, Bridget Pieper, Sue Yarrow, Marie Luxford Dallis Park

Meeting, June 2018 Hosts, Matthew Woodward Above, Keith Heckenberg, Mt Burrell and Mai along with John and Pamela Payne and Sheila Gillian Woodward Stephenson

Above left: Lynn O’Hara and Jan Brooks drawing the raffle

Food Group, July 2018 Hosts, Jeanette and Simone Renton, Chowan Creek, Uki

Above left: our ‘entirely vegan’ morning tea was catered for us by Jeanette and Simone using their home grown produce

Images from our gardens

Tony Stanhope, Tyalgum

King parrot Richmond Birdwing butterfly on buddleia

Teddy Bear bee on salvia Parrot impatiens (Impatiens niamniamensis)

Monarch butterfly on pentas Fiddler beetle on bottlebrush

Pencil orchid Gourds

Tony Stanhope continued

Pheasant coucal Dainty swallowtail on pentas

Lesser Wanderer on salvia Blue triangle

Rainbow lorrikeet on Spanish hat Eastern spinebill on grevillea

Philip Wilson, Tyalgum

Left: Nicotiana alata Egyptian ‘Sensation’ filling pentas full the garden with its of native perfume; and blue proud banana banded grower, Richard bees McKenna. Above right: Wanderer butterfly

Left: “…blooms of the little evodiella arise directly from the trunk and branches; although a North Queensland species it is quite at home in the Northern Rivers, self-seeding readily in my garden.” Right: Heliconia rostratum, the lobster claw heliconia

Michael and Jackie Balk, Nunderi

Lyn Reid, Uki

Catherine Richards, Uki

Jan Brooks and Axel Neumann, Nunderi

Alan Wain and Perri Wain, Uki