EDITORIAL GOVERNANCE § § Welcome to our first issue! Our very best news in time for Christmas is from our solicitor Paul We plan to publish a regular Paxton Hall who advises us we have newsletter, sent out by email to all registered as a charity with the connected members and available on Australian Charities and Not for profit our website. The intention is to have an Commission. Paxton Hall Lawyers issue in December 2015 then February, have steered us safely through the April, June, August, October and ABN 20 607 589 873 processes of being a Company Limited December 2016, and beyond. by Guarantee with a nicely worded Connect – Promote - Protect constitution with the flexibility to About the newsletter name… ensure the interests of each of the three It was the favourable response via sites represented by the Friends will be emails to this throw-away suggestion secure. Lilygram that convinced me (the editor) to trial The Launch was an excellent way to the name! If sufficiently detested (please let me know!) I will change the show off the beautiful Japanese Newsletter Gardens as well as the latest addition to name, otherwise I think it rocks! the Gardens where the flowering Issue 1, December 2015 Brisbane lily was planted by About the contents… Councillor Matthew Bourke. Speeches Let's be friends… Foremost we will deliver the important by Kate Heffernan President of the news of current events and activities in Australian Association of Friends of CONTACTING f BBGSA each of our three botanical treasures Botanic Gardens and by Councillor Our Website (Brisbane BG city, BBG Mt Coot-tha Bourke reinforced the importance of www.fbbgsa.org.au and Sherwood Arboretum). We will Friends for advocating for the sites and (Membership details here) provide also an update on the group's as Friends of Sherwood Arboretum has governance and operations. For Email been so successfully doing for so many education and entertainment, we will years, connecting with the local [email protected] offer at least two new articles per issue community and promoting the MAIL ADDRESS on these themes PLANTspeak & importance of the Botanic Gardens and f BBGSA, PO Box 39, History EXPOSÉ. Finally, the back the Arboretum. Sherwood, Qld 4075. page will be a running Calendar for ready reference. Suggestions for Each step in our journey has been Steering Committee articles and authors are welcome. leading towards establishing a viable Mary Jo Katter (Director) and vibrant Board of Directors. I would Arno King (Director) — Jeannie Sim like to acknowledge the hard work of Jeannie Sim (Director) the Steering Committee (now evolved Andrew Benison (FoSA) CONTENTS: John Taylor (AGHS) into a Management Committee) and look forward to welcoming more Bettina Palmer & Editorial .................................. 1 Fay O'Sullivan (Volunteer Guides) happy faces at future meetings. We and Governance ............................. 1 need to get prepared for our first proper Dale Arvidsson Horti-Couture ......................... 2 election of office bearers for the (ex officio as Curator of both BBGs) Launched! ............................... 2 committee, before mid-2016. The Newsletter Editor: WEBSITE news ..................... 3 existing Steering Committee came Jeannie Sim Bump the Funny Bone !! ....... 3 together in February 2015 to get things started but now we must hold elections, Other news ............................. 3 strategize our priorities, organise Membership Counter FACEBOOK news.................. 3 activities and share the workload. 5 December 2015: 73 PLANTspeak .......................... 4 History EXPOSÉ.................... 4 — Mary Jo Katter. FoSA news .............................. 6 OBBG news ............................ 6 Breaking News… Volunteer Guides news ......... 7 We just received the letter (dated 11 Member Perks! ....................... 8 November 2015) from the Australian Major Activities ...................... 8 Taxation Office that we have CALENDAR ........................... 9 "Endorsement for Charity Tax Concessions"! Brisbane Lily planted at October Launch. Check out blooms in November [MJK] Lilygram Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue 1, December 2015 page 1 "Horti-Couture" LAUNCHED! § § Our inaugural event held in September Great success with our first mass was an outstanding success. This was a meeting held on Wednesday 14 catwalk exhibition themed 'Wearable October 2015. The event at Mt. Coot- Garden'. We raised over $3000! tha Botanic Garden, was located near the entry to the Japanese Garden, under the shade of Guavas and Fig trees and surrounded by flowering walking iris (Neomarica gracilis). A crowd of over one hundred people The shady audience at Launch Day [MJK photo] plus many MCBG gardeners gathered for greetings and speeches from MC Arno King, Councillor Matthew Bourne (Chair of BCC's Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee) and Kate Heffernan (from the Australian Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens)! The official planting of the flowering Brisbane lily followed and was overseen by Curator Dale Arvidsson and a loitering brush turkey! Curator Dale Arvidsson listens! [JS photo] Under Bettina Palmer's wondrous Over 45 new members joined on the direction, designers, models and artists spot! And some lucky folk were able to were outstanding. The outfits ranged purchase a seedling Brisbane lily. For from sophisticated to hilarious. The those of us who are horticulturally musical accompaniment was most challenged (admit nothing!), we hope enjoyable – thank you "MIRAGE" to keep this little historic and symbolic (Harp|Piano|Voice)! Mary Jo Katter treasure alive and well and flowering. and her trusty elves fed and watered Later, beside the pond in the Japanese us! Thanks to all! Garden, we consumed scrumptious coffee, tea, scones and cake. It was a super start and many thanks to all who attended. The passion is strong and joyous. Councillor Bourke making an interesting brief speech! [MJK photo] Old friends met new friends and we started our membership drive. Great fun! We plan to do this again in 2016 Mighty horticultural media! Annette Irish, Arno King as a new springtime tradition! and Paul Plant at Launch! [KWoods Rabbidge photo] — Jeannie Sim § Bettina Palmer and Jeannie Sim at Launch (resting between making members!) [KWoods Rabbidge photo] Lilygram Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue 1, December 2015 page 2 WEBSITE news Bump the Funny Bone !! FACEBOOK news § § A PAINFUL PLEASURE? www.fbbgsa.org.au What do we call ourselves? Friends… for sure, but can we be more specific and distinctive? Kim suggested Fronds! MJ liked fabb friends JS Brisbots for kiddie events & Brissylilies for everyone (!?) Get your thinking caps on before we select something awful, such as Another launch achievement was the FriBrisBotGarShArb or Lilylubbers! creation of our first website, designed by Jim Dobbins with Mary Jo Katter You have been warned! advising and representing the wishes of PURPOSES: the Steering Committee. Votes and suggestions please to [email protected] (1) to promote our three botanical We are still adding and correcting this treasures by frequent postings of face to the world, but the important Other news photographs with commentary membership application function is (2) to connect with like-minded well and truly functional! We use § organisations and individuals and PayPal to safely gather funds and celebrate all things botanical. information. Please drop in regularly to As part of our pre-launch publicity, see what's new! Jeannie wrote a piece for arguably the FREQUENCY of POSTS: best garden blog in Australia, run by Currently, there are weekly refreshes PURPOSES: Catherine Stewart. of cover photo and additional recent (1) To promote our Friends group and observations. This should increase to the botanical treasures we protect twice a week or more as more (2) To provide contact opportunities contributions are received. between members and visitors and the fBBGSA Management Administrator / Contributors: Committee. Currently, Jeannie Sim is posting and commenting, using her own phone CURRENT CONTENT: camera snaps plus the outputs of Kim Up front is our group's objectives Woods Rabbidge and Mary Jo Katter. and these guide all our activities and operations. More contributions are avidly sought! Location data using an interactive Please send in any "jpgs" to me Google Map include all three sites. through the [email protected] History section is scant but already address! Already two student we can reveal how significant our volunteers from QUT's landscape treasures our according to the architecture course have signed up to Queensland Heritage Register. keep watching briefs over one treasure Many more posts will be added in or another. I will get more! And these Please drop in and read the full story guys can really take photos (with the near future! and loiter about and explore all the Join Us section: contains the proper cameras and everything)! other posts if you don't already know membership application procedure this wonderful resource. SUGGESTED TOPICS: plus news of future events. http://gardendrum.com/2015/10/05/frie Newsletter section: still under nds-of-brisbane-botanic-gardens-and- newsy stories (like the cannon!) development, but eventually we sherwood-arboretum-is-alive-2/ what's flowering / fruiting will have downloadable PDFs of ALSO… botanical oddities / absurdities each issue available here. We have joined the national group wildlife (non-human sorts)! Future pages are probable and if you AAFBG (Australian Association