WINTER UPDATE

An artist’s impression of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s new amphitheatre VALE PETER VALDER

Much-loved botanist, horticulturist and gardening writer Dr Peter Valder passed away in March aged 94.

Valder began his long and distinguished career as a Plant Pathologist at New South Wales Agriculture before being appointed as a lecturer in botany and mycology at the University of Sydney, where he remained until his retirement in 1988.

Post retirement he cared for Nooroo, his family’s much-admired garden in Mount Wilson, and helped promote Australian botany and horticulture through appearances on radio and television. He also wrote for magazines and authored several books, including Wisterias and the award-winning The Garden Plants of China.

During his time at the University of Sydney, many botany students were fortunate to experience his wit and wisdom as a lecturer, among them Professor Brett Summerell, the Gardens’ Chief Scientist, Director Science, Education and Conservation.

“Peter made significant contributions to the (then) Friends of the Botanic Garden, including being a founding committee member and remaining on the Board for more than 20 years,” says Summerell.

The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is set to unveil a picturesque new amphitheatre, made possible thanks to the inspiration and generosity of Foundation & Friends' member Robert Constable and his family.

The project will create an idyllic venue for a range of performances and activations, including musical, theatrical and dance ensembles, along with public talks and wedding ceremonies.

Located adjacent to the Garden’s Herb Garden, close to the Conservatorium of Music, the amphitheatre will feature four sandstone and grass terraced levels and be surrounded by new tree plantings. Seats will be scaled to allow comfortable access and seating, with the audiences of up to 80 people easily accommodated.

As well as providing a relaxing space for workers, local residents and visitors, it is hoped the facility will help foster closer ties between the Garden and the Conservatorium of Music by providing an ideal venue for the students to hone their performance skills.

“Many of his amazing collections of plants, especially wisteria cultivars, grace both the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. This legacy was recognised when he was made a life member of Foundation & Friends in 2014 and invited to write the foreword to the Gardens’ bicentenary volume, The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: The First 200 Years.

“The Gardens have been very fortunate to have had Peter’s support in so many ways over the past 40 years and longer – he will be greatly missed.”

Despite daylight becoming noticeably shorter and temperatures cooling considerably, there is no sign of any hibernation here at the Gardens.

I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of the On the Edge exhibition with our Chair, Philip Marcus Clarke AO. I was so moved by the exhibition and its power to bring attention to Australian flora threatened by climate change and other environmental issues.

We have been working closely with our very generous donor, Robert Constable, to progress the Amphitheatre project, and I can’t wait to see it come to life, creating a tranquil venue for our visitors and community. I am also excited about working collaboratively with Foundation & Friends on its new strategy and I look forward to seeing this implemented in the coming year.

After the recent election, the Gardens now reports into the new Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon. Paul Scully, however it's business as usual. Minister Scully recently highlighted his focus on ‘improving public open spaces to make them more people and environment friendly, celebrating and making the most of our natural and urban environments’.

So much of our work is underpinned by the unwavering support of Foundation & Friends, our dedicated volunteers, donors, and corporate partners. Thank you to all for your significant contribution to botanical science and the Gardens.

Denise Ora, Chief Executive

Foundation & Friends has built up a rich history of highlighting the important work of your Botanic Gardens through its ongoing and engaging range of activities. A recent highlight was the incredible On the Edge: Species at Risk exhibition. Held at Lion Gate Lodge, our volunteer committee curated a thought-provoking and beautiful show. The exhibition highlighted works from almost 40 emerging and established artists who focused on the impacts of climate change and other threats to our biodiversity.

On the Edge was opened to a large crowd by the Honourable Tanya Plibersek MP, Minister for the Environment and Water, who later praised the quality and thoughtfulness of the works on ABC radio. Our wonderful patron, Her Excellency Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, dropped by the next day to tell the team how much she enjoyed the opening and the amazing range of art on display. Not only did the exhibition achieve more than $130,000 in sales, it also attracted a diverse audience that was deeply engaged with the rich content.

This exhibition is just one example of how Foundation & Friends supports the work of your Botanic Gardens. The funds raised through our activities help us support important infrastructure projects, ground-breaking research, the purchase of essential scientific equipment, and the delivery of innovative education programs.

Foundation & Friends is also fortunate to have passionate donors who help us fund a wide range of urgent initiatives. I know the team at PlantBank was extremely excited by the recent delivery of critical equipment from the United Kingdom for the rainforest conservation project, which was funded by a donor and Foundation & Friends (see story page 8). This project is undertaking pioneering research to help counter the impacts of climate change and the loss of biodiversity in our incredible rainforests.

In undertaking stakeholder engagement for our new five-year strategy, there was unified feedback wanting to see continued action on supporting efforts to address the impacts of climate change. Our warming planet has disastrous consequences for biodiversity and is also a direct threat to the health of your Botanic Gardens.

This is why our end-of-financial-year appeal is focusing on climate change and the work the Botanic Gardens of Sydney is undertaking to address the impacts of a warming planet. The donations we receive go directly to our Trust Fund that supports the work of the Gardens. For our members, donors and other supporters who have already made their tax-time gifts, a sincere thank you!

Peter Thomas

The Royal Botanic Garden is always changing, but for 44 nights this winter it will be transformed like never before.

After-dark visitors will be enticed by glowing tunnels, larger-than-life flowers and tree canopies illuminated in a rainbow of colours – all part of Lightscape, a 2.1-kilometre, multisensory journey adding a new dimension to this year’s Vivid Sydney festival.

Culture Creative, the company behind the event, has garnered acclaim around the world for its bright

This year’s Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition will run from 12 August to 8 October at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan.

Selected works from some of the world’s best scientific botanical illustrators will be on display at the prestigious exhibition, while the full range of submissions to the annual award will also be available to view online through image hosting service Flickr.

Sponsored by Foundation & Friends and the Maple-Brown Family, the Margaret Flockton Award recognises excellence in scientific botanical illustration. Works are judged across a variety of criteria, including technical merit, accuracy in the interpretation and portrayal of plant characteristics, composition and artistic merit.

ideas, which include lighting up the State Rooms of Blenheim Palace, crafting Christmas trails through London, and devising luminous botanic gardens from Chicago to Melbourne.

Lightscape will run every day from 26 May to 18 June, and from Wednesday to Sunday between 21 June and 16 July, with the Garden closing to the public at 5pm each evening and reopening to ticket holders from 5.30pm onwards.

Tickets are available to Foundation & Friends members from the discounted rate of $26 for adults and $14 for children.

The Australian Watercolour Institute (AWI) is celebrating its centenary this year by holding an exhibition of more than 150 works at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney’s Lion Gate Lodge.

Entry will be free to the weeklong event, which opens on the evening of 31 August.

Founded to redress a perceived lack of attention for watercolour painting in Australia, the AWI has over the past 100 years promoted the medium through dedicated exhibitions. Its first show was held in March 1924.

Throughout its history many of Australia’s foremost artists have been members of (or regularly exhibited with) the AWI, including such luminaries as Arthur Streeton, Hans Heysen, Margaret Preston, Norman Lindsay, Lloyd Rees and the late John Olsen.

Among the works included in this year’s exhibition will be a large painting of a Wollemi Pine by David van Nunen.

See this issue's Diary (page 33) for more details.