Conference Keynote Speakers

 

Helga Brichet

Helga will speak on "Roses from Distant Lands Which Have Found a Happy Home in Itay". Helga was born in South Africa, and later undertook tertiary study both there and in Germany, before buying a property in central Italy in 1973. Over time she has built up a large collection of roses, with her collecton of China and Hybrid Gigantea roses being unique. She has held senior positions with the World Federation of Rose Societies, and was a recipient of their Gold Medal in 2000.  Helga has lectured widely, written articles for numerous publications, played an important part in international rose trials, and acted as a consultant to the European Rosarium in Sangerhausen, Germany. Helga also has a collection of our own Alister Clark roses growing in Italy.

Lynne Chapman

Lynne is one of six Western Australian women who have been researching Tea Roses for a number of years. Their forhcoming book, "Tea Roses, Old Roses for Warm Gardens," is the first book book devoted to Tea Roses to be published for 100 years. We are delghted that we will be able to learn more about these wonderful old roses at the 2008 Conference, and that all six "Tea Bag Ladies "-as we fondly know them - will be attending. Their book has been released in America in June and will be released here in August . More information about the book can be found at www.rosenbergpub.com.au

David Ruston

David Ruston, founder of Ruston's Roses and the first president of Heritage Roses in Australia Inc, was born in Renmark, South Australia in 1930. His awards are numerous: the T. A. Stewart Rose Award in 1966, the Australian Rose Award in 1982, the Order of Australia Medal (O.A.M.) in 1982 for services to horticulture, the Dean Hole Medal from the Royal National Rose Society in 1994, and the Deane Ross Memorial Award for services to Heritage Roses in Australia in 1992. Active in the World Federation of Rose Societies (WFRS) since the inaugural meeting in London in 1968, David served as its president from 1991 to 1994, and received that organization's Gold Medal award in 2004. David is a keen flower arranger with a love of all garden-grown flowers. Specializing in flower arrangements inspired by the old Flemish, Dutch, and French painters, he has demonstrated in all the states of Australia and in New Zealand, the United States, Canada, England, Belgium, and Israel.

David will entertain us with one of his wonderful floral demonstrations on the Friday night of our conference. David has a wonderful gift, and as well as having the capacity to inform and delight us visually he has a great sense of humour. He will I am sure find a special way to link the theme of our conference with his artistic presentation.

Dr. Holly Kerr Forsyth ( Speaker for the Gala Dinner)

After completing her tertiary studies in Queensland, Holly Kerr Forsyth moved to Sydney, where she graduated from Ryde Horticultural College. Further study at the University of NSW allowed her to complete a PhD in history. Many will have read Holly's articles in the Weekend Australian. She has written as well for a number of academic and other publications and many of you will be familiar with her book, 'Remembered Gardens: Eight Women & Their  Visions of an Australian Landscape." This involved travelling thousands of kilometres around Australia, photographing more than 700 gardens, and interviewing their owners and creators. For us, Dr. Holly Kerr Forsyth will speak on "The Dramas, Delights and Difficulties of Keeping History Alive"

Workshop Presenters

 

Elizabeth Pontifex

Elizabeth's early work was with the Department of Agriculture and with Rosemary Houseman, who did much to promote the growing of heritage roses. When she and husband, Barry, moved to rural Mornington Peninsula, Elizabeth was able to further indulge her interest in rose growing and in particular, in growing roses from seed. She remembers, most vividly, the moment this interest was 'sparked' . It occurred at a rose society meeting, held in an old apple shed, where Peter Cox spoke about the charm of old roses. Elizabeth came away with her pockets full of a variety of hips to begin her own work- applying skills learned as a laboratory technician to further her delight in propagating roses from seed. The challenges of the careful selection, storage and planting of seeds were followed by the surprises and delights of the results. Soon her garden and the fences of the property were festooned with the results of her work.

Elizabeth's enthusiasm remains unbounded and she aims to engage her audience to share this with her. Participants in the workshop can be assured that she is very generous in sharing her valuable insights in the field of rose propagation from seed.

John Nieuwesteeg

Since planting his first cuttings in 1962, as a young migrant from Holland, John Nieuwesteeg has established for himself a reputation as one of Australia's leading rosarians. A fourth generation nurseryman and second generation rose-grower, John played a prominent role in the search for,and release of, Alister Clark roses. During the mid to late eighties, together with Susan Irvine, he visited Glenara and many other old gardens throughout Victoria to add to the growing collection which gained registration with The Ornamental Plant Conservation Association of Australia. When Susan left for Tasmania, the registration passed to John to display it in his extensive garden at Coldstream (part of the pre-conference tour), alongside the collection of other roses bred in Australia before !960. John is long-standing member of, and contributor to, Heritage Roses in Australia, an active member of the Rose Society of Victoria and the incumbent President of The OPCAA. Roses of high quality have been distributed through his wholesale nursery (now passed to the fifth generation) and John's expertise is widely sought in the establishment and maintenance of prominent gardens.

Subjects covered in the workshop will include explanation of the conditions required for growing roses, their varied uses, and pruning – concentrating mainly on roses from gigantea and tea roses in general.

Pat Toolan

Pat hardly needs introduction to readers of this journal. We have come to know her through her writing which displays a depth of knowledge to be matched only by her ardent pursuit to preserve old roses. Her achievements and awards are too numerous to detail here but they include the 1999 HRIA Deane Ross Memorial Award followed by The Churchill Fellowship award in 2001; Pat has been actively involved in the establishment of rose repositories (Mitcham and Barossa ), has had numerous speaking engagements and lead tour groups and working bees within Australia and abroad; she participates actively in local and international rose societies. Pat gained further renown as popular Workshop Presenter in 2005 at the 10th International Heritage Roses Conference, Dunedin, and at the 9th HRAI National Conference, Mornington Peninsula.

One would be forgiven for thinking that this immersion in roses was all-consuming. Not so. Pat has achieved this alongside her devotion to her partner Harry Makris and their eight children and in the establishment of their home, surrounded by a large garden of old roses,old time plants and historic, species and oncocylus irises. The property consists of 80 lichen-covered rocky acres in rural South Australia.
Her workshop will enable participants to gain insights to the accumulation of Pat's research and experience in identifying and preserving old roses.

Merryle Johnson

It is not easy to find Merryle standing still. This peripatetic way of life stemmed from the 1981 when she and her husband moved from Bendigo to a 20 acre property at Nayook, West Gippsland, Victoria. There, the climate and soil enabled them to create the type of garden they preferred. In 1986, they travelled extensively in Europe and on their return Merryle grew the seeds she had collected from the many gardens they visited, and from this small beginning their mail order business began. Merryle and David gave up their careers in academic life to concentrate on the nursery. With the burgeoning interest in cottage gardens at this time, it was not long before the demand for plants grew to such an extent that up to six employees were needed to ensure supplies. Alongside the plant production, which by then included bulbs and roses, Merryle began to offer tours to gardens of note in Victoria and gradually, further afield. When David became a licensed travel agent, overseas tours expanded the business yet again. Tours to Britain, France and Italy were obvious choices from the beginning, but these days Hungary, The Czech Republic, Scandinavia as well as Canada and USA are included. Such is the demand that some tours are planned up to three years in advance. Merryle frequently exhibits at The International Flower and Garden Show and her plants are available at other garden events throughout Victoria and interstate. The nursery, though down-sized, still flourishes, concentrating mainly on new varieties collected overseas. Merryle is able to add them to old favourites.

The workshop is an exciting opportunity for those taking part to learn from Merryle something of the changing tastes and needs in the evolution of our gardens.

Andrew Govanstone

Andrew is a Senior Biodiversity Officer with the Department of Sustainability & Environment, based in Portland, south west Victoria. He has accumulated over 25 years cultural and natural landscape restoration and is currently involved in a project restoring water to the nationally significant Lake Condah, featured on both the Catalyst and Message Stick programs of the ABC. Andrew's interest with Alister Clark and the roses of Glenara began in 1986 when Andrew worked at Woodlands Historic Park, a short distance from Glenara. There he met Tid Alston, whose parents had been friends of Clark, and thus the spark of interest in the rosarian was kindled. Andrew's tertiary qualifications in Horticulture and Australian History equip him admirably to explore his long-held fascination with Alister Clark's roses and his other horticultural achievements. His interest is shared with his wife Tilley.

Members taking part in the seminar can join Andrew on a unique pictorial journey into Clark's world and be introduced to the many inspirational women he deliberately chose as namesakes for his beautiful floral legacy; these are The Women Behind the Roses.