Hunter Region Botanic Gardens

07-September-2011

Mr CRAIG BAUMANN (Port Stephens—Parliamentary Secretary) [1.48 p.m.]: Today I speak about an incredible community achievement in my electorate: the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. I was delighted to recently officially open the twenty-fifth anniversary celebrations of the tranquil gardens at Heatherbrae and the launch of the gardens' herbarium building appeal.

At the gathering I wondered whether it was only really 25 years since the 140 hectares of natural bushland had been transformed into what must be described as one of the jewels of the Hunter. Through 25 years of blood, sweat and, no doubt, tears the volunteers have transformed a weed-infested bushland site into a botanic collection enjoyed by the community and visitors from around the world. The story of 25 years of volunteer initiative, which has resulted in the reality of the gardens today, has its beginnings in the nineteenth century. If members indulge me in a pun, the seed for the region's own botanic gardens was sown in 1868 when 96 acres of land was set aside for the botanic gardens in Mayfield West, which was later dedicated by the New South Wales Government as a site for the botanic gardens.

Unfortunately, the site dedication was revoked in 1912 as land was needed for BHP. Fast forward to 1981 and a botanic gardens committee was formed. In 1985 the option of 133 hectares of land at Tomago, owned by the Hunter District Water Board, was taken up and in that same year the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens Ltd, a non-profit company limited by guarantee, was officially formed. In 1986 when the site was opened for public inspection most people would have wondered what on earth had possessed the proponents to think that a lantana and bitou bush infested site with no power, no water, no roads and no buildings could possibly become a botanic gardens. Let us not forget the naysayers concerned about the site, right next to a major aluminium smelter, but the sense of purpose and enthusiasm of those original volunteers prevailed.

In November 1986 the first commemorative tree was planted by 100-year-old Bill Howard. What came next was a flurry of activity, planting, donations and community support, and a lot of steady hard work by many hands over many years. Palm, grevillea, succulent, prostanthera, cycad, conifer, acacia and rare and endangered plant gardens were established, along with an orchid shade house and bromeliad house. There have been a few bumps along the way. In September 2005 the gardens suffered a massive setback when $28,000 worth of tools and machinery were stolen from the gardens works compound. There was also a draft proposal to sand mine the site. As part of the F3 freeway upgrade project, the Roads and Traffic Authority had proposed to construct an exit ramp across the gardens frontage with entrance to the grounds under the proposed exit ramp. Thankfully, sanity has prevailed and the Roads and Traffic Authority has agreed to move the ramp to either the north or the south of the gardens entrance. The mission statement of the gardens is:

To grow, study conserve and promote plants, in particular those of the Hunter Region.

Through the steady work of the volunteers, and with support from members and sponsors, the gardens' collections have flourished. The gardens now have a visitors centre, outdoor cafe, gift shop and reference library. Visitors can enjoy Devonshire teas and light lunches or they can picnic in the gardens. The gardens are constantly growing as new displays are developed for recreational, educational and scientific purposes. Easy walking trails provide access to the natural bushland with its mature blackbutt, angophoras and swamp mahogany forests and its understorey of more than 150 native plants. The forests are the natural habitat of goannas, wallabies, lizards, brushtail and ringtail possums, sugar gliders, bats, a small group of resident koalas and many birds. The work of the volunteers has not gone unnoticed during the past 25 years; they have worked as guides, propagated plants, maintained the gardens and worked in the cafe and office and in conservation management teams.

The volunteers who have contributed 10 years to 25 years of service to the gardens are to be commended. They include Kevin Macdonald and Kevin Stokes, with an incredible 25-year contribution. Noel Winney and June Davidson have been contributors for 20 years. Christine Green, Peter Nielson, Elaine Blythe and Bruce Stephenson have notched up 15 years of service. Harry Jones, Rowan Poten, Jeanette Green, Jan Noble, the current chairman of the gardens, John Finlay, Brian O'Connor, Joy O'Connor and Norah Brain have served the gardens for 10 years. Maureen Schuller, Jeffrey Vanderpal, Enid Gilbert, Robert Reece, Barbra Quinn, Colin Cawthorne, Kevin Worth, Maree Worth, Margaret Faulkner and Steve Hayes have all made a five-year contribution to the gardens. As I said, I was privileged to open the twenty-fifth birthday celebrations with the patron of the gardens, Peter Sinclair. He probably needs no introduction in this place, and is a constituent in my Port Stephens electorate. I commend the gardens to my colleagues not only as a superb showcase for the natural environment but also as an example of what the vision, tenacity and dedication of volunteers can achieve.