Report on the presentation, ‘Exploring Tasmanian Gardens, Landscapes and the People Involved’, for the September 2025 Oral History Tasmania seminar by Jean Elder and Rhonda Hamilton.
by Rena Henderson
Rhonda Hamilton and Jean Elder have worked as a team over several years to gather oral histories from Tasmania for the Australian Garden History Society’s National Oral History Collection. Since 2020, they have collected eighteen stories from interesting garden people to add to the national collection of 90 interviews, all now available online at the AGHS website: https://www.gardenhistorysociety.org.au/publications/aghs-oral-history-project/
Interviews were conducted in the homes and gardens of interviewees, and the talk included photographs and relevant excerpts from each person featured. These were carefully selected to illustrate themes that Rhonda and Jean believed had emerged from recordings and transcripts of the interviews.
The first theme they explored was ‘Our early garden history’. Neville McKinnell spoke of his personal connection to Clarendon, and Mark Geeves recalled his mother collecting rare plants for her friend Dr Winifred Curtis, author of The Endemic Flora, in the 1970s. He reminded us that many Tasmanian plants travelled to Britain in the 1830–40s, were treasured and grown there. The Government House garden was discussed by Tara Edmonson, former head gardener.
The second theme was ‘Specialist gardens’. Five interviewees had been involved in different types of specialist gardens: a Gondwana garden, Inala, on Bruny Island; John Glover’s Patterdale garden; Home Hill, Dame Enid Lyons’ Devonport garden; and a modernist garden in Mt Rumney that used native plants with ‘hints of Japanese design’.
The third theme was ‘Guiding philosophies’: key influences and how these impacted on landscape designs. Jerry de Gryse talked about the Wellington Park plan he worked on in the 1990s. Lindsay Campbell saw good garden design and space integral to people’s comfort and well-being, while Sally Johannsohn emphasised micro-climates and ‘right plant, right space’. Catherine Shields saw landscapes as layers of meaning; ‘aesthetics…the story and the meaning of the place’, inspired by Geoffrey Jellicoe.
The fourth theme was ‘Art, music, landscapes/gardens’. Five interviewees highlighted this as key in their professional and personal lives. Gwenda Sheridan saw sound integrated with space, while Robyn Mayo Hawkins felt that art and gardens are ‘deeply entwined’ and has exhibited drawings from her central Australian experiences.
Theme five was ‘Concern about global environment and climate change’. Interviewees noted concern for preservation of Tasmania’s ‘big trees’ and the effects of heat and drought which is causing alpine flora to retreat to cooler altitudes. The impending problems for heritage trees on historic properties was mentioned. Another issue for the future is where plants germinate post-fire but then the regrowth is being eaten by hungry animals which impacts on long-term plant survival.
The sixth and final theme was ‘Oh wow!’ or ‘light-bulb moments’. This theme drew upon the histories of the interviewees, to recall their past, from whom and what they learnt in their future careers. Several people learned on the job, like Bob Magnus of Woodbridge and Ken Gillanders of Woodbank Nursery. Catherine Shields’ ‘light bulb’ came while working for the British Trust for Conservation in the countryside and taking a short course in designing a wildlife garden. Will Fletcher experienced his moment attending an indigenous plant seminar. Lindsay Campbell’s came at a pivotal moment after his landscaping business was impacted by the stock exchange crash and a friend suggested he should become a teacher, which he did for a decade.
At this point in Rhonda’s and Jean’s presentation, they shared a few critical tips learnt over their years of interviewing. It is important to start the interview recording quickly, otherwise the great anecdote from an enthusiastic interviewee may be missed, and a second telling is not the same. The situation of a spouse or partner in the room creates problems for audibility on the recording or conflicting versions of the same story, so the other person should be encouraged to leave the interviewing location. The placement of the microphone is important, lapel collars on men are good, but it is more difficult on soft fabric or where it picks up ‘fiddling’.
A couple of stories concluded the talk. One involved Bob Cherry from the north-west, a camellia specialist, who didn’t know one had been named after him. The other was about the failure of a tree planted for an ambassador’s ceremonial planting at Government House that was hurriedly replaced with a well-grown healthy tree before a later visit, and his joy relating its health to the healthy relationship between Tasmania and his own country.