Heart and soul of our Gardens

PREMIER Will Hodgman has thanked the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens volunteers for their “extraordinary contribution” to the bicentennial celebrations of the Gardens.

Last year was not only the 200th birthday but also the first year more than 500,000 people passed through the Gardens’ gates. Thee record attendance was made possible by the efforts of volunteers and staff, Mr Hodgman said.

“The Gardens rely on the passion and commitment of around 125 active volunteers who contribute around 15,000 hours of their time to ensure the health and vitality of Australia’s second-oldest botanic gardens,” he said.

“There has been a record visitation of over 507,000 people to the Gardens during the bicentennial celebrations, thanks in no small part to the support of hardworking volunteers and efforts of staff to deliver a first-class program of events and projects.”

Wendy Bowman and Nan Benefiel are among the volunteers who have helped behind the scenes.

Ms Bowman, who is in the begonia volunteer group and who leads walking tours around the Gardens, said she has always loved gardening and reaps the benefits it brings.

“We all know that gardening’s good for us and now the science is even supporting that there are good things in the soil,” she said.

Ms Benefiel said she first started visiting the Gardens to learn what to plant what time of year, as she is not originally from Tasmania.

Four or five years later she put her hand up to be the meeter and greeter, welcoming people to the Gardens and giving them general information.

As a final commemoration of the bicentenary, a Ginko Biloba, Maidenhair Tree was planted on Monday, donated by the Friends of the Gardens.