Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne
Ms RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (12:58): I was honoured to join the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne at the launch of the spectacular new book, a history of the Cranbourne gardens, Of Friends and Gardens. Written by Carolyn Landon, the book details the rich and winding history of the friends as they navigated their way towards the vision of the gardens as they are today. Anyone who has visited the Cranbourne gardens knows the beauty and awe that they inspire, and the book is the perfect opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the background of these gardens, seeing its story as one of collective vision. I must mention the esteemed author of this book, Carolyn Landon. Some of you might be familiar with her work with Daryl Tonkin, Jackson’s Track, or the one that piqued my interest, Cups with No Handles: Memoir of a Grassroots Activist. I highly recommend anyone who has an interest in the gardens to give this a read and anyone looking for excellent storytelling to have a look at Landon’s excellent, fantastic body of work.
I would like to thank the director of the gardens, Chris Russell; the CEO of the botanic gardens, Tim Entwisle; and the wonderful board of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, for hosting this book launch. It was punctuated by a fantastic panel discussion taking on the vision, narrative and challenges. At a time when climate change is at the forefront of the mind of many in Australia and can shape behaviour and movements in government, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne is a reminder of what is at stake. Above all I do thank the Cranbourne gardens friends for their fierce advocacy, altruism and, frankly, hard work, making real the dream of Maud Gibson.