Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens
Chris COUZENS (Geelong) (11:00): On another matter, the Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens undertake important and valuable work and make a significant contribution to our community. I want to acknowledge and thank Denise Feldman, Tracey Tilbury and Rosslyn Jablonsky for their incredible commitment. There are many volunteers who put in lengthy hours so that the gardens are enjoyed by the many Geelong residents and visitors to our beautiful city. The Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens membership is around 300, with regular volunteers who commit to conserving, protecting and enhancing the Geelong Botanic Gardens and its environs, including Eastern Park. I congratulate the Geelong School of Botanical Art, under the management of the Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens, for holding the eighth biennial exhibition of students’ and tutors’ artwork. I had the pleasure of opening the exhibition, titled Bloom: Inspired by Nature 8, which showcases the visually exquisite documentation of our plant life from bud to bloom as well as roots, fruits and seed pods. This is an expanded exhibition that includes for the first time superb contemporary large-scale botanical artwork.