2025 Annual General Meeting

Farewell to My Fellow Friends and BCC Colleagues within FBGGSA

As we step into 2025, I have made the bittersweet decision to step down as a Director of the FBBGSA Board. My journey with the board began in 2016, when I was recruited by Mary Jo Katter to implement systems to help the board meet its governance obligations under the Corporations Act. This included navigating challenges like working with an uncooperative bank—a daunting but rewarding task that allowed me to apply my years of experience to support The Friends.

I embraced the opportunity wholeheartedly, as my first love is horticulture and my second is connecting with people to share a passion for plants, soil, water, and all the elements required to grow healthy gardens. Over these nine years, I’ve been privileged to meet many wonderful plant enthusiasts and engage with our local community.

In 2017, we took on the exciting challenge of upgrading the FBBGSA website and implementing a membership and event management system. It was a steep learning curve but working with our webmaster and board members to create a simple yet dynamic website—a true “window to the world”—was incredibly fulfilling.

Since late 2017, we’ve hosted over 125 events, workshops, garden shows, a festival, open garden visits, tours, and speaker nights. It’s inspiring to see so many members contribute to this success, and I am confident that new contributors will continue building on this incredible momentum.

We also redesigned a suite of promotional materials, which gave me the opportunity to hone new skills, thanks to the support and collaboration within The Friends.

However, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. COVID-19 brought restrictions, lockdowns, and workplace adjustments that impacted FBBGSA both financially and culturally. Many members withdrew from events or let their memberships lapse. One of my biggest disappointments was the cancellation of the AAFBG biennial conference in May 2020 during the first COVID shutdown.

Despite these setbacks, we saw incredible resilience from groups like the Kitchen Garden and the Monday Walking Group, whose dedication kept their activities alive. I remain optimistic about projects waiting to be reignited, such as the BBG Mt Coot-tha history group, ‘what’s flowering group and a potential nursery site offered by BCC for FBBGSA activities.

One of the highlights of my time on the board has been working with BCC, Endrim, and fellow board members to finalise what asset will be donated to BBG Mt Coot-tha through the Endrim Foundation. After much collaboration, we now have a beautiful bronze sculpture by artist Silvio Apponyi. The piece, affectionately known as “Pat the Possum,” greets visitors with a playful scratch as they pass through the Visitors Information gateway. An official unveiling with Endrim and FBBGSA members will occur once we finalise the plaque that will immortalise the gift to the gardens.

We also faced significant advocacy challenges together, from opposing the Zip-lines project to raising strong objections to the proposed “laser the gardens at night” plan. While the latter remains unresolved, I am proud of our collective effort and the strength of our community in standing up for what matters most.

Serving as a Director of The Friends has been an absolute pleasure. The activities, camaraderie, and opportunities to learn together have been a personal blessing. I leave with heartfelt gratitude for the experiences, friendships, and shared accomplishments of these past nine years.

I wish to thank my fellow directors over the last 9 years and am forever grateful for the support of Dale Arvidsson, Curator, Brisbane Botanic Gardens and High Profile Parks. 

Volunteering your skills to support the group is the backbone of The Friends so don’t hesitate to respond for all calls to volunteer, Wishing the incoming board every success and I look forward to seeing the continued growth and achievements of FBBGSA.

Warm regards,
Annette Irish FAIH (Ret)
Horticulturist 

Notice of Annual General Meeting