Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Programs and fBBGSA Teams
COVID19 Management Plan applies to all FBBGSA activities:
Members must adhere to the directives & requirements of the FBBGSA plan.
Our team projects are not training programs. Basic horticultural skills and ability to use tools without supervision are a pre-requisite. The botanic gardens staff and team members are not trained as teachers, carers nor can they support member needs in their endeavours to learn basic gardening skills.
To be involved in any volunteer programme you must first be a current member of FBBGSA and register annually as a Volunteer before joining all teams.
All FBBGSA members involved in BCC site based programmes need to complete an annual risk management training programme.
All FBBGSA members involved in BCC site based programmes need to complete an annual risk management training programme.
Volunteering Opportunities
The fBBGSA invite all members to become more closely involved in our activities. You will benefit from the friendship and sense of community that comes from volunteering within an organisation such as ours. Why wouldn’t you enjoy being actively involved within our botanic gardens and nature activities.
We welcome and have opportunities that cover a wide range of knowledge and skills. Our members come from all walks of life. You can start by just joining in.
Garden Show and Rambles Support Team
Love meeting members and public, perhaps promoting membership, selling raffle tickets, being a garden guide, managing a Plant Creche at a garden show or setting up the FBBGSA marquee or display –- may be for 1 hour to 4 hours depending on the event
Master Gardener Program Support team
Do you have a background in horticulture, plant, fungi, earth and animal sciences, teaching, presentations, curriculum or note development, teacher aide – the programme needs support to help prepare classes, gather specimens, liaise with printers for notes etc
‘Seedy Friends’ Team – EOI for mid-2022 start
Love working with microscopes and seeds? The small team will work within the Gardens Seed Lab. Members will require some knowledge of plant nomenclature, botany, plant physiology, plant growing conditions and ability to work with microscopes, very small seeds; has attention to detail & hygiene; suffer no allergies to seeds, grasses or dust/ mites. The team can only work with 3 at any one time and you may need to access the lab to check germination tests any day of the week. Training in seed testing will commence in 2022 and will be a pre-requisite in the first 8 sessions.
‘The Friends Artistic Activities’ Team:
Meeting every 4th Thursday of the month the team will support the activities in the auditorium with the opportunity to run workshops. A background in arts, drawing, painting, weaving, floral displays and floral art, sewing, crafts, displays, dyeing, working with garden materials will be required.
‘Brisbane Treasures’ History team:
Wish to research, collate and publish the history of the botanic gardens on-line? This team will be carrying on the work of Dr Jean Sim in expanding the FBBGSA Brisbane Treasures website. A background in any of the following will assist but not be obligatory: library work, writing, journalism, history research, archiving or working with WordPress web-based programmes
‘What's Flowering' Team:
Do you have a keen interest in plant names, origins and cultural requirements? This team will be updating & enhancing the information regarding the plants featured on the FBBGSA website page ‘What’s flowering this Month’ and adding new plants not yet included. A background in plant identification, photography, research skills, plant nomenclature, or knowing and growing plants in Brisbane will be helpful. Team members can comfortably work from their own computer with assistance from the Friends’ Webmaster.
Special Events Development and Planning Team:
Experience in conference or event planning? This team is for you. Background or keen interest in developing and planning conferences, tours, fairs, fetes and festivals; interest in display work; at the event conference scheduling; on-line booking systems; speaker support, delegates etc.
Graphics, Publishing, Editing Promo Material
FBBGSA have a portfolio of brochures, posters and other publications that need development or updating on an annual basis; preparing newsletters and our tri-monthly ‘Lilygram’ magazine. Can you help? A background in graphics, art, design, journalism, promotional material development or designing signs. Team members can comfortably work from their own computer with assistance from the Friends’ Webmaster
IT and Member Database Management
Can you do on-line financial reports, use web based database programmes, work with shopping carts, work with financial systems such as Stripe and happy to assist the Friends’ Webmaster and Director of Finances
Social Media blogger team
Are you a keen blogger skills, enjoy sharing pics on Instagram, or chatting on Facebook and Twitter then please volunteer to support the Board Director Social Media
Plant Label Auditing Team
The role of the Plant Label Auditing Team is to survey the plant labels throughout the collection of the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens to ensure accuracy, uniformity of content and format through the upgrading of old labels and to identify any labels which are damaged, missing or incorrectly placed. Knowledge/ background – no particular plant knowledge is asked for – except perhaps an interest in plants but present neat, legible writing. Some knowledge of scientific nomenclature and plant ID can be helpful but not obligatory.
Kitchen Garden Team - Currently Full as of October 2021
The very popular team offers herb and vegetable gardening experiences from March to September each year. This includes traditional plants as well as bush tucker and native plants. BCC staff initiate projects for the FBBGSA volunteers to complete each month and range from planting, weeding, potting up, cultivating, composting etc. The gardens staff are not trained as teachers or carers, nor can they support member’s needs in their endeavours to learn to grow plants. This is not a training program.
Growing Friends – Inactive
The Friends plan to propagate uncommon, rare and endangered plants at Mt Coot-Tha Gardens. The programme includes selection of stock for propagating according to the nursery program schedule; watering; fertilising; potting up of cuttings; monitoring and recording results. Basic Horticultural skills and ability to use tools without supervision are a pre-requisite.
A Growing Friends nursery still needs to find a home upon which to be built – so unfortunately this group will be inactive at this stage.
Where to from here?
TRAINING – Members Only
Safety Management Training Workshop: Volunteers are required to attend a half day fBGGSA/BCC induction workshop, dates to be provided by FBBGSA Training Manager, Future training will be web-based and completed on-line.
ANNUAL VOLUNTEER Registration – Members Only
All volunteers wishing to continue must re-register on an annual basis by end March.
Reminders will be sent in early February.
Register HERE
Any questions send a message via email members@fbbgsa.org.au
HOW TO FIND OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AT FBBGSA
Look for opportunities noted:
- On the fBBGSA website Events page,
- In our monthly ‘Lilygram’ Mailchimp newsletter and as news evolves
- Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and
- on our annual Calendar