hoto Trevor Pitkin
AGHS members will be saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Barrie Gallacher at the end of May. Barrie graduated as a Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Melbourne and practised as an associate of CDA Design Group in Carlton. He was a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and a committee member of The Australian Plants Society of Victoria. Much of his work related to heritage restoration and maintenance.
In 2010, the Royal Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens was restored to the condition it had when completed for the International Exhibition of 1880. The garden had been covered by a car park. Barrie had the painstaking task of recreating the garden from archaeological excavations, photographs taken at the time of construction, archival drawings and plants which were commonly grown in the period.
At Bickleigh Vale in Croydon, the community created by Edna Walling, Barrie drew up a report on behalf of Heritage Victoria, Yarra Ranges Council and the Friends of Edna Walling to restore the roadsides in accordance, where possible, with the original vision of their creation. This entailed removal of senescent vegetation, planting
appropriate new plants and weed control.
Barrie did much work on a voluntary basis for the Australian Garden History Society. In 2022 he drew the garden plans of Goronga which were incorporated in the AGHS history of this hill station garden in the Dandenongs and in 2023 he advised on the restoration of the garden of Yantaringa, a block of art Deco apartments in Ivanhoe where work was carried out by AGHS volunteers. Barrie’s last contribution for the AGHS was the garden plan of Derriweit Heights, a historic garden at Mount Macedon. This was an extremely difficult task owing to the steep
site and thick planting, but Barrie still managed to produce a beautifully drawn and detailed plan.
Barrie was also an enthusiastic supporter of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Cranbourne, serving as a garden ambassador, a guide since 2012 and member of the Friends’ Committee.
The AGHS wishes to record its admiration and gratitude to Barrie for his lifetime of work creating and maintaining the landscapes and gardens, which are so important to the community, and for his generosity in assisting the AGHS by sharing his knowledge and expertise. We extend our sympathy to Barrie’s family at their sad loss.