Southern Highlands branch: 2025 AGM and speakers

The AGM is a great opportunity to refresh everyone’s minds about our many events and advocacy achievements during the past 12 months.  As you may recall we have a very active committee who works hard to bring you these events and work cross functionally with other local organisations to have an impact in our community.

Venue: East Bowral Community Centre.

Lunch is provided.

Following the 30-minute AGM we have the first of two excellent speakers.

“The Ongoing Influence of Edna Walling” – with Trisha Dixon

Few figures have shaped the Australian garden quite like Edna Walling—and few understand her legacy as intimately as Trisha Dixon. In this captivating talk, join Trisha as she explores Walling’s visionary blend of structure and wildness, her passion for native landscapes, and the timeless elegance that continues to inspire designers today. Whether you’re a gardener, a design enthusiast, or simply drawn to stories of bold, creative women, this is a journey into the heart of one of Australia’s most influential landscape voices—told by one of her most thoughtful interpreters.

Trisha Dixon is an Australian author, photographer, and architectural historian with a deep interest in landscape, heritage and Australian architecture. One of her notable areas of focus has been the influence of Edna Walling, one of Australia’s most prominent landscape designers of the 20th century. Trisha Dixon plays an important role in keeping Edna Walling’s legacy alive. Through her writing, photography and curatorial work, she extends the conversation around Walling’s ideals — particularly those about beauty, simplicity and harmony with the natural world — to new generations interested in landscape, architecture and cultural heritage.

After lunch our second speaker is Flavia Scardamaglia.

“Leslie Wilkinson, his ideas and role as a Garden Maker and Designer”– with Flavia Scardamaglia

Architect, visionary and quiet revolutionary — Leslie Wilkinson is often remembered for shaping Australian architecture, but his profound influence as a garden maker remains one of his most inspiring legacies. Join architectural historian Flavia Scardamaglia as she reintroduces Wilkinson not just as a builder of structures, but as a shaper of spaces where architecture and landscape speak in harmony. Through fresh insights and rich visual storytelling, this talk reveals how Wilkinson’s ideas continue to influence garden design today — and why it’s time to see him with new eyes.

Flavia is a member of Australia ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), reflecting her commitment to international heritage standards and practices. Her expertise encompasses historic urban landscapes, cultural landscapes and built heritage. She has provided heritage advice at both local and state government levels in New South Wales. Flavia’s insights into heritage and architecture have been featured in various publications. Her article on Professor Leslie Wilkinson’s approach to garden design was published in the October 2024 issue of Australian Garden History. Additionally, she has presented talks on Wilkinson’s career and garden-making philosophy, contributing to the broader understanding of Australia’s architectural heritage.