This AGHS National Oral History Collection booklet presents 13 summaries of interviews from nearly all Branches, to tantalise readers to immerse themselves in the National Oral History Collection on the AGHS website. There are 67 interviews available in audio and transcription […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Edith Young interviewed on 22 October 2025 by Patsy Vizents Synopsis Edith Young was raised in Kirup in the South West of Western Australia. She had a childhood that was surrounded by natural bush and […]
The Australian Garden History Society financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2025 are now available to download.
Crater of Mount Gambier South Australia, 1867, plate 11 from Eugène von Guérard’s Australian Landscapes, Melbourne, 1866–68, colour lithograph, National Gallery of Victoria Beyond the garden fence The main theme of AGHS’s 45th annual conference, Beyond the Garden Fence, was […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Carol Westmore interviewed on 14 July 2025 by Jean Elder Synopsis Since arriving in Tasmania in 1974 with little practical gardening experience, Melbourne born Carol Westmore has achieved two remarkable feats. She has recreated […]
The Australian Garden History Society is pleased to provide you with the AGHS Annual Report 2024-2025 for the year ended 30 June 2025 and the Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2025.
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Mark Fountain interviewed on 16 June 2025 by Jean Elder Synopsis In this thoughtful interview, Mark Fountain shares the story of how his creative journey in horticulture and gardening progressed from nurseryman through a […]
The document Managing an historic garden offers some tips for garden owners about how to navigate heritage listings and where to find information about an historic garden.
Interview Recording Part 1 Part 2 Interview Transcript Juliet Ramsay interviewed on 12 December 2024 by Roslyn Burge Synopsis Juliet Ramsay was born in Sydney and grew up in Goulburn. After leaving school in Goulburn she studied Nursing at […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Prue Slatyer interviewed on 4 April 2025 by Jean Elder Synopsis Prue Slatyer grew up in Sydney in the 1950s with a deep appreciation for nature, shaped by her parents’ passion for gardening and her […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Marion Blackwell interviewed on 15 May 2024 by Caroline Grant and Patsy Vizents Synopsis Marion was born and raised in the northern New South Wales region of the Great Dividing Range, close to the Queensland […]
Image: Ryde Horticultural School, field day, 1956, photo State Library of NSW Introduction In Ticket to Ryde, Jennifer Stackhouse (garden writer and member of AGHS Tasmania) brings you voices from the AGHS national oral history collection to show where […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript John Hawker interviewed on 2 May 2024 by Kate Cregan Synopsis John Hawker was born in Melbourne and – along with his parents, brother and sister – moved his to his paternal grandparents’ dairy […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Tim Entwisle interviewed on 28 March 2024 by Kate Cregan Synopsis Tim was born in 1960 Nhill in the Mallee of Victoria, to schoolteacher parents, Betty and John (d.1966), and has two younger brothers, along […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Kathy Wright interviewed on 19 March 2024 by Kate Cregan Synopsis In 1939 Kathy was born at Maffra and grew up in Gippsland, with her parents, maternal grandmother and four siblings, on a dairy […]
Interview Recording Part 1: Part 2: Interview Transcript Fran and Mal Faul interviewed on 19 April 2024 by Dr Kate Cregan Synopsis Fran and Mal Faul were both born and raised in Melbourne. Fran was born in 1942, grew […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Jerry de Gryse interviewed on 26 April 2024 by Jean Elder Synopsis The interview with America-born landscape architect Jerry de Gryse is a considered reflection on his professional journey and the personal values that inform […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Lindsay Bond interviewed on 2 December 2003 Roslyn Burge Synopsis Lindsay’s interview commemorated the work of his wife Beth Bond who was instrumental in the establishment of the AGHS. She was born in NSW in 1924. […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Peter Holmes interviewed in August 2003 by Myfanwy Thompson Synopsis Peter talks about working as a young man with the noted gardener and garden designer, Paul Sorenson at “Mereworth”, an historic garden in the […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Sally Johannsohn interviewed on 28 August 2024 by Jean Elder Synopsis Sally Johannsohn’s Hobart home sits in a spectacular cool climate garden in the hills overlooking Hobart. Surrounded by a forest of Eucalyptus regnans, […]
View of Koombana Bay on Port Leschenault, Australind, Western Australia, drawn and lithographed by TC Dibdin, from an original sketch taken on the spot by Miss Louisa Clifton, image National Library of Australia Hesperia: Looking West John Viska, the conference […]
The Australian Garden History Society financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2024 are now available to download.
The Australian Garden History Society has built a significant national oral history collection of 80 recordings, with more in the pipeline. Interviews have been recorded in every state and the ACT (not yet in the Northern Territory). A large proportion […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript John Dwyer interviewed on 1 March 2024 by Tim Entwisle John Dwyer interview summary Synopsis John Dwyer tells us about his family, his background and his contributions to gardens and landscape heritage. Born and raised […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Neville McKinnell interview on 16 August 2024 by Jean Elder Synopsis The McKinnell family has proudly maintained a connection to one of Tasmania’s most remarkable country houses, Clarendon, for over 70 years. Located near […]
The Australian Garden History Society is pleased to provide you with the AGHS Annual Report 2023-24 and the Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2024.
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Tonia Cochran interviewed on 7 March 2024 by Jean Elder Synopsis Melbourne-born Dr. Tonia Cochran moved to Tasmania in the late 1980s while completing her Ph.D. in marine zoology. During that time she discovered […]
Interview Recording Part one: Part two: Part three: Part five: Length of interviews: 1 hour 9 minutes. Note: Part 4 is not included. Interview Transcript Sir Owen Croft interviewed on 23 & 24 April 2018 by John Maurer Synopsis […]
Interview Recording Part one: Part two: Interview Transcript Marilyn Pidgeon interviewed on 1 May 2024 by Liz Chappell with Lynne Walker Synopsis Marilyn Pidgeon recounts how her childhood in Tasmania inspired the creation of her later much visited and […]
Interview Recording Interview Transcript Ann Cripps interviewed on 25 August 2023 by Jean Elder Synopsis In 1981 the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Garden History (AGHS) was formed. Hobart born author and garden history consultant Ann Cripps has played […]