Beverley Read MAILDM
After a very long drought in Victoria we were able to achieve a milestone this year by holding the first Seminar in Melbourne on 12th May 2007. We held the Seminar in Alphington at the Darebin Business Centre; it was convenient for many of our members, being on the train line and with lots of parking.
This was an important occasion for two reasons
Firstly, the perception has been, by members outside NSW, that AILDM is a Sydney based organisation and that everything ‘happens up there’ and many members felt isolated.
Secondly, judging by the response to this first gathering there is great enthusiasm at the local level to organise regular meetings to get know other members and expand our membership. This we have certainly achieved as we have in the last twelve months gained 7 new members.
Membership base is small in Melbourne but of the 20 odd members 19 of them turned up to hear Steve Watts of Metro Trees give a very interesting talk about the growing, culture and management of Trees in the Landscape. Because his nursery is next door to the venue he was able to bring in specimens of all types to illustrate his presentation. It’s quite amazing how rusty you become when you are not dealing with all the associated problems of the use of trees.
Steve carries a broad range of advanced plants and it well located just 10 minutes from the centre of Melbourne which is a definite plus, as often growers are an hour or so out of the city. His nursery is definitely worth a visit.
Chris Miller our AILDM President flew down for this inaugural event – and gave an easy and informal chat about the benefits of being an AILDM member, the direction AILDM is going and generally how our organization can be involved in the Industry. We pulled out all stops to have plenty to eat and drink.
Our next Seminar will be held on Saturday 15th September 2007 and our guest speaker will be Mark Browning of Cycas Landscapes, who designed the garden for Fleming’s Nursery which won Silver Gilt at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. Student member Chris Webb will be adding his experiences as a visiting assistant to Chelsea, which was his prize for winning the Fleming’s Student Design Competition this year.
Due to the positive feedback from our members we look forward to having at least four Seminars a year, with topics and speakers requested by members, and an annual knees-up at the end of the year.
