Victoria Branch: AGM and online lecture

The AGM will precede the Lecture. AGM details will appear in the Spring Newsletter.

Lecture: The past, present and future of University of Melbourne’s System Garden

By Tim Uebergang

Tim Uebergang will share with us his perspective on the history and future of the University of Melbourne’s 168-year-old System Garden. This botanic garden is one of the country’s oldest still functioning teaching gardens. We’ll hear about how the Garden began, under instruction of the first professor of Natural Sciences, Frederick McCoy, and its design, by one of the most talented and prolific Anglo-Australian landscape gardeners of the nineteenth century Edward LaTrobe Bateman. The Garden was almost lost at the turn of the century and its identity subsumed under council management during the middle part of the 20th century. Today it is a much-loved space by students, staff and the public.

We’ll hear how academics have used the collections for their research and how Tim has balanced the need for both teaching and pleasure. It is the 2018 System Garden Masterplan that has put the System Garden on its most positive trajectory in 100 years. Tim will show how that masterplan has the potential to protect the System Garden in an uncertain University environment.

Tim Uebergang is a plant collector who began his career in the visual arts. He studied horticulture and botany at the University of Melbourne and has been the Curator of Horticulture at the System Garden from 2007 to 2021 (he has in the last few months accepted a new position at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria). Established in 1856 the System Garden is one of the country’s oldest teaching and learning gardens. By restoring the garden back to a refuge of plant learning Tim has seen the garden become a multi-disciplinary resource where students of all ages can learn about the wonder of plants. Tim has a particular interest in Cycads which peaked during a scholarship to Kew Gardens and Cambridge Botanic Gardens in 2011. Tim has spoken about the positive work happening in the System Garden in conferences in Colombia, New Zealand and Australia.

Tickets: AGHS members $10, Friends RBG $10, non-members $15.

Bookings: through Trybooking. Note bookings open on 1 September at 9am.

Location: The link to the online event will be provided by the event organiser.

Sign on: commences from 6:15pm and the AGM begins at 6:30pm. The talk begins at 6:45pm and will be followed by Q&A.

Contact: Wendy Dwyer, aghsvicbranch2@gmail.com /0408 340 967