Whittlesea Garden Club is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Club secretary Bev Sutton speaks about her time at the club alongside her partner and club president, Keith Sutton.
Tell me a bit about yourself and how you came to be a part of the club.
Bev: We lived in Yan Yean for over 30 years, and we did talk about one day how we would have to size down from our little three acres that we dearly loved. So I thought I’ll join a club in Whittlesea to get to know a few people. So I joined the club in 1996, and then my husband Kieth joined me when we officially retired in 2007.
What is the Whittlesea Garden Club all about?
Bev: This is a garden club that has been around a long, long time, this is our 35th year now. We visit gardens within an hour of Whittlesea. Sometimes we go to members’ gardens and it’s surprising to see what people have. They love their gardens and you can always pick up little ideas and tips when you visit on what you can do in your own garden. I also put out a monthly newsletter to share what we’re doing and provide a little bit of comment and photos on the last garden we visited.
What do you love about Whittlesea?
Bev: The community spirit, it’s a very country town. We’ve been in the district over 50 years now. Back then there were hardly any shops. Now we’ve got every amenity you can think of. It’s just great for people retiring, it’s not too busy.
Keith: I hope it doesn’t evolve over time, away from that country village feel, because in a way it’s still got a lot of that country element.
How do you go about scouting a garden to take people to?
Keith: There’s always something coming up. We do a few repeats to first visit a young garden and then maybe go back five years later, and see it mature.
Bev: At the beginning of the year, we draw up a syllabus and come up with ideas of gardens we can visit. It’s just amazing what people find because they travel around and see things and make a mental note that the Garden Club would enjoy this place.
How did the Whittlesea Garden Club come about?
Bev: When the club first started back in 1988, it was actually called the Christchurch Garden Club. It emanated from a few women in the local Anglican church, she loved gardening and she had a little spot in the local magazine that she wrote in every month. When we took over, and Keith became president, we decided it would need a name change because it had gotten away from just members of the Church and it was now a bit broader than that and so it became the Whittlesea Garden Club.
