The Eucalypt Discovery Walk, a self-guided tour that takes in 22 iconic Eucalypts in the Gardens, has been updated with a new guide brochure and new signage. The updated walk has been readied in time to celebrate National Eucalypt Day on 23 March 2021.
The new brochure is available from the Visitor Information Centre and can also be downloaded in PDF format (1.95 MB).
Thursday Talks re-commenced on Thursday 18 February 2021 when Dr Karen Ford & Dr Kara Youngentob spoke about monitoring resident and rehabilitated koalas in the Monaro region to guide decisions about the management and conservation of koalas after fire. This first talk was held in the Telstra Tower Theatrette on the ground floor of Telstra Tower.
Bookings for all Thursday Talks are now essential because of the COVID-19 guidelines and limited seating.
The November edition of Eucalypt, the newsletter of the Australian Association of Friends of Botanical Gardens, has been published and is available online on the AAFBG website.
Things have been busy behind the scenes in the ANBG Library this year with a major upgrade to a new library computer system. The new system offers significant improvements to the previous ten-year-old system, and will enable you to keep track of your loans and renew items online. With the transition completed, borrowing for the Friends is now available. Thank you for your patience and understanding while this major project was taking place.
The new Banksia Garden was officially opened by the Minister for the Environment, the Hon Sussan Ley MP, on Wednesday 21 October.
The opening took place on the day after the actual 50th anniversary of the opening of the Gardens by then-Prime Minister John Gorton. The Friends of the ANBG contributed $130,000 towards the cost of the Banksia Garden, as our 50th birthday present to the ANBG.
The 32nd AGM of the Friends was held on Thursday 15 October 2020 at the Shine Dome, Acton.
Friends Council members for 2020-2021 are:
| President: | Neville Page |
| Vice President: | Linda Beveridge |
| Secretary: | Lynden Ayliffe |
| Treasurer: | Helen Elliot |
| Non-executive members: | Wendy Antoniak, Wanda Filsell, Alan Henderson, Lesley King, David More |
The Friends Lounge will re-open from 31 August, with COVID safe conditions; including a maximum capacity of 6 people, social distancing, and sanitation.
Signs will be placed on the front door and inside the Friends Lounge indicating capacity and COVID-safe practices i.e. physical distancing and sanitation. A QR code sign will also be put in the Friends Lounge to record any person for contact tracing purposes.
After the reopening of the Gardens in May, we are happy to see a steady increase in visitors returning to the Gardens, recording 31,885 visitors in June which is an equivalent number for this time last year.
We’re pleased to announce that ANBG Volunteers will have the opportunity to return to work from August 2020. Volunteer Supervisors for each volunteer program are working on COVID-19 Safety Plans to ensure the safety of volunteers, visitors and staff. We look forward to seeing our wonderful volunteers soon.
The 2019-20 summer has been one of the worst summers ever for Gardeners in Canberra. While the activities of Growing Friends has been adversely affected by the weather, the hard work of our members has meant that we have come through the summer in a reasonable state.
Many Friends were keen to help with the cleanup after the hailstorm of January 20. Paths and garden beds were covered in shredded leaves and branches resulting in a huge workload for gardens staff to clear it enough to invite visitors return. Friends were there to help.
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The Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens Inc. is registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission • ABN 57 096 639 836 |
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© Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens 2014 |
