This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Our anniversary dinner on 19 February was sold out weeks ahead.

Ninety members gathered at Café Floresco in the Gardens. We were especially delighted to be joined by two key people from our early days, Anne Joyce and David Young.

Many Friends will have seen recent media reports about the appointment of a consortium of architects and landscape architects to develop a 20-year Master Plan for the Australian National Botanic Gardens. There are many ideas on the table, including a new visitor centre, cafe, pathways and learning experiences for children. The scope of the Master Plan will also include a new seed bank and horticultural facilities designed to increase the horticultural, research and conservation capabilities of the ANBG. It is anticipated that the final Master Plan will be developed by June 2015.

A major report entitled Australian alpine plant research, conservation and management was released on 21 October 2014 at the AGM of the Friends. This report is an important outcome of a joint Australian Research Council research program covering 4 years between the ANBG, ANU, the Friends and the University of Queensland. The project greatly increased the knowledge of alpine plants, which are under increasing pressure from climate change and environmental degradation in the alps. It has also led to the ANBG seed bank becoming the major centre for collection and study of alpine seeds.

There was an excited buzz around the Gardens’ Theatrette on Saturday 18 October as award winners in the 18^th annual Friends’ schools photographic competition gathered to receive their prizes.

The competition is run for students from ACT and Queanbeyan Region high schools and colleges. All photos must be taken in the Australian National Botanic Gardens and feature some aspect of the Gardens, and in categories involving black and white, colour and images altered digitally or in dark room processing.