Beryl Lee
Beryl Lee grew up in a family of gardeners. Throughout her life she has grown flowers and vegetables, but it is only since her retirement from teaching that she has been able to indulge in growing her favourite plants. She has visited many famous and not-so-famous rose and lilac collections and has written about these experiences. One of her other interests is cooking. During her time as president of the Multicultural Council, she published a book of food stories and recipes that migrants had brought from their homelands to New Zealand. She also started a community garden for them to grow the herbs and vegetables with which they were familiar.
Lecture: Culinary Uses of Roses
Beryl’s interest in roses centres on their beauty, fragrance and history and the various ways different cultures have used them. Beryl’s interest is in the way roses are grown, how roses have been used, and incorporated into the cooking of traditional cultural dishes. She has enjoyed trying these rose-inspired recipes and adapting them to the New Zealand palate.
Fiona Hyland
Fiona is an historian based in Dunedin and has a strong interest in heritage roses.
Lecture: Arrival of the Rose in Otago
Fiona will talk on her research on the arrival of the rose in Otago.
Isla Burgess
It is more than 50 years since Isla began her lifelong journey into the complex world of medicinal plants.
Isla is a plants’ woman, a gardener, grower, medicine maker, teacher, a holistic scientist and has been for many years a herbal medicine practitioner.
The creation of ‘The Waikato Centre for Herbal Studies’ in 1990, brought many people, mostly women, together to study. Following that, she has offered training through the International College of Herbal Medicine. More recently as a MSc. in holistic science, she has contributed much to the educational work that consumes her today.
As a herbal medicine practitioner, her interest and focus has been on women’s health, relationship between the planet, plants and people, the survival of biodiversity on the planet, and the loss of medicinal plant species in the wild. Practically, this involved developing a resilient garden of food and approximately 160 medicinal plants.
This lifelong focus has found her presenting at conferences in New Zealand and overseas. Isla participated in the documentary: ‘Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku’ (New Zealand) and Numen (USA).
Lecture: Crossing the Worlds of Tradition and Science focusing on the wild Roses of Central Otago
Species: some historical information such as when they were likely introduced.
The spread: rosehip gathering and syrup preparation in the 1940s.
Nutritional details based on analysis.
Medicinal value of flowers and berries based on research and traditional use.
Commercial interests: preparation of water infused rosehips as a drink, and preparation of oil infused rosehips and the human and plant connection.
Publications
Weeds Heal. A Working Herbal.
The Biophilic Garden Connecting People, Plants and Landscape.
A Women’s Health and Wellbeing Kete. A DIY Guide, (with Mary Allan).
A Women’s Health and Wellbeing Kete Volume II, (with Mary Allan).
Website: islaburgess.com
Blog: islasite.wordpress.com
Murray Radka
Chance and opportunity have combined to create the premier collection of heritage roses in New Zealand in his garden at Brandy Hill in Central Otago. As a history buff and former teacher of history it was inevitable that he would be seduced by the stories of these wonderful plants along with their beauty, fragrance and unique place in the landscape.
Rapid decline of supply fifteen years ago encouraged the development of a National Register of heritage roses with which a small team has researched, registered, and rescued hundreds of at-risk varieties.
Presently the focus is on maintaining the collections within our public spaces and in selected “mother plant” private gardens. Around the world, New Zealand rosarians are leaders in these endeavours.
Lecture: Romancing The Rose – the Otago story.
People and place have been paramount in the history of heritage roses in New Zealand.
Introduction: a brief overview of the early days plus the efforts of a many people throughout the country who are assisting with the register project.
Otago Province: The major focus of his talk concentrates on Otago province, the place Murray knows best; its rose history, key people and collections, with an in-depth look at the creation of the nationally significant collection at Brandy Hill.
Publications
Project Rescue. A history of the National Register of Heritage Roses. 2016
The Wars for The Roses – an account of the battle to save the New Zealand collection of Heritage Roses. The Gardener’s Journal.
A Garden Lost in Time – an account of the creation of the Dunedin Northern Cemetery collection. The Gardener’s Journal
Fran Rawling
Fran Rawling has been involved with Heritage Roses New Zealand since 1997, holding several leadership roles.
Fran is currently the Otago Convenor of Heritage Roses New Zealand, is coordinator of the New Zealand National Heritage Rose Register Team and has been the New Zealand representative to the World Federation of Rose Societies, Conservation and Heritage Committee from 2017 – 2023. She served two terms as National President from 2001 – 2007 and 2010 – 2013. Fran convened the 10th Heritage Rose International Conference for the World Rose Federation in 2005 and the Heritage Roses New Zealand National Conference in 2012. She also organised a seminar for heritage roses public collection curators including New Zealand’s Botanic Gardens in 2019.
Fran was the key driver of the restoration of Dunedin Northern Cemetery and the establishment of a collection of heritage roses from when the Victorian era cemetery was active. This collection has since become a national base for the preservation and conservation of heritage roses introduced into New Zealand.
Fran has arranged numerous open days and public tours of Dunedin’s Northern Cemetery. She has organised, supervised, and worked on several beautification and conservation plantings in Otago, including ongoing maintenance of Dunedin Northern Cemetery, Dunedin Railway Station, and Otago Community Hospice. Fran has initiated annual heritage rose celebrations for sharing knowledge, exchanging plants, and commemorating the history of roses within New Zealand.
Lecture: Mother Plants at the Dunedin North Cemetery
Fran will discuss aspects of the heritage roses collection at the Dunedin North Cemetery.
Awards
In 2021 Fran received the Queen Service Medal (QSM) for promoting and conserving heritage roses. She has also received a World Federation of Rose Societies World Rose Award, and the Nancy Steen HRNZI Award for outstanding contribution to promoting Heritage Roses. Fran was made a life member of HRNZI for outstanding services to heritage roses.
Clare Haig
Clare Haig has gardened at Cable Bay for over 40 years, the first ones spent mostly growing organic vegetables to feed the family. In more recent years, since becoming convenor of Heritage Roses, Nelson, she has collected examples from as many old rose families that will grow or fit into her small cottage garden. She has focused recently on increasing its insect and bird population.
Clare has been Involved since 2019 with helping to care for the old rose garden at Broadgreen House, Stoke, Nelson with other members of Heritage Roses Nelson.
Clare was convenor of Heritage Roses Nelson from 2008 – 2022, a member of the Heritage Roses National Executive committee from 2019 – 2023, and president of Heritage Roses New Zealand from 2020-2023.
In 2018, Clare presented: A History of Roses in New Zealand: the formation of Heritage Roses New Zealand, important rose growers both in New Zealand and worldwide, growing roses for biodiversity, and the Rose Register and saving New Zealand’s heritage of roses.
Clare has given talks about heritage roses to local gardening groups. In 2021 Clare, along with Anne Speight, gave a speaking tour to Heritage Roses New Zealand Regional Groups, and spoke at the 2023 World Federation of Roses Society Conference, Rosa Belgica, in Brussels.
Lecture: Ecological Considerations Relating to Heritage Roses
Clare’s lecture will focus on growing heritage roses with New Zealand native plants and on the need to increase biodiversity: a small way to support a healthy ecosystem including soil health and plant resilience.
Jean Britton
A keen gardener since childhood, roses were at the top of her favourite plants list when Jean joined the Southland Rose Society in 1975 becoming secretary a couple of years later. In 1981, she joined the newly formed Heritage Roses New Zealand. From 2003 – 2013 Jean was convenor of Heritage Roses Central Otago. During this time the Wakatipu subgroup raised funds to purchase old roses, which were planted by members, in Arrowtown, Pioneer Park in Alexandra, and Paradise Lodge near Glenorchy on Lake Whakatipu.
Lecture: The Making of a Rose Trail
Jean will talk on the ups and downs of making the Arrowtown Heritage Rose Trail, from concept through to today.