News

Co-founder Toni Sylvester has passed away

This week (7/9/23) we are mourning the death of  Antoinette Amy (Toni) Sylvester 7/10/1937 – 2/9/2023, co-founder with Ken Nobbs in 1980 of Heritage Roses New Zealand Incorporated. Please read the story of HRNZI’s beginnings in the  “About” section of this website. Toni was an avid collector of roses, and creator with husband Ron of the inspirational garden, Omahanui, Greenhithe, on the North Shore of Auckland, which attracted thousands of visitors each summer. It was her deep love of nature, combined with an artist’s eye for colour and companion planting and her love of heritage roses that so inspired visitors and led to HRNZI being such a success right from its inception in 1980.

Toni felt deeply that Nancy Steen, author of the The Charm of Old Roses should have a garden created in her memory and that led to her negotiating and creating the Nancy Steen garden in the Parnell Rose Garden, Auckland.