I was delighted to be asked to be the after dinner speaker as I and about 50 ‘girls’ who entered the third form at St Margaret’s in 1967 remembered our school years. It was a great honour to speak at this event – and hilarious as well!

Illustrated talk on the history of gardening in New Zealand, with discussion of the importance of honey and bumble bees, as well as the introduction of birds by the Acclimatisation Society.

Illustrated talk on the history of gardens in the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty district, with a special emphasis on the gardens of the early missionaries.

Keynote speaker: the history of gardening in New Zealand, with an emphasis on Auckland.

Turning the Sod

Bee discussed the development of New Zealand gardening over the years with Christopher Johnstone, author of The Painted Garden.