OPENING OF BOTANIC GARDENS
CANBERRA, ACT OCTOBER 1970
S-) eech by the Prime Minister, MrjhnGoton
Mr Minister, Distinguished Guests, Lad; s and Gentleamen
You have heard from my colleague, the Min-: ster for the Interior somiething
of the history of these Gardens, which have indeed been unofficially open for somle
three years. And I have no doubt that many of you over the weekend have wallked, as
my wife and I have walked through these gardens when they were unofficially c.-eil, and
watched them taking shape and -watched the imaginative use of running w.. ater, of native
stone and of groupings of native flora in this lovely area.
It is, as Mr Nixon has said, an event of special relevance in our Cook
Bi-Centenary Year because these gardens are, in a sense, a tribute to Joseph Banks and
the naturalists and botanists who have followed in Bank.-s' footsteps. Because it was
Banks, even more thar. Cook, who urged on the British Government the foundation of
the first colony on our east coast, and it was he and his scientific team who were the
first to take home to England specimens of Australian shrubs and plant.-, collected
when that team came ashore from the " Endeavour" in Botany Bay and at other Doints
along our coast two hundred years ago.
Banks was important in his time, a wealthy young squire who spent on
fitting up in the " Endeavour' for his team of botanists twice the amount a~ money
that the " Endeavour' itself as a ship cost. To give you some indication of the
thoroughness with which he did his job, when he got home with his collection ai
Australian flora, it was described by a world-famous Swedish botanist of the day
as " a matchless, and truly astonishing collection, such as has never been seer.. before,
nor may ever be again. I don't know what Linnaeus, that Swedish botanist woculd have
said had he seen the matchless collection which has now come before us -for its official
opening today, and if this collection here in these gardens is not thoroughly matchless
although I think It probably is but if not, and if it is not unique of its kcind, then I
have no doubt whatever that under the guidance of Mr Shoobridge it very shortly will
be if it isn't already.
This has taken, much work, much effort and much planning. I think it was
Kipling, was it not who wrote " The Lord God made a garden, and gardeas are not
made by saying ' How beautiful' and sitting in the shade. And that is true of any
garden, but particularly of Botanic Gardens such as this, for they spring as do almost
all things of significance and enduring importance, from hard work, hard thinkcing, hard
planning, a genius for a feeling for nature, and then really solid hard sweat as well.
These are the ingredients of gardens. a o. / 12
4 I 2.
We have here, as Burley Griffin was told to make in Canberra, in his brief,
a garden city, and I think he has made one in C-inberra because we have in the city
generally brought together exotic plants from other countries and I may be permitted,
perh aps, to call the oak and the elm an exotic plant as far as Australia is concerned
mixed with our own flora, and they make a delightful combination for the~ eye. But
here in this garden within a garden is a part of Australia of Australian trees alone.
I hope that there will be many such gardens as these throughout Australia,
and I hope that we will never reach a stage when our flora is confined to gardens such
as these, for we would all want to see them growing wild and free around the
countryside. And it is a part of community responsibility to protect flora so that this
can happen. This I believe, is becoming far more ingrained into the consciousness of
Australians. And also, perhaps, it is a task, a simple task that many might tak,-e up
to do what Johnny Appleseed did through the Mid-West of America when he wallked through
just planting apple-seeds as he went, in places he might never see again, hut they
grew -For the benefit of other people. And so could plants and trees and shrubs be
planted, perhaps as a return to what this country gives to those who live in it, -planted
by individuals for the benefit of other individuals later.
Sir, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all here to this official
opening and to say how pleased and proud we are in Australia to have So many
delegates from the International Congress of Parks Administrators. VWe are glad
that your First Congress in the Southern Hemisphere was here, and equally proud
that your new President is our own Director of Parks and Gardens, Mr Shoobricige.
So we are happy to have you in Canberra, and especially glad to have you with us on
this occasion when I now declare these Botanic Gardens open.