On Wednesday 22 October 2003, a handful of Angair members gathered at Grasstrees, the home of Bill and Jenny McKellar, to propagate indigenous plants for local gardens. Twenty years – and thousands of plants later – past and present plant propagators gathered to celebrate the anniversary.
Bill and Jenny McKellar at the opening of the Indigenous Plant Centre in May 2017
Angair’s then president, Dot Hutton, originally proposed the idea but it was Bill McKellar who, despite some opposition, made it happen. And kept it going. The group worked at Grasstrees for almost 14 years where brown snakes laid eggs in the potting mix and ringtail possums lived in the label boxes. All good fun.
Bill McKellar and Dot Hutton cut the 20-year anniversary cake
When Grasstrees was sold, the group moved to the Wades’ Paraparap property while the plans for a permanent home in the Anglesea Community Precinct dragged slowly through the planning and permit process. In May 2017, the Indigenous Plant Centre finally opened.
Sally White