Saturday 12 April 2014

Award nights- AIH in Brisbane & BBM Youth Support in Sydney


The past 6 months have been some what intense, more so then I realised. The highlights were attending the award nights for both Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH) and BBM Youth support.

It all started with a trip up to Brisbane, for the AIH awards night. Mick and I spent a wonderful 3 days meeting and talking to people throughout the horticulture industry. We were very lucky to have private tour around Roma St Park lands, with Donna and the Student of the year award winner Kerri Lennox. It is a beautiful garden in the heart of Brisbane- Tropical plants a plenty and my first taste of perennial coriander ! it is amazing !
That night I was very fortunate to meet Annette Irish, president of AIH- and an opportunity arose for my trip - she asked me if I would like to met her in Germany, to show me some of their spectacular gardens- of course I said yes and dates have been arranged.

That night I also met Michael- from Singapore, I spoke to him for some time and was offered some work experience in his country on my way home- opportunity number 2.... So I have made arrangements to stop in Singapore on my way home.

I also happened to be seated across the table from Wes Flemming and his wife Paige that night- He talked to me about winning RHS Chelsea show last year and how Tristan Krepp ( Last years winner of the Sir John pagan award) came and helped them set it up ! Though he informed me that he was not returning this year with an Australian team. A lost opportunity maybe? but wasn't going to stop me trying to get in to help other ways at RHS Chelsea show, as it was on the top of my agenda.

There were of course many other people I met that night that influenced the path that I was to take for organising my trip, and I say thank you to all I spoke to in Brisbane. http://www.aih.org.au/youth-award-2013-catherine-grace/ This is a link to a press release that AIH has written.

A couple of weeks later, Mum (Ros) Mick and I made our way up to Sydney for the BBM Youth Support Award ceremony. It was a very glamours night with many inspiring young people, from all sorts of different industries; sport, music, dance and more, came together to be presented with their award.

It was wonderful to meet people from BBM and talk to them about what they do. Symon Scott (CEO) also recommended that I come into the office and have a read about some of the past winners experience with this scholarship- So the next day we did just that.

We met John Pagan- (son of Sir John Pagan) and his wife, they spoke of Sir John Pagan and what he did for Horticulture and also about their travels around the UK and Europe.

Andrew Price and Chris Poulton from AIH also attended, and were full of advice for my travels.

A big thank you to BBM Youth support and everyone I met there that night also. http://www.bbm.asn.au/photos.php?galleryNum=15 this is a link to the BBM Awards night pictures

But now it was time to get organising .....