Notable Names in Hibiscus

The people who grew, bred, judged, photographed and championed hibiscus in Queensland, and built the original Hibiscus Society of Queensland.

Gynith Whatmough

Founding President of the Hibiscus Society of Queensland, 1993 to the 2010s

Gynith Whatmough was President of the Hibiscus Society of Queensland from its inception on 18 April 1993 for the whole of its documented life, a span of nearly twenty years. She also edited the society’s newsletter, wrote its history, and was a familiar face at almost every show and display, often alongside Publicity Officer Des Kearton.

Her garden at Morayfield was a regular gathering place, hosting group barbecues and the Thora Reardon Memorial Day in 2001, 2007 and 2011. She was also a garden judge for the Caboolture Shire’s annual garden competition, and championed the society’s hibiscus programs for students at Bribie Island, Beachmere and Banksia Beach schools. A hybridiser in her own right, she bred ‘Desleigh Anne’ (Montego Bay × Fourth of July), which won Champion Seedling and the Patrons’ Trophy at the society’s 10th birthday in 2003.

At the President’s Luncheon in March 2007, Patron Colin Campbell presented her with Life Membership, and she received ‘President’s Choice’, a seedling bred by Fred Westerman. In 2011 she led the society’s fundraising hibiscus for the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, saying members were inspired by Professor O’Brien’s work and by their own experiences of cancer.

Fred Westerman

Hybridiser, Lota · three-time Hibiscus of the Year winner

Fred Westerman, working with his wife Elaine, became one of Australia’s most successful hibiscus hybridisers. By 2011 he had been devoted to hibiscus for almost 50 years, the last ten of them spent creating new varieties at his home garden in Lota, on Brisbane’s bayside. His seedlings were the centrepiece of the society’s Annual Shows from the mid-2000s, often displayed on boards of dozens of new blooms, and many plants sold at the shows were propagated from them.

His hybrids won the Australian Hibiscus of the Year three years running: ‘Doctor David Grimes’ (2009), ‘Bali Sunset’ (2010) and ‘Eye Do’ (2011). Many more were nominated, including ‘Moonraker’, ‘It’s Fabulous’, ‘Lillian Amy’, ‘Rama Pelgrave’, ‘Pastel Siren’, ‘Pirate’s Patch’ and ‘Our Pink Ribbon’, and new Westerman hybrids such as ‘Sunshine Mary’, ‘Reveille’ and ‘Robin Martin’ were still being nominated in the 2020s. A series of his seedlings carries the name of his suburb, including ‘Lota Candystripe’, ‘Lota Firefly’ and ‘Lota Trifle’.

Fred bred most of the society’s later tribute hibiscus, including ‘RACQ Centenary’, ‘Brisbane Lass’, ‘Harold Caulfield’, ‘Ken Ewing’, ‘Pink Ribbon’, ‘Scout Centenary’, ‘Professor John Pearn’ and the three Lifehouse fundraising varieties, among them ‘Professor Chris O’Brien’. He and Elaine generously opened their garden to members, hosting a grafting party in 2004 and the Thora Reardon Memorial Day in 2009. In later years he also turned his attention to Australia’s native hibiscus.

Jim Purdie

Brisbane grower and author of the hibiscus culture notes

Jim Purdie was an experienced Brisbane grower whose practical, month-by-month culture notes have guided Queensland hibiscus growers for many years, and are reproduced on this website. His program, from dolomite in August through spring pruning to winter liquid feeding, is written from his own garden, along with his potting mix recipe and his down-to-earth advice on yellow leaves and erinose mite.

Jim was generous with his methods. His detergent-water traps for hibiscus beetles, white ice-cream containers placed around the garden in the sun, are credited to him by the Australian Native Plants Society, and he also published guides to grafting and to growing rootstock in a perlite mix, which Wally Morgan recommended on his own website. A hibiscus named ‘Jim Purdie’ was judged Most Spectacular at the Wynnum & Redlands/Bayside group in June 2011.

Wally Morgan

Founding member, photographer, webmaster and nomenclature officer

Wally Morgan, with his wife Thelma, was a founding member of the society and one of those honoured in 2003 for belonging for its first ten years. From around 1999 he built and ran the society’s website, “Wal’s Webpages”, photographing its shows, events and hundreds of blooms. Many of the photographs on this website are his. From his Ganmor Gardens property he provided a photographic service for blooms and events, and with Michael Raabe he was responsible for the society’s cultivar registrations.

Wally was also a fine grower. At the 2002 Thora Reardon Memorial Day he took six of the ten awards, including Champion Miniature and Grand Champion with ‘Sylvia Goodman’, and gave a talk on photography, digital cameras and the internet. He went on to create The World of Hibiscus, a long-running international information site whose grafting and propagation guides he has kindly allowed us to share.

Colin and Bev Campbell

Patrons of the Hibiscus Society of Queensland from 1993

Colin “Col” Campbell (1933–2012) was one of Queensland’s best-known gardening personalities. Born in New Zealand, he worked as a grocer’s assistant, stock and station agent and auctioneer before studying horticulture as a mature student at Lincoln College. He moved to Brisbane in 1977 and for almost 30 years shared his expertise on radio, in print and on television: as the Queensland presenter on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia, as 4BC‘s weekend “Gardening Guru”, and as a columnist. He was made a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Horticulture in 1994, received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2007 for services to horticulture, and the Institute’s Gold Wattle Award in 2011.

Colin and his wife Bev were the society’s Patrons from its founding. They opened shows, gave talks and film evenings on gardens around the world, presented trophies, including the Colin and Bev Campbell Seedling Trophy, and were “wonderful ambassadors for all things horticultural”. The society honoured them with the hibiscus ‘Colin Campbell’ (1999), bred by Norm and Betty Richardson, and ‘Bev Campbell’ (2005).

Colin died of cancer on 23 August 2012. Weeks later the Queensland Government announced that the Spectacle Garden in Brisbane’s Roma Street Parkland, a parkland he had first proposed, would be renamed Colin Campbell Place in his memory.

Greg and Julie Lindsay

Founding members, hybridisers and owners of Hibiscus Paradise Nursery

Greg and Julie Lindsay were at the heart of the society from day one. Julie was its founding Treasurer and newsletter Editor, and Greg served on the first committee. From their Hibiscus Paradise Nursery at Rocksberg, near Caboolture, they supplied plants for the society’s shows for many years, and their acreage hosted the annual field day, including the first Thora Reardon Memorial Day in 2000, as well as special field days for students with disabilities.

They were the society’s most prolific early hybridisers. Their ‘New Idea’ was Hibiscus of the Year in 2001, and ‘Newstead’, ‘Norma Josephine’, ‘Karamello’, ‘Tarantella’, ‘Penny Sue’ and ‘Work of Art’ were all nominated. Hibiscus Paradise also bred ‘Australia Remembers’ and ‘Eternal Hope’, the society’s 2002 fundraiser for the Australian Red Cross. In 2007, at Julie’s request, Fred Westerman provided ‘Pink Ribbon’ to raise funds for cancer research.

Richard Mansbridge

Hybridiser and accredited judge, Buderim group

Richard Mansbridge was a hybridiser and accredited judge from the Buderim group, who judged and reported on the group’s monthly bloom competitions. Many of his best hybrids came from the cross of ‘Bronco’ and ‘Rosalind’, including ‘Eric Robert’, ‘Aussie Gold’ and ‘Teresa Carmel’. ‘Eric Robert’ was named Hibiscus of the Year in 2006, and ‘Aussie Gold’, ‘Little Santa’, ‘Maroochy Tango’ and ‘Maroochy Princess’ were also nominated.

Richard bred ‘Fernberg Sun’ (Rosalind × Harvest Moon), named for Government House and presented to the Governor of Queensland, Major General Peter Arnison, at the 2003 Annual Show. He won the Thora Reardon Memorial Trophy in 2001. The society’s website later carried a tribute to him, featuring his ‘Maroochy Tango’.

Thora Reardon

Accredited judge, grafter and inspiration (died 1999)

Thora Reardon was “an inspirational personality”, whose encouragement helped many gardeners grow hibiscus successfully. One of the society’s first accredited bloom judges, she was a prime mover in getting its bloom competition started. She was a skilled propagator, particularly by grafting, and her standard hibiscus “were a sight to behold”. The garden she and her husband Pat tended was described as a botanic garden in its own right. Pat later chaired the Buderim group.

Thora died in 1999 after a long illness. From 2000 the society’s annual field day became the Thora Reardon Memorial Day, with a bloom competition for the Thora Reardon Memorial Trophy. Fittingly, Pat won Grand Champion at the first one with ‘Jack III’. The memorial day was still being held in 2012.

Michael Raabe

Secretary, Principal Judge and nomenclature officer

Michael Raabe, with his wife Robyn, was a founding-era member honoured for ten years’ membership in 2003. Trained as an accredited judge by Megan Fraser, he became the society’s Principal Judge, judging the Thora Reardon Memorial Day for many years. He also served as society Secretary and chaired the Redcliffe/Pine Rivers group, and with Wally Morgan he handled the society’s cultivar registrations. Michael and Robyn were mainstays of the show plant stalls and displays, and in 2001 Michael and Ashleigh Raabe took the society’s display as far as the Wide Bay Garden Expo at Hervey Bay.

Des Kearton

Founding Publicity Officer

Des Kearton was the society’s Publicity Officer from 1993 and one of its ten-year members. He was the voice on the microphone at shows and, with Gynith Whatmough, the constant presence at the society’s ten-day Ekka displays and the Nambour Garden Expo, handing out leaflets and answering questions. In 2010 and 2011 he and Gynith built complete garden displays, with water features and bench seats, for the Ekka’s horticulture pavilion.

Kaye Stevans

Namesake of a much-loved hibiscus · Honorary Member

In the early 1980s, hybridiser Allan McMullen named a hibiscus for his friend Kaye Stevans, a flower “of great resilience, texture and colour”. ‘Kaye Stevans’ went on to be prized as a seed parent, mothering many fine seedlings at Hibiscus Paradise Nursery, including ‘Morayfield Magic’ and ‘Geoff Moor’. At the Bundaberg group’s first birthday in 1998, Kaye and her husband Bob were presented with honorary membership of the society, and they donated hibiscus booklets recording much of the flower’s earlier history in Queensland.

Professor John Pearn

Patron from 2011

Born in Brisbane in 1940, Professor John Pearn is Emeritus Professor of Child Health and Paediatrics at the University of Queensland and a long-time physician at Brisbane’s Royal Children’s Hospital, known for his work in medical genetics, toxicology, bioethics and child-accident prevention. He served for 30 years as an army doctor, including as Surgeon General of the Australian Defence Force, was a founder of the Australian Society of the History of Medicine, and was named Queensland Senior Australian of the Year in 2005.

On 20 July 2011, at the Royal Children’s Hospital, the society welcomed him as its new Patron and presented him with ‘Professor John Pearn’, a hibiscus bred in his honour by Fred Westerman. He had also been the guest speaker at the very first Thora Reardon Memorial Day in 2000.

Sources

• The original society’s website, hibiscus.org.au (1999–2013), via the Wayback Machine
• Hibiscus of the Year nominations and winners, as published by the Australian Hibiscus Society
• The Chris O’Brien Lifehouse at RPA, Spring 2011 newsletter
• Queensland Government, “Col Campbell honoured at Roma Street Parkland” (22 September 2012); Wikipedia: Col Campbell
• Australian Native Plants Society, Hibiscus heterophyllus (beetle trap tip credited to Jim Purdie)
• University of Queensland, Emeritus Professor John Pearn; Wesley Research Institute; Australian of the Year Awards