This month so many members braved the inclement weather to join us for the July club meeting. Our outgoing co-President, Mary-Lou Fraser, who ended her tenure in November 2021 was at last presented with a beautiful Medinilla magnifica and was thanked for her commitment to the club especially through the covid pandemic where her work at Lismore Hospital kept us well informed with regards to NSW covid regulations.
Our Flora of the Month once again was amazing. Members bought in samples of Strobilanthes gossypinus, Gordonia yunnanense, White Dombeya tiliacea, a pretty pink Azalea, White Justicia carnea, Rhodoleia champonii, mixed Sunpatiens, Medinilla, a Dendrobium canalicitatum, a Cattleya Druinns ‘Leanne’
The guest speaker Hendrika Jonhson gave a talk called “We Sailed to Botany Bay”. Hendrik explained that 253 years ago the Endeavour sailed past Cape Byron on a 3 year voyage to circumnavigate the world, to see the transit of Venus in Tahiti and collect specimens of plants etc. 11 natural scientists were on board including Joseph Banks, others included Charles Solander, Naturalist, Charles Green Astronomer, John Reynolds, Sydney Parkinson and Alexander Buchan artists. The botanists collected land and water plants, dried and preserved them, the artists recorded them. They collected plants from their journey as this was an age of plant collecting, globalization of plants. They used the Linnaeus system of naming plants e.g., Banksia ericilfoia, Banksia spinulosa. It was a thoroughly interesting talk and we thank her very much