The Orchid Society of Canberra was formed in late 1983 by about 20 orchid enthusiasts to exchange information and provide assistance with orchid growing in Canberra conditions. Membership now stands around 100; meetings are informative and well attended. Monthly meetings feature interstate and local speakers, hints and problem discussion, an extensive library, trading table and the ever beautiful plant display and popular vote.
The trading table provides an opportunity for members to sell plants which are surplus to their needs or which they have raised for sale. A small commission is charged on sales. Also on sale are various orchid supplies (pots, cork etc). These supplies are for purchase by members only.
Members display flowering plants at the meetings. The popular vote involves all members present voting for the plant they consider the best in each category and the plant they consider the best overall.
The Society organises an annual spring show. The show is usually held on the middle or last weekend of September. Information on the next show.
Social activities for members are regularly organised, including bus trips, Open Greenhouses, bushwalks and workshops for beginners. Walks are also organised to look for and photograph local native orchids.
The Society publishes a bulletin six times a year that is full of orchid news and growing tips.
The Society has recently published a second edition of its book Growing Orchids in Cool Climate Australia: with Special reference to Canberra . This book provides a wide range of information on orchids for those parts of Australia which experience frosty winters and hot dry summers.
Position | Name |
---|---|
President | Bill Ferris |
Vice President | Jane Wright |
Treasurer | Bob Forrester |
Secretary | Jenny Cooke |
Public Officer | Peter Coyne |
Ordinary | |
Karen Groeneveld | |
Krysia Szkiela | |
Brenda Thomson |
The Society meets:
New members and visitors are always welcome.
Advance notice of meetings is placed on our events page and in our Bulletin.
Back to top ⇑In 1989 the Society adopted Petalochilus fuscatus (syn. Caladenia fuscata) as its floral emblem. Beautifully ornate and colourful flowers are a feature of Caladenias, and Petalochilus fuscatus is no exception with its bright pink blooms borne atop 20 cm stems. It is a deciduous terrestrial, native to our region and flowers locally from September to October. A walk on the hills around Canberra city, especially Black Mountain, should reward the observant hiker with a sighting of Petalochilus fuscatus*.
Like all Petalochilus, it grows from subterranean tuberoids (which are dormant throughout summer) and produces a solitary leaf which emerges in late Autumn. Although nursery raised Petalochilus are available from specialist nurseries, the majority of species are difficult to raise in cultivation. Detailed culture notes, distributed by the society, may help you achieve flowering.
Many of our members have specialised in native terrestrials and exhibit pots of magnificent flowering colonies each spring. Come along to a meeting and discover their secrets.
* NB all Australian orchids are protected species
At the 2014 Annual General Meeting the Society adopted a new constitution. The new constitution follows closely the Model Code of the ACT Office of Regulatory Services.
Back to top ⇑Period of presidency extends from June of the first year to May of the second. Under the Society's constitution, a member can serve as president for no more than three consecutive years, but can more than one term as president.
Years | Name |
---|---|
pre 1988 | tba |
1988-90 | Bill Handke |
1990-91 | Judy Osborne |
1991-92 | Geoff Dyne |
1992-96 | Sheila Cudmore |
1996-98 | Jane Wright |
1998-2001 | Laurie Woods |
2001-04 | Jane Wright |
2004-05 | Bob Bush |
2005-08 | Ben Walcott |
2008-11 | Robyn Noel |
2011-14 | Jane Wright |
2014-17 | Bill Ferris |
2017-19 | Jane Wright |
2019-21 | Mike Pieloor |
2021- | Bill Ferris |
Year | Name |
---|---|
Only one person can be made a life member in any one year | |
tba | Joyce Linden |
tba | Judy Osborne |
tba | Sheila Cudmore |
1999 | Jane Wright |
2001 | Les Lincoln |
2003 | Lawrence Woods |
2005 | Robert Rough |
2006 | Audrey Rough |
2009 | Mark Fraser |
2010 | Bob Bush |
2011 | Robyn Noel |
2018 | Bill Ferris |
2022 | Karen Groeneveld |
Year | Name | Award |
---|---|---|
1999 | Audry Rough | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
1999 | June Alden | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
2001 | Lynne Phelan | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
2003 | Ben Wallace | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
2005 | Robyn Noel | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
2006 | Mark Fraser | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
2011 | Ben Walcott | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
2012 | Bill Ferris | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
2022 | Derek Corrigan | Meritorious Service Award (NSW) |
At each meeting when plants are benched, members attending vote for the plant they consider is the best in each category and the best overall. The award goes to the member/s who have the highest aggregate for the year.
Prior to 2012 the winner held the Graham Phillis trophy for the next 12 months. With the move away from perpetual trophies, separate trophies are presented each year.
In 2018 the Society also introduced a Popular Vote for novice growers to encourage them to bench plants.
Year | Name |
---|---|
1989 | David Rentz |
1990 | Jane Wright, Judy Osborne |
1991 | Judy Osborne |
1992 | Judy Osborne |
1993 | Brian Phelan |
1994 | Jane Wright |
1995 | Keith Alden |
1996 | Robert Rough |
1997 | Priscilla Greve |
1998 | Priscilla Greve |
1999 | Robert Rough |
2000 | Brian Phelan |
2001 | Robert Rough |
2002 | Robert Rough |
2003 | Robert Rough |
2004 | Robert Rough |
2005 | Robert Rough |
2006 | Robert Rough |
2007 | Robert Rough |
2008 | Mark Clements |
2009 | Robert Rough |
2010 | Robert Rough |
2011 | Karen Groeneveld |
2012 | Karen Groeneveld |
2013 | Karen Groeneveld |
2014 | Jane Wright |
2015 | Karen Groeneveld |
2016 | Karen Groeneveld |
2017 | Karen Groeneveld |
2018 | Karen Groeneveld |
2019 | Karen Groeneveld |
2020 | Karen Groeneveld |
2021 | Karen Groeneveld |
2022 | Karen Groeneveld |
2023 | Karen and Zoe Groeneveld |
Novice Growers | |
2018 | Andrea Robold |
2019 | Tony Tritschler |
2020 | Tony Tritschler |
2021 | Nick Westerink |
2022 | Nick Westerink |
2023 | James Jonklaas |