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Welcome to the Queensland Begonia Society.

Begonia Escargot

Begonia Escargot

The Queensland Begonia Society was formed in October 1988 by Peter Henderson and Michael O’Dea. In the early 2010s, it has about 130 members in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, France and USA, as well as Japan, Sweden and Scotland in the past.

The Society meets at 1pm in the Merthyr Uniting Church Hall, 52 Merthyr Rd, New Farm, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, on the 3rd Saturday of each month (excluding December).

The trade table opens at 12.15pm for purchases of plants and cuttings. The administrative items are kept as brief as possible to allow the bulk of the meeting to be devoted to begonias.

Regular segments of each meeting include cultural information, problems, plant identification, two-minute talks, talks on a particular species, a raffle, access to the library, the show bench (which has sections for “Set Subject”, “Open Subject” and “Novice”) with the exhibits judged by popular vote, and afternoon tea.

The society issues four journals each year and organises field days for its members.

Fees are $30 single, $35 family and $40 International from 1st January, or $15 single, $17.50 family and $20 International from 1st July. The society accepts both local and international memberships, subscriptions and sponsorships.

In addition to the eleven monthly meetings, the Annual Show of Begonias is held at Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens Auditorium in February of each year. This is the largest and only show of Begonias in Queensland, where visitors can:

  1. Admire quality begonias in 30 competition classes.
  2. View artistic static displays of diverse begonias, including endangered species, new hybrids and rare varieties.
  3. Meet experienced growers and dedicated members of the society.
  4. Purchase many varieties of begonias not available through normal nurseries.
  5. Buy books published by the society.
  6. Make inquiries or seek assistance at the information desk.
  7. Participate in the “Name This Begonia” competition.
  8. Witness the award of competition trophies.
  9. Attend workshops on how to grow begonias well.
  10. Win raffle prizes.
  11. Enjoy light refreshments.

Contact

Show Organiser: Shevanti Seneviratne
☎️ Phone: (07) 5502 2579
📧 Email: shevi71b@gmail.com

Show Secretary: Philip Adam
☎️ Phone: (07) 3353 1131
📳 Mobile: 0468 373 123
📧 Email: phil.dulcie@bigpond.com

Contact the Honorary Secretary of the Queensland Begonia Society:

M F O’Dea
Email: Poinsettia42@hotmail.com
Phone: 0468 373 123

Begonias
The Queensland Begonia Society Annual Begonia Show features competition benches (30 classes) plus static displays in the auditorium of Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha. The show includes an information desk as well as books and plants for sale. Light refreshments are also available.

Queensland Begonia Society Logo

Objectives:
The objectives for which the Queensland Begonia Society is established are:
  1. To promote good fellowship amongst all people interested in begonias and in horticulture generally.
  2. To hold regular meetings for the examination and exhibition of begonias.
  3. To publish a regular newsletter and other books and/or papers, which disseminate and assist in the educational advancement of begonias and their allied fields.
  4. To hold periodic exhibitions, seminars, lectures and any other activities considered by the management committee of the society to be consistent with the advancement of begonias in all its branches.

Click here to learn more about Begonias🍃Begonia In Focus

The History of the Society:

In 1998, during a chance conversation with Michael O’Dea at a show in the auditorium of Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Coot-tha, Peter Henderson mentioned that his wife, Enid Henderson, was fairly keen on begonias, and that he had suggested to her on more than one occasion that she should get a few begonia enthusiasts together to form a club dealing exclusively with begonias.

Michael’s reply was along the lines of “Why don’t we get it going?”. And so it eventuated that Peter compiled a lists of as many begonia growers as he could find, and Michael found and booked a suitable hall (at 52 Merthyr Road, New Farm). Michael also arranged for Enid Henderson, Patricia O’Dea (Michael’s late wife) and Linda Laker to put on a display of begonias at the Royal Horticultural Society of Queensland (RHSQ) Show in October 1988 to generate interest.

Peter issued the invitations on 29 September 1988 for the first meeting on Saturday 15 October. Twenty two keen people turned up. Michael very capably chaired the meeting and led the meeting through all the decisions to be made to set up the society. All the official positions were filled, with Michael being elected as the first president. The general theme and direction of the society were agreed upon.

As the news spread, membership increased rapidly in the first year, during which the excellent newsletter was commenced and the first annual show was held. By November 1991, the Queensland Begonia Society had 120 members, some of whom traveled from as far away as Gympie, Toowoomba, Ipswich and other outer areas to attend monthly meetings.

Although it might be said that Michael and Peter initiated the move to form the society, it really was the willingness of the people who took all the various tasks which breathed life into the fledgling society.

The society has had a wonderful start, and with the continued willingness of members to be involved and so share the workload, together with the maintenance of the friendly atmosphere that exists, it is certain that the society will continue to grow and benefit all begonia lovers throughout Queensland, and hopefully, also begonia enthusiasts from other parts of Australia and the world.

Michael O'Dea & Peter Henderson (12 May 2012)

Michael O’Dea & Peter Henderson

Photographed by Click here to contact SoundEagle (Web Administrator and Designer)SoundEagle around 4pm on 12 May 2012 at Merthyr Uniting Church Hall, 52 Merthyr Road, New Farm, Brisbane, Queensland 4005, Australia.

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