Three new members were elected to the GRBG Board of Trustees at the 2020 Annual General Meeting held on Saturday, 8 August. The Garden Route Botanical Garden is excited to welcome Roxanne Joubert, Desireé du Preez and Theo Rossouw to the Board, and thanks all the other candidates who stood in the election for their willingness to serve the Garden. As per the Trust Deed, Roxanne, Desireé and Theo will serve a two-year term, after which they will have the option of standing for re-election to the Board. They will serve alongside seven other members, one of whom (Elizabeth Boshoff) was re-elected to the Board at the 2020 AGM. The Board of Trustees is now comprised as follows: Roger Bath Elizabeth Boshoff Priscilla Burgoyne Charles Carelse Pauline Cloete Desireé du Preez Roxanne Joubert Anne Kellner Theo Rossouw Clive Welgemoed The other trustees look forward to working alongside Roxanne, Desireé and Theo and are confident that the Garden will only benefit from the experience and expertise they will bring to the table. New Members Elected to Board of Trustees September 2020 N N e e w w s s Newsletter
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Newsletter - Garden Route Botanical Garden · The Garden Route Botanical Garden is excited to welcome Roxanne Joubert, Desireé du Preez and Theo Rossouw to the Board, and thanks
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Three new members were elected to the GRBG Board of Trustees at the 2020 Annual General Meeting held
on Saturday, 8 August.
The Garden Route Botanical Garden is excited to welcome Roxanne Joubert, Desireé du Preez and Theo
Rossouw to the Board, and thanks all the other candidates who stood in the election for their willingness to
serve the Garden.
As per the Trust Deed, Roxanne, Desireé and Theo will serve a two-year term, after which they will have the
option of standing for re-election to the Board. They will serve alongside seven other members, one of whom
(Elizabeth Boshoff) was re-elected to the Board at the 2020 AGM. The Board of Trustees is now comprised as
follows:
Roger Bath
Elizabeth Boshoff
Priscilla Burgoyne
Charles Carelse
Pauline Cloete
Desireé du Preez
Roxanne Joubert
Anne Kellner
Theo Rossouw
Clive Welgemoed
The other trustees look forward to working alongside Roxanne, Desireé and Theo and are confident that the
Garden will only benefit from the experience and expertise they will bring to the table.
New Members Elected to Board of Trustees
September 2020
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Newsletter
Chairperson’s Financial Report to 2020 AGM
For those who were unable to attend the Garden Route Botanical Garden’s Annual General Meeting on 8
August 2020 – either in person or online – below follows the annual report Board of Trustees
Chairperson Roger Bath delivered to GRBG Members. The report offers a summary of the successes
the Garden achieved, as well as the challenges it faced, during the financial year ending February 2020.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRPERSON TO THE
2020 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE GARDEN ROUTE BOTANICAL GARDEN TRUST
“I am honoured to be able to report to you on the activities since we last met and the financial results for the year
ended February 2020.
My first important task is to thank each and every one of the many people who have supported the Garden in
different ways over the last year – too many to name, but they include donors and the volunteers who work
tirelessly in different areas of the Garden, the Nursery, the Herbarium and the Propagation Yard. I would also like
to thank all those who have supported us in our fundraising efforts as well as various organisations who are such
good friends of the Garden.
Our financial results for the year ended February 2020 were slightly better than the previous year. We saw
improved revenue from the Nursery and from landscaping and had a very successful fundraiser golf day. Total
revenue for the year was R1.934 million with expenses being held at R1.898 million resulting in a surplus of just
over R35 000. We also note that R106 000 was spent on improving the restaurant property which has been
capitalised.
During the year we have had three challenges which are as yet not fully resolved:
The tenant in our tea garden closed early in July 2019 and it was some time before we could get a new tenant
operating. Although it must be noted that during this time we were also busy on building the new glasshouse and
refurbishing the restaurant. The restaurant had barely started when we had another new operator come in and
then had to face shutdown as a result of COVID. The new operator informed us that he is not prepared to carry on
after the shutdown is lifted and, in the last few weeks, we have been contracting with another new operator who
will open mid-August.
We have also faced some challenges with the position of garden curator, with Finn Rautenbach having resigned in
February. Our selection process was well underway and we were about to appoint a suitable candidate when the
shutdown commenced. Since the shutdown, the negotiations have not been able to be concluded and your
trustees, having reviewed the situation in the light of a challenging economic environment in the coming period,
decided that we will not appoint a new curator during this financial year but carry on with the capable services of
our acting manager and the interns and staff we have.
An ongoing challenge to your trustees is sustaining the Southern Cape Herbarium which is specifically included in
the objectives of the Trust. The resignation of the previous curator left a big gap in the expertise needed to
continue the work of the Herbarium. The trustees have appealed to the botanical community for help, but at this
stage do not have the funds to employ the highly qualified person required. I remain hopeful that we may get
funding externally, but in the interim we will carry on as well as we can with the help of the … continued
continued…
Appeal for Fundraising Ideas
As alluded to in the Chairperson’s AGM Report, in order to sustain the
GRBG while the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Garden will need
to seek new revenue sources and consider innovative – and possibly
unconventional – ways of generating income. The GRBG Board of
Trustees would like to appeal to all Members and the public at large
to propose any workable ideas they have for new ways in which the
Garden can raise much-needed funds. All ideas, whether big or small,
are welcome. Please email your suggestions to GRBG Trustee Elizabeth Boshoff at [email protected]
(Please note the particular spelling of Elizabeth’s email address.) We look forward to receiving your feedback.
… volunteers, who have been the backbone of the herbarium since the start.
On the positive side, I am sure you have all seen how our Garden has flourished in the past year, with new beds
being introduced and the overall quality being enhanced. The COVID-19 shutdown did of course impact us to a
considerable degree, but the efforts of the acting manager and the staff since reopening have brought the Garden
quickly back to being highly presentable. And, with the help of volunteers, the Propagation Yard’s appearance is
vastly improved and we confidently hope to be able in the future to extend the range, quality and quantity of
indigenous plant material being made available for the Garden and the Nursery.
We had an increased volume of students through the Education Centre activities during the year and enjoyed a very
successful Science Week. I would also mention the two experts we had assigned to us from Germany who spent
some time mentoring our management.
We were successful in applying for project funds to improve the quality of the paving in the Mushroom Meander to
a handicapped-friendly level. This work will start soon. Looking to the future, we have some concern for the period ahead in the light of COVID-19 and its impact on the
world economy. The impact during this financial year has already reduced our income substantially, with zero
revenue being received in April, May and June from many of our revenue sources. And, we expect when the various
control levels are reduced that it will be some time before we can regain our previous levels of income. A budget
has been prepared and the situation is serious in that we could lose up to a third of the revenue we had in the year
ending February 2020. We are having to look very carefully at all costs and seek whatever new revenue sources we
can find.
The function of your trustees is not only to sustain the activities of the Garden but also to improve and grow it in
terms of our objectives of showcasing the flora and fauna of the Garden Route. To this end, we have a number of
projects and plans in mind, but all rely heavily on additional funding. In addition, a lot of our equipment is ageing
and becoming uneconomic to repair and we have a wish list of items we will need to replace in the next year or two.
I appeal to you all to help the trustees in any way you can in this endeavour.
In closing I would like to thank the staff of the Garden who work under difficult circumstances and with limited
rewards, as well as the trustees who have served during this year – particularly the retiring trustees, for their service.
I look forward to welcoming the new trustees who will be elected later. Thank you all for the interest you show in
the Garden and for your involvement here this morning.”
Roger Bath
Chairperson of the Garden Route Botanical Garden Trust
spring has finally arrived! And what better way to
celebrate than by filling your own garden with the
splendour and colour of the indigenous plants on
offer at the 2020 GRBG Annual Spring Sale!
Dates: 4-5 September 2020
Times: Friday, 4 September: 08:00 – 14:30
Saturday, 5 September: 08:00 – 14:30
Venue: The GRBG Nursery
What’s on offer?
Reduced prices on selected stock;
Beautiful flowering indigenous plants perfect for planting in spring;
Plus, indigenous indoor plants, bulbous plants and medicinal plants!
Services: Cash and card payment facilities will be available, and the GRBG Nursery Team will be on hand to give
you more information on the plants on sale as well as useful tips for growing them in your garden.
This year’s Spring Sale promises to be bigger and better, with the following exciting attractions and
special offers having been added to the event:
Extra Stalls Apart from the indigenous plants on sale, there will also
be additional stalls operated by vendors who’ll be selling
gardening and plant-related products.
Raffle Anyone who spends R500 or more at the Spring Sale will be entered
into our raffle and stand the chance to win one of three exciting prizes!
Be sure to get your name in the raffle to avoid missing out!
Coffee & Cake! The Marshmallow Garden Café (which recently opened its doors on the
GRBG premises) is spoiling everyone who supports the Spring Sale with
a delicious slice of cake and a cup of coffee / tea for only R30! To qualify for
this special offer, simply present your Spring Sale receipt at the Café.
offer,
Arbour Month Tree Planting Event
September is Arbour Month, which was created to raise awareness of the value of trees. Trees play a vital role in
the health and well-being of our community and environment.
Join us at the Garden Route Botanical Garden on Friday, 18 September 2020 as we plant trees and strengthen
our indigenous forests. The event will take place from 09:00 to 15:30, and is a joint effort by the GRBG, Precious
Tree Project and The Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSoc). We encourage all schools, businesses and organisations to participate in our community ‘greening’ event to
improve the health and beauty of our Garden and the local environment, and for a greener South African future. Please bring along gardening tools if you have, such as your own spade, fork, and gardening gloves to minimise
direct contact between planters, as well as sun protection, water and a smile. You can also sponsor a tree or three for Arbour Month. If you can’t join us on the day and would still like to
contribute, please sponsor a tree for only R80. Or even better, do both – sponsor a tree and help us plant it!
We will be planting in different spots within the Garden, if needed, to ensure social distancing.
So, get ready to dig in and get your hands dirty for the good of the Garden and the planet. See you there!
The aim of the Arbour Month planting event is to introduce pioneer species,
such as Keurboom, and other fast growing species, such as Cape beech/Kaapse
boekenhout, to support current stands of indigenous trees in the Garden. The
pioneer species help to enrich the soil through nutrient cycling and support the
growth of slow-growing, long-living species. The fast-growing pioneers also
create competition for the current species, which not only increases the latter’s
growth rate, but will increase biodiversity and habitat formation. This will all
ultimately benefit the GRBG by encouraging growth in stagnated stands.
New Visitor Photo Board
As you may already have noticed, we have put up a Photo Board at our Protea
Entrance. This board will be used to display photos taken in the Garden by visitors.
If you have taken any special photos recently or take any during your future trips
to the Garden, you are welcome to bring these on a flash drive to the GRBG
front office. We will then print and laminate them, and pin them up on the
Photo Board for all visitors to view and enjoy!
We hope to eventually erect a number of these photos boards throughout the
Garden, and we would love for everyone to contribute to what is displayed on them.
NNNoootttiiiccceeesss &&& EEEvvveeennntttsss
New Membership Fees
The membership fees for the Garden Route Botanical