The sun was striving to shine amidst the clouds. But in the main office at the Botanic Gardens on Saturday, June 13 2026, the atmosphere was joyous with happy hosts, the Friends of the Botanic Gardens.
Displays by Jeffrey Wong Sam, Francis Moreau and Aliya of the Field Naturalists Club showed local research, experiments and experiences with local herbs, mushrooms, pollinators and forest treasures.
"A Bird Walk’ started outside under the branches of trees.
The leader held a magical cell that responded to the calls of the birds of the Botanic Gardens by giving the name of the particular bird. We were then enthralled by information about that bird. Enchanted, I walked along the pathway with gentle undulating lawns on both sides, until I reached the ‘piece d’resistance’, the ‘Garden with Wings’.
I joined the live event hosted by Danielle Elliot and our own Past President, Tanya Western, who represented us and secured support from international Rotary groups for the ‘Garden with Wings Live Experience’. They highlighted the pollinators that make local butterflies possible. Local butterflies are seldom seen nowadays because we regard their essential food as weeds and destroy them unthinkingly. We were shown and encouraged to touch and buy those on sale to plant in our gardens and pots. Visitors filled this green area to experience the only part of the Botanic Gardens, seemingly overgrown with a canopy of green and grounded by flowers. Most left with two or more pollinators, vowing to give our local butterflies a chance to thrive.
A short walk, and I joined the silence of the Sound Healing and Breathwork Group. Visitors lay on yoga mats, beach mats and blankets, eyes closed, listening to the music of the spheres and following the gentle instructions of the leader. I lay on a blanket and the world of peace and silence with the other thirty visitors on the green grass. A serene scene with children next to their parents, trying to enter the quiet and follow the gentle movements. Namaste.
Children seated on chairs, awaiting the Puppet. Show. I was a child again. Laughing and gasping as the characters from the poem ‘ Ole Lady Who Swallowed A Fly’ were presented and swallowed in turn. No matter how many times we saw him, the big, brown, furry Spider still scared the children. The show was wonderfully done by Danielle Elliot, who dramatised and ensured full comprehension of the story by the children and young at heart.
The children of all ages continued to have fun, getting their faces painted and drawing and painting local butterflies at the Nature Art Workshop, while I walked across to what seemed a happy ‘Meet and Greet Old Friends’ party. The occasion was the Lectures in the Garden. We learnt the history, heritage and mysteries of our Botanic Gardens and others from Johnny Stollmeyer, Jalaludin Khan and Frances Moreno.
It had been an all-embracing educational day. The crowd lolling on the grass or on chairs were fully engaged, asked questions and bought books by the speakers. The day ended with a loving closing speech by Aliya of the Friends of the Botanic Gardens, and we departed this paradise, with the expressed hope of returning to a similar wonderful day next year.
