WHAT’S NEW?
Botanic news: from home and abroad Cassandra Nichols, CEO, BGANZ Ltd
Evolution of BGANZ After a decade of incredible work, BGANZ’s esteemed CEO Eamonn Flanagan said farewell to the organisation. He has been an innovative and inspirational leader, transforming BGANZ through a pandemic to a highly successful online network of empowered members. Responding to member needs, he steered the organisation through a significant governance change from an association to a charity, which has now positioned BGANZ in a place for growth. This evolution of BGANZ is no small feat and on behalf of the Board and me, we’d like to say a massive thank you, and congratulations for all his accomplishments. Eamonn’s superb accent and joyous sense of humour will be sorely missed, but keep a look out for our Irish leprechaun in a garden near you…
Technology advances It seems an age since face-to-face meetings were the standard form of communication, and that everyone working in ‘the office’ was the only way a business operated. I am writing to you from my home in Newcastle, yet my colleagues are spread across the country. Thanks to technology, we now connect more regularly with people outside our towns, cities, states and even countries and thanks to online forums, BGANZ has built a strong community, which is very actively sharing and collaborating on essential work. The new Specialist Group, BARB (BGANZ Arboriculture) led by Ian Allan, kicked off in November. BARB is composed of tree management professionals working in botanic gardens across the BGANZ network. For more information, see Ian’s article in this issue.
Thanks to technology, BGANZ has built a strong community, which is very actively sharing and collaborating on essential work. If you wish to become a member of any of our specialist groups, or our regional groups, please visit our webpage, bganz.org.au/contact/.
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THE BOTANIC GARDENer | ISS 61 Summer 2023
