Executive Director’s report

MARGARET FLOCKTON 2020 Now in its 17th year, the Margaret Flockton Award commemorates the vast contribution made to Australian scientific botanical illustration by Margaret Flockton, who was appointed as the first botanic illustrator for the Royal Botanic Garden in 1901. The Garden’s collection includes nearly 1000 of her illustrations.

The committee received 63 submissions from artists around the world this year, with Bulgaria, Switzerland and Norway being represented for the first time. Ink was the most favoured medium, followed by pencil then digital and mixed media. The three judges were Honorary Research Associate Karen Wilson and botanical illustrators Lesley Elkan and Catherine Wardrop, all from the Royal Botanic Garden.

First Prize was awarded to Deborah Lambkin from the UK for her ink illustration of Gastrodia sp. nov. (above). To see the other winners and the full exhibition, go to rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/MargaretFlockton-Award. The exhibition will not be on display at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan due to COVID-19 restrictions.

This annual award for excellence in scientific botanical illustration is sponsored by the Maple-Brown family and Foundation & Friends.

Iam certain that if someone had told you last August that over the next nine months you will face unprecedented bushfires, drought, floods, extreme storms and a global pandemic, you would have told them that they had gone mad.

I can honestly say that, yes, it has been challenging and we have a long way to go, but the level of agility and innovation coming from the teams at the Botanic Gardens has consistently impressed me. COVID-19 will certainly provide the opportunity to introduce many new programs and processes that will positively change the way we work and engage with visitors and volunteers. It is imperative that we continue to focus on a positive way forward and not stand still by just being reactive.

The decision to keep our Gardens open has been based not only on the latest health advice, but also on the importance of having access to public spaces during these challenging times.

Our dedicated Horticulture team and essential staff continue to care for our diverse Living Collections and the

historically significant landmarks across the three Gardens. They certainly have not been idle during this time, and have used the opportunity of less visitation to work on areas that are usually more difficult to access and manage with larger visitor numbers. With the extensive work taking place, the Gardens will be a fantastic sight for visitors as they start transitioning back, and, as always, the Gardens continue to provide a much-needed refuge for people and wildlife.

Ahead of construction of the new National Herbarium of NSW at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan later this year, the Garden’s Nursery is undergoing a complete upgrade for the first time in 30 years.

The new Nursery, the collections at the Australian PlantBank and the new Herbarium will strengthen the Garden’s collaboration, plant conservation credentials and capacity through the new Australian Institute of Botanical Science. Read more about the new Institute from Chief Botanist Dr Brett Summerell on page 14. Denise Ora

Artist’s impression of the new National Herbarium of NSW