Support

Make a Donation

Make a tax deductible donation to The Friends’ Trust Fund (MS Word - 91 kb). The Friends have given financial support of over $2 million to the Gardens. Donations of $2 and over are tax deductible.  For more information on how to make a donation, please contact our office.

Projects Supported by the Friends  

Some projects supported by the Friends:

• $210,000 over 3 years - Working Wetlands Project
  
• $70,000 - Guilfoyle's Volcano Redevelopment Project
• $30,100 - Herbarium Discovery Walk
• $52,000 - Misting of the Fern Gully
• $15,000 - Plant labelling project
  
• $40,000 - Upgrade facilities at Growing Friends Nursery (see nursery on Growing Friends Page)
• $25,000 - Rare and Threatened Species Bed
• $114,000 - Renovation of Gate Lodge and Garden
• $120,000 - De-silting of Central Lake
• $200,000 - New Facilities in the RBG Nursery
  

For more details of projects supported please view a complete list of all grants (Excel - 54 kb) to the Gardens by the Friends.

Friends' Helen McLellan Research Grant

To recognize the substantial bequest to the Friends from the estate of Helen McLellan, the Friends have established The Friends' Helen McLellan Research Grant (HMcLRG).  The grant scheme, to a value of up to $20,000 per annum, is intended to support scientific research projects conducted by, or on behalf of, the Royal Botanic Gardens.

The 2012 HMcLRG has been awarded to Dave Kendal (Post-Doctoral Fellow at ARCUE) and Sharon Willoughby (ANU PhD student and Public Programs Manage at RBG Cranbourne) for their project -

Beyond the Boundary -
Since the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne opened the Australian Garden to the public in May 2006, public, planning and horticultural programs have aimed at influencing gardeners to use Australian native plants (Russell et al., 2012).

While there is some evidence that the RBG Cranbourne is having an influence on garden design, we know relatively little about who is being influenced and whether this influence is resulting in more sustainable gardens.  This project aims to explore the influence the Australian Garden is having on home gardeners, by surveying RBG Cranbourne Friends and the broader community of gardeners in the south-eastern suburbs.

The 2011 HMcLRG was awarded to Dr Anna Syme, Molecular Systematist at the RBG Melbourne, for her project - Unravelling the DNA of Australian grasses: gene duplication and its implications for molecular identification and evolution.  This project is now completed and a full Report is available in the Summer 2012/13 issue of Botanic News p 14-15.

Water Works, Water Wise  

In 2002 the Friends launched Water Works, Water Wise, a long term project to finance the upgrading and completion of much of the RBG’s irrigation system. Since then over $120,000 has been donated through this project. To date Water Works, Water Wise has funded -

• upgraded computerised irrigation infrastructure
• installation of irrigation to the Southern Cross (Theatre) Lawn
• installation of irrigation to Ian Potter Childrens’ Garden
• installation of irrigation to the Rare & Threatened Species Bed
• installation of irrigation and misting system in the Fern Gully
• upgrade of irrigation in the RBG Nursery
• $210,000 over 3 years - Working Wetlands Project

If you would like to make a donation to The Friends (MS Word - 91 kb), and in particular to Water Works, Water Wise please contact the Friends' office.

The Friends' 25th Anniversary Scholarship

In 2007, to celebrate their 25th Anniversay, The Friends announced the establishment of an annual scholarship to the value of $10,000 to be awarded to a member or members of the RBG staff. 

The recipients of the Friends' Scholarship for 2012 were announced at the Friends' AGM in November 2012. They are -

• Catherine Gallagher, Plant Sciences & Biodiversity Division, for her project - Botanical Nomenclature Course RBG Kew
  
• Millie Wee, Melbourne Gardens Division, for her project - Study Tour of Queensland Botanic Gardens: RBG Palm and Bamboo Collection Development
• Dr Pina Milne, Plant Sciences & Biodiversity Division, for her project - Bryophyte and Lichen Workshop in New Zealand
  

Recent Past Winners of the Friends' Scholarship are -

2009

• David Robbins, Co-ordinator, Nursery, RBG Melbourne for his project - attending the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) National Conference (Report - Botanic News Summer 2010/11 p 14 & 15)
  
• Cali Salzmann, Horticultural Technician (Nursery), RBG Cranbourne for her project - Participation in the International Plant Propagators Society and Study Trip to Kings Park Botanic Gardens (Report - Botanic News Autumn 2011 p 14 & 15)
  
• Val Stajsic for his project - Taxonomic resolution of Melicytus (Violaceae) in Australia (Report - Botanic News Winter 2011)
  

2010

• Trevor Gallagher, Aboriginal Programs Officer, for Project Corroboree (Report - Botanic News Autumn 2012 p 5)
  
• Chris Jenek, Nursery Technician, to study plant tissue culture (Report - Botanic News Winter 2012 p 12)
  
• Dermot Molloy, Acting Nursery Co-ordinator, to attend the International Plant Propagation Society Conference (Report - Botanic News Autumn 2012 p 6 & 7)
  
• Ollie Sherlock, Land Management Technician, for Project - Threatened Fauna Management (Report - Botanic News Summer 2011/12 p 5 & 6)
  
• Timothy Wall, Horticultural Technician, to study conservation and land management
  
  2011
  
  
• Greg LiRosi, Melbourne Gardens, for his project - Irrigation Technician course and introduction to landscape irrigation pumps.
• Terry Smyth, Melbourne Gardens, for her project - Sydney study tour of Asian taxa that are threatened by our changing climate (Report - Botanic News Spring 2012 p 14 & 15)
• Aliston Vaughan, Plant Sciences and Biodiversity Division, for her project - Java SE7 Fundamentals course
• Timothy Wall, Melbourne Gardens, for his project - To study the cultivation and native vegetation of Californian flora and develop international relationships (Report - Botanic News Spring 2012 p 12 & 13)

Volunteer

Support the Gardens by being a volunteer. Your time and skills can help the Friends and the Gardens. Volunteers need to be Members of the Friends - go to our Join the Friends page for more information on how to join or follow the link above to our Volunteer page to see how you can help.