LAA#123: Tree-hugging

We have all heard of the Greek proverb, “A society grows great when old men
plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” Landscape
architects are fortunate as we get to act like the old Greek men. Where we get
really lucky is when we can see the results of our work mature, and perhaps even
sit in their shade. Those who took site tours before the AILA National Conference
in Melbourne had the opportunity to see high quality work (and lots of maturing
trees) first hand. I enjoyed the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens tour immensely,
including the commentary by Kate Cullity and Paul Thompson – what a treat! I
also heard very positive comments about the Melaleuca Wetlands, Kubu River
Hippos and Docklands tours.

The richness of Australia’s flora continues to amaze and inspire me. Our flora
gives Australian landscape architects a natural advantage over those in other
countries – we have at our fingertips such an array of climatically appropriate
plant species. It should be a no‐brainer, but in yet another example of Donald
Horne’s “Lucky Country” irony, while we have the benefit of this legacy, all too
often we see a lack of imagination in our planted landscapes. Cranbourne was a
balm for my sore eyes!

Drawing breath after the AILA National Conference, I have been reflecting on
some of the presentations and discussions, while looking ahead to future
possibilities that arise when like‐minded people get together. During the
conference I was able to make mention of a new collaborative venture, as well as
announce two new awards. The collaborative venture is the creation of the
Gallery of Australian Design, launched last week in Canberra. The gallery
partners are the University of Canberra, the National Museum of the Australian
Institute of Architects and the AILA. The gallery space is at Commonwealth Place,
a collaborative project between Durbach Block Architects and Sue Barnsley
Design. The gallery will exhibit the best of Australian design and we are lucky to
have as patron His Excellency Michael Bryce AM AE. I would encourage all those
visiting Canberra to put the gallery on their itinerary.

Back to those old Greek men. National Council has for some time been looking
for opportunities to link new and current members with the more venerable of
our profession. The AILA wants to celebrate leadership in landscape architecture
and link former leaders to the next generation. The Margaret Hendry biennial
lecture is one of those events and the AILA has recently created the Jim Sinatra
New Leadership Award for creative innovation in landscape architecture, and
the Bruce Mackenzie New Leadership Award for environmental innovation in
landscape architecture.

Many of our leaders were influenced to enter the profession by Australian flora.
George Seddon originally studied English at the University of Melbourne then,
through the study of geology, came to be passionate about the flora of Western
Australia. Helen Armstrong was a botanist. Harry Howard was an architect,
Bruce Mackenzie’s first brush with design was graphic design, and Marion
Blackwell was an ecologist.

One of the best treehuggers, Glen Wilson FAILA, was on the academic staff in my
first year of study in 1979. On a half‐day field trip to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve,
he surprised the class by walking a short distance off the track to greet a stately
Brown Barrel (Eucalyptus fastigata) in the wet sclerophyll forest on the side
slopes of the valley. Glen gave the tree a good hug and rested his bearded cheek
tenderly on the bark. He breathed in and out once or twice, eyes closed, then
extolled to the class the benefits of a daily tree hug. Glen has a good pedigree,
dating back to his work for E. H. Hammond and the construction of Edna
Walling’s gardens in Melbourne and surrounds in the 1940s. Always a practical
person, Glen’s writing and teaching methods were direct and focused. He
insisted each student buy an SLR camera, photograph what we saw, then develop
the film and print the photographs at the (extraordinarily well resourced)
darkroom at the Canberra CAE.

Something that is perhaps now missing in landscape architecture education is
(aside from photography and darkrooms) the instilling of a knowledge and
passion for plants. Through my engagement with education policy and
accreditation on National Council, I appreciate the breadth of curriculum that
educational institutions have to span, however, it is imperative to at least
acknowledge the potential of our flora as a design medium. My own passion for
Australian flora was developed through exposure to the coastal landscapes near
Sydney and to the Blue Mountains. An early casual job was at Cedar Wattles
Nursery, a micro‐nursery that was operated by Helen McKay in North Sydney,
which propagated locally endemic Sydney sandstone plants. On commencing
studies in Canberra I subscribed for a time to the Society for Growing Australian
Plants, which had an excellent journal, Australian Plants.

My call for all of us is to take the time to hug a tree. Perhaps not once a day, as
Glen would have it, but to hug a tree at least once a month. We will all be better
for it.