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Benalla Garden Club celebrates 70 years of blooming success

Celebration: Benalla Garden Club's oldest members Shirley McGill and Stewart Coutts cut its 70th birthday cake exactly 70 years to the day it held its first meeting. Photo by Simon Ruppert

Members of Benalla’s Garden Club celebrated its 70th birthday at Benalla Bowls Club on Tuesday, October 10.

The meeting marked 70 years to the day that a group of Benalla gardening enthusiasts got together to share ideas.

One of the members had arranged an impressive cake to mark the occasion, and a table full of historical documents and photos elicited lots of smiles as members reminisced.

Current President Maureen Freshwater said it was an honour to have two of its oldest members cut the cake.

Magnificent: The Benalla Garden Club celebrated its 70th birthday with this decorated cake. Photo by Simon Ruppert

“Our oldest active members are in their 90s (Shirley McGill and Stewart Coutts), so we asked them to cut the cake,” Ms Freshwater said.

“We have our table of memorabilia with some great photos. There’s one of Dame Elizabeth Murdoch when she came up to and judged an open garden.

“Over the years, the garden club has done a lot. We have some benches dotted around, and we’re looking to install one near our new tree.”

Regular Ensign readers will have seen the recent article on a tree the Garden Club donated to Benalla as part of its birthday year celebrations.

History: The Benalla Garden Club had a display of old photograph for members to look at while it celebrated its 70th birthday. Photo by Simon Ruppert

Ms Freshwater said to look out for the Garden Club at the Benalla Show this weekend (Friday, October 20 - Saturday, October 21)

“All my stewards of the show this year are from the garden club,” she said.

If you are interested in joining the Benalla Garden Club, pop along to one of its meetings on the First Tuesday of each month at Benalla Bowls Club.

Alternatively, pop into the horticultural pavilion at the Benalla show this weekend and say hi.