The Howick Horticultural Society, now in its 96th year, could be facing extinction.
Save the 96-year-old Howick Horticultural Society and preserve a slice of Howick history and community activism. This was the appeal from two of the society’s members Brenda Loader and Jenny Hough.
“Unless we get more people to manage the garden club which is nearly a century old, the Howick Horticultural Society would be headed for extinction. It would be sad if it fell short of its 100th anniversary in 2023,” said Mrs Loader.
Like most hobby societies, the Howick Horticultural Society is low on numbers as it tends to attract older people.
The society recently held a Daffodil and Camellia Show in the Fencible Lounge in Howick.
Five daffodil growers from the Northern Daffodil Club in the Waikato exhibited their blooms showing a wide range of beautiful flowers.
Howick’s second oldest society meets monthly on the second Thursday of the month at Haseler Hall at All Saints Church. It organises flower shows and talks and has been a fixture on the Auckland gardening scene for decades.
The Howick Horticultural Society originally started as the Howick Beautifying Society in 1923, it’s mission being to preserve greenery and to campaign against the destruction of flora. It encouraged the planting of trees and shrubbery in public spaces like beaches and reserves.
The society which changed to its present name in recent times has had a hand in development of Nixon Memorial Park which later incorporated croquet and bowling greens.
It has considerable archival assets: minutes from the post war years until the present century, membership lists, newsletters, record of competitions and winner sand historical photographs.
A valuable resource for researchers in community history, it is definitely worth saving.
For more information contact Maurine Meyrick at 535-4769.
