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ROSE SOCIETIES - Part 2 |
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Although there is, as yet, no National Rose Society of Tasmania, rose shows are held regularly at several centres, notably Hobart and Bagdad. They attract large attendances.
The National Rose Societies of the Australian States and New Zealand issue, under the sponsorship of the Victorian Society, the Australian and New Zealand Rose Annual. A copy is given to each member of each Society. Other services rendered vary considerably with each State. The National Rose Society of Victoria issues to each member, on joining, a copy of a small booklet entitled Introduction to Rose Growing; every three months, a pamphlet dealing with cultural hints; and for each spring and autumn show one member's and two ladies' tickets. Members are entitled to exhibit at the main shows and at the lesser displays staged at each of the monthly meetings, to which the public is in-vited and at which lectures and demonstrations are given on subjects pertaining to rose-growing. The Western Australian Society issues a pamphlet each month. As the other Societies increase in numerical strength, they will be able to render more services than they can at present. The activities of Rose Societies best known by the general public are the main shows, and, to a lesser extent, public demonstrations of pruning. Until people become members of a National Rose Society they miss many advantages that may, at first, appear to be of minor significance, but are later found to be invaluable, such as the use of the Society's library, the supplying of lists of roses recommended for various purposes, and, above all, the meeting of hundreds of other ardent rose-growers, all wanting to exchange ideas and gain knowledge. If only for his own sake, every rose-grower should be a member of a Rose Society. Never allow your Rose Society to become complacent with age, for that will be its first step towards self-destruction. Keep it vigorous by bringing in new members, especially younger men on to the executive committee, and by giving each one some responsibility. They will devise new and better ways of doing things. Rose Conventions have become regular functions in the United States of America and can serve a very useful purpose in large countries where members of Rose Societies live far apart and grow their roses under widely differing conditions. These meetings are arranged in centres where there is an active interest in rose-growing and ample hotel accommodation for visitors. They often coincide with the holding of a rose show; lectures, demonstrations, and visits to gardens are always included in the programme. The first gathering of this kind in the Southern Hemisphere was held by the National Rose Society of New Zealand from 16 to 20th November 1947 at Palmerston North. |
