The early Rose Forumers from GW

I hope you don't mind my sharing some photos of some of the original GardenWeb Roses in Oz forumers from back in the late 90s. I have been in touch with as many of these friends as possible for their permission and also to invite them to join us here. Some have regretfully passed away and others I have lost touch with, but well remember our times together very fondly.

1st gathering of Roses In Oz Sydney forum members, circa 1996 at Rookwood Cemetary - this is the first time some of us met each other.
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L-R: Danielle, Roger, Phillip, Irene (deceased), Rita, Sam, Caroline & friend (sorry can't remember the name only that she is from the Blue Mts).

A gathering at Lyn Park Nursery, Maroota owned by David & Lyn Clark. This is circa winter 1997 pictured here with some of our booty. David worked for Roy & Heather Rumsey for over 25 years and formed this nursery after their passing. This nursery is now closed as I think it was burned down during the bushfires some years back.
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Back L-R: Coral (QLD), Danielle, David Clark. M: Hilary, Lyn Clark, Tamara, Kathy, Deb. F: Irene, Rita.

Up in (our) David Clark's neck of the woods in 2000 (?) David may remember which garden & date this was. We visited several very large and newish gardens that day up in the Lake Macquarie, Hunter Region.
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L-R: Irene, David, Charles & Tamara. Alas, Irene & Charles are no longer with us.

At Jen's Canowindra Rose Garden where she had a 1000 David Austin Roses on her family's Dairy/Lucern farm in Nov 2000. It was a girls weekend and we had such a wonderful time frolicking in this garden and then eating pizza & drinking wine under the blanket of a million stars!
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L-R: Tamara, Louise (ACT) & Jenny.

At Jane Zammit's 'Remontant Rose Nursery' at Kurrajong East in Jan 2001. Jane has now moved to Cowra.
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L-R: Hilary, Tamara (holding Danielle's 1st baby, Danielle, Rita, Jane, Phillip, Deb & Roger (Mann), the puppies belonged to Tamara.

I hope that you will get to meet some of these people on here when they join us. Apology for the poor quality images, these were pre digital and some where scanned on early technology.

What a fantastic group of people you have in your repatore(spelling) Rita, fond memories I would think. The other thing I would like to find is, some of the old members of "rose exchange". We have one, which is JudyC, otherwise known as "scubamid", I would like some of them to join here

Great photos Rita... maybe we should start a section here for social rose gatherings, nursery crawls etc? It would be great to see more social rose gathering photos.

Thanks David, they surely are great memories. Some of the group (David & Shirley C, Tam & her family, Roger, Irene & Bill and I met last May. We found out that Irene had terminal cancer and so David kindly offered his beautiful home and garden for us to meet, sit, eat and chat about old times. I now kick myself that I didn't take any photos of us that day as Irene passed away some weeks later on the 30th July.

As to the Rose Exchange forum, that came many years after and we already have yourself, Simon, David Clark, Karen, Meryl, Barbara, Ian, Judy and myself here from that forum as well. I think that there are others too if I'm not mistaken.

Thank you Simon, that's a wonderful idea. It would be nice if we could revive the rose get togethers we used to have. Maybe even plan a national get together some day.

I know that I have already David C, Karen (many years ago) & now recently Bruce from this forum.

Wonderful photos and memories, Rita, I espeacially like the one in Jenny's garden ofcourse !
I hope maybe some rose forum people might like to come to my garden next Spring if I can tidy it up and it looks good enough. There maybe the Coborra mine starting up here, we are only 6 miles from the proposed buffer Zone, so I don't know how many more Springs I will live here as I and my children are not going to live near a mine. I want to make the most of this Spring coming.

Thanks Karen, I thought you'd like to see Jen's garden again.
I'd love to pop out to Gulgong to see your garden this spring - will need to make a weekend of it, drive up Friday night stay at a B&B then visit your garden and do some wineries etc. If anyone else is interested, maybe we can make it a group thing.

What's the best time for your garden Karen? It will be a shame if you have to leave this garden. You have put so much hard work, not to mention heart and soul into it. I remember when you where first starting it up. Still stumble on the pics I took of you up there. I did send you copies didn't I? If they have been lost through a PC crash let me know and I'll try and burn a cd & send it up.

Thanks for the memories, Rita. The photo in the gazebo was at one of the rose gardens near Singleton. The owner, Jenny has moved to the Southern Highlands where she has an even better garden and written a book about it.

Hi Rita! 'Garden Web' was my introduction to sharing rose info on the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
It was lovely to see some faces, and lovely to catch up with some names again.
I still keep in contact with Yvonne and Deb & know of Roger & Tamara & Laine from those days.
I hope they can join us.
Lyn.

Hi Lyn, glad you enjoyed seeing some of the old forumers. I still keep in touch with Deb as well - she last wrote that we need to get our 'group' together again. The last time we got together was last year in her new place in the inner city.

I have lost touch with Yvonne, but am sure that she is still as enthusiastic a gardener as ever and hope that she will join us here. Along with your fantasic photos, Von used to delight us with a few herself.

Tam is now a mum to two lovely children and lives in Sydney with her partner. I hope some day she will find the time to join us too. I received a card from Roger at Christmas and hope he will find time to pop by here as well. He has a wealth of knowledge and a way with words that would delight most. I have not heard from Laine, she lived in Brisbane? Have you heard from her of late?
Hope you are having a great weekend.
Rita

Sorry David, I meant to say thank you for identifying the garden and its owner. Glad you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.