Legends of the Garden - Bob Malone
Bob Malone was a driving force in the recognition of species and hybrid rhododendrons in Tasmania. He was instrumental in the establishment of branches of the Australian Rhododendron Society in the north and south of the state and did much to encourage plant nurseries to stock rhododendrons. Bob was the inaugural president of the North West Tasmanian branch of the ARS in 1978 and set about educating others through garden visits and a library of books that taught members how to propagate, hybridise, protect against pests and cultivate. Up until the time of his death in September 1999, Bob remained the patron of EVRG.
Aside from his wealth of knowledge, Bob was a generous benefactor to the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden. Living legends Maurice and Pam Kupsch recall the early days of Bob Malone:
In the beginning, while living and working in Rosebery on the West Coast, Bob Malone’s interest in growing rhododendrons began as far back as 1965 when he planted his very first plant – the now much-maligned R. ponticum. Bob joined the Royal Horticultural Society to obtain seeds and then became a member of the Australian Rhododendron Society to learn more, but because of the distance was unable to attend meetings so most learning was from books.
Looking towards retirement, Bob and his wife Ev purchased 8.5 hectares of land at Lapoinya, inland from Wynyard. The site enjoyed a good rainfall and basalt soil. Many of the plants grown in Rosebery were transplanted to Lapoinya where they thrived.
Bob was instrumental in starting the Tasmanian branches of the Australian Rhododendron Society. He became National Council president at a mini-conference held in Burnie in late 1981. This was the same time that outgoing president Dr Chris Laurie (South Australia) planted “Golden Dream”, the very first rhododendron to be planted at Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden.
Bob offered to supply some fairly large plants to the EVRG if they could be moved. The members certainly rose to the challenge. It was a team effort to dig them up, slip a “purpose made invention” under the roots and carry them to the waiting vehicles. Probably 15-20 plants in all were acquired in this way, with many sore muscles and tired people at the end of the day. But what an achievement!
The large rhodos were driven along the wall of Lake Grebe, pulled off the backs of the vehicles and virtually planted where they landed. Thanks to Bob the Garden now had some established plants making it feel more like a garden, which was then so much in its infancy. He also donated all the large leaf rhododendrons down in the gully above the bridge. These came in pots, which were easier to plant!
To keep members’ enthusiasm for growing these wonderful plants, Bob would distribute plants among members at the meetings of the North West Branch. Many of these plants came from his trips to National Council meetings in Victoria. He would ensure that Tasmania received a share of the plants the National Council was importing from overseas. He did this by taking two suitcases every trip – essentials in one carried inside the empty one ready to fill with plants on his return. No need for border control at the time!
