As I stroll alongside Bobby White through her glorious, tranquil garden she becomes more alive, more animated, and keen to share her passion for gardening.
Bobby has been a much-loved member of the community for 30 years and for much of that time she has devoted her spare time to the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens.
The group honoured their longest serving volunteer by celebrating her 90th birthday on February 20.
“I run a group of little old ladies, the Potty Potters, doing propagation and selling them, with the money going back into the continued development of the gardens,” she told me.
Her love of gardening was handed down to her by her father.
“He was a labourer but always loved gardening and grew all our fruit and vegetables to help maintain us because we never had any money and I learnt from that,” she said.
Her mother used to also propagate plants to sell.
“I have grown up in the outdoors,” Bobby said.
Originally from Kent in the United Kingdom, the newly married Bobby and her husband, Gordon, came to Australia as ten-pound Poms in 1958 when she was just 21 years old.
“Gordon worked in London and used to walk past Australia House every day. Finally, he went in and they gave him all the information about Australia,” Bobby recalled.
“We were on the boat very quickly. We left all our family. You couldn’t choose where you wanted to go. We were sent to Brisbane.
“Gordon was a carpenter, so he got snapped up straightaway. I was a registered nurse.”
Bobby took up a job at the Royal Brisbane Hospital and then went on to become a Blue Nurse when the organisation started up, nursing people in their homes.
“Members of the public would drive us around in their cars all day,” she said.
The couple were very happy with their new life in Australia and Bobby’s parents and sisters as well as Gordon’s mother quickly joined them.
“We loved it from the very beginning. The sun most of all. Brisbane was a lovely place to come to.”
It was on a leisurely drive that they discovered Tamborine Mountain.
“We came up here one Sunday taking my Mum for a drive and there was a for sale sign. We walked in and Gordon stood at the door and said, “I can do something with this”.
It was a little two-bedroom cottage, which Gordon renovated to cater for their three daughters and closed in a part of the front deck to create a bright sewing room for Bobby.
“We got back in the car and thought what on earth have we done. We were like two stunned mullets. But we have never looked back,” she smiled, still in love her home all these years later.
“My neighbour came over with a plate of home baking the first evening we were here to welcome us.”
She also told Bobby about the gardening club that met once a month and which she remains a member of.
Bobby remained with the Blue Nurses on Tamborine Mountain and then St Luke’s Care and one morning a week she worked at the Botanic Gardens.
Sadly, Gordon only lived six years here before dying of metastatic cancer and the botanic gardens became even more important to her.
“The group of friends I made are very special people, they are like minded, like working and giving up their time,” Bobby said.
“I just love it. We can see the results of what we work towards and it’s very rewarding. The gardens are well used. It’s a beautiful space.
“The children love going to the gardens, they hop out of the car and run like the wind.”
At the back of the gardens there is a green house named in her honour, where the magic of propagation takes place.
Over the years she has trained many in the art of propagation while continuing to still learn a lot herself.
“It’s a pleasant thing to do, working outside in the fresh air,” Bobby shared.
“Over the years we have raised thousands of dollars,” she said proudly.
Bobby has a passion for caring and looking after people. For many years she delivered Meals on Wheels around the mountain.
“Overall people are very kind and there is a lot of kindness out there. Everything that I have put out has come back,” she said.
Bobby is also known for her dirty jokes. At the end of every garden club meeting, she stands up to talk about plants and always finishes with one of her much anticipated jokes.
“They were a little bit smutty, but they are just to make people laugh. If you can make 80 people laugh, it’s a wonderful feeling,” she said.
“I ask my acquaintances for jokes and people drop jokes in the letter box.”
“I have had a wonderful happy fulfilling life, and I couldn’t complain about anything. I am still trying to remain active. I think that’s the secret.”
