Margaret Bell used to sit on her back deck in Taringa and look out to the lush green of Tamborine Mountain in the distance.
In 1997, she and her husband, Roger, decided to go for a drive to the mountain they’d admired from afar.
“We thought it was terrific,” she recalled.
“We went to see the real estate agent and found a weekend rental, then decided we’d like to buy our own weekender.
“We liked everything: the feel, the view, the climate and we were always gardeners so could see how lush they were here, and it was close enough to Brisbane not to lose contact with family and friends.”
She and Roger enjoyed their weekend sojourns on the mountain until retirement 26 years ago when they took up full-time residence.
Margaret quickly became involved with the Tamborine Mountain Garden Club and eventually became president twice.
For several years she oversaw Springtime on the Mountain when it was held at the Tamborine Mountain Showgrounds.
“I spent many hours at the computer organising Springtime,” she said.
However, Margaret said the work involved for the members to hold it at one venue, with catering was a huge undertaking. One year, she said, they had 32 buses come up.
To reduce the workload, she created the Springtime on the Mountain Trail, which began in 2005.
“That took off,” Margaret said.
“Gardeners love gardens and looking at other people’s and getting ideas to incorporate into their own.
“People love to come here and see the cold climate plants.”
It wasn’t long after arriving and becoming part of the Garden Club that Margaret also began volunteering at the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens.
She and Roger are now two of the longest serving volunteers there.
For most of that time Margaret has been on the committee, however, she decided recently the time had come to step down from that side of her volunteering.
At the gardens she was responsible mainly for tending to the roses, now she said she’s more of a gofer.
“We have done all the landscaping here. We put the sleepers in and changed the levels.
“We spent ten years developing it and opened it for Springtime on the Mountain a couple of times.”
She wanted to embrace the cooler climate plants. They have 58 camellias and about 20 magnolias.
“We could have got an overseas trip from the money we have spent on the garden.”
At the botanic gardens she looked after roses.
“Now I’m a goafer and do anything.”
“It’s a good community thing to do and I enjoy it very much,” she explained. “It’s very rewarding. It’s unique in Australia being run by volunteers.”
Her own garden is a tranquil mix of plants and sculptures that draw you into it and call to you to explore the winding paths.
They spent about ten years developing it and putting in the terraces.
The eye-catching sculptures were created by Roger using an array of old bits and pieces from old farming machinery and fences, which he said he collected from Dr Michael’s house, which was a well-known place on Main Western Road.
When not in the garden, Margaret enjoys reading and travelling.
“We are impromptu,” she said, just taking off to locations on a whim.
“We have stopped going on planes. We do road trips out to western Queensland and New South Wales.”
This year they have been Thargomindah, Victoria and New South Wales.
Margaret’s six grandchildren also love to come to the mountain for a visit.
“They love the Botanic Gardens,” she said.
“I go for coffee with the girls. We have lots of social activities and friends.
“We like to go to the restaurants here.”
However, she said the mountain has become incredibly busy and the traffic a problem.
“But tourism has improved the standard of restaurants,” she admitted.
