It was the height of COVID-19 and everything was shut, but at the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens people strolled around and picnicked, enjoying the tranquillity of nature.
Denby Browning was the president at the time and keeping the gardens open he cited as one of his greatest achievements during his tenure.
“It was beautiful to see people coming to the gardens and wondering around as couples or singles and getting fresh air and comfort throughout that whole time,” Denby recalled.
When the government lifted the ban to allow families to gather together, the garden became so full that his friend and fellow botanic garden committee member, Margaret Pile, urged him to get in the car to come and witness the stream of people.
“It happened to be a beautiful day, and it was a joy to behold, an affirmation of the value of the botanic gardens” he said.
Denby began volunteering at the botanic gardens in 2015 to help Margaret weed the azaleas.
“That was the only safe thing I could do. At least I could identify a weed from an azalea” he laughed.
Then, in mid-2019 he was ‘railroaded’ into taking over as president, with the assurance that the backbone of the gardens, Eddie Fenton, would continue as the works manager.
“Everyone said, ‘this is going to be very easy’, you don’t need to know about plants, but you are good at marketing and management’,” Denby recalled.
However, just a few months later, Eddie tragically passed away suddenly and Denby was left to work out how to steer the team with little insight into how, because Eddie had kept everything in his head.
Then, just as he was beginning to get on top of everything, COVID hit.
Denby had established strong relationships with the senior management in Scenic Rim Regional Council and with council’s support they managed to keep the staff isolated and keep the gardens open.
His second biggest achievement as president came following a holiday in Cairns where he discovered an irrigation system that ran off mobile phones.
Returning to Tamborine Mountain he secured a State Government grant through the council to install a similar system at the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens.
“It was the biggest and best project we ever did for the gardens,” he said.
Then in 2022 he steered the gardens into a major film set for the Disney movie Nautilus.
“In the end we made about $90,000 from the project. We have been using it to do projects we’ve been meaning to do,” he said.
In 2023 the bone marrow cancer, myelofibrosis, he was diagonosed with 30 years ago, began to cause health issues, forcing him to retire as president.
Despite his years as president, he admits he still hasn’t learnt about gardening and his contribution to transforming the garden with Margaret has been to dig holes where instructed and mulch.
Writing
Denby began his career as a journalist as a cadet at the Adelaide Advertiser.
“My only interest in the world was writing,” he shared.
As with many Australians, London called and he took up a job as sub-editor for a nursing journal.
“It was the best thing I ever did,” he said, explaining that it led to him becoming production editor and graphic designer.
After four years he and his wife returned to Australia intending to have a family.
He was snapped up by Ita Buttrose at The Australian Women’s Weekly and started there in 1975.
To mark the sacking of Gough Whitlam he produced a 16-page booklet for the Women’s Weekly before going on to become acting chief sub-editor at only 27 years of age.
“I learned how to manage people. I learned people’s strengths and to play to their strengths,” he said of his time at the Australian Women’s Weekly.
Denby eventually set up his own marketing business, specialising in IT.
Moving to the mountain
After living on a boat for 10 years in Sydney, in 2012, he and Margaret decided they’d like a tree change and, having visited Tamborine Mountain and Maleny in past, settled on the mountain as it was cheaper and had easier access to medical facilities.
He went on to work for Riveria Australia on the Gold Coast, where he continues to work, writing their copy.
But settling into the community meant getting involved.
“We promptly joined Landcare, then got involved with the Chamber of Commerce,” he shared.
“The community up here is a lot of very gentle people.
“We tell anyone new who arrives to get involved. If you don’t you will be alienated pretty quickly. There isn’t a lot to do unless you get involved.
“If you do it’s a great group of people.
“Most small towns are very insular. It isn’t the thing here, where unless you’ve lived here for 20 years, you’re not accepted because so many people are relatively new.
“It’s a dynamic community, which is really interesting.”
More recently, Denby has joined a creative writing group through Tamborine Mountain Creative Arts.
“Every second Monday you have to turn up with something new and that’s good, otherwise you can just languish if there is no deadline or pressure and that’s not good,” he explained.
