History

There are records of flower shows at Claremont right back to 1950. In those days they were associated with staff and workers at Cadburys chocolate factory nearby. Now shows are organised by a small committee - The Claremont Flower Show Group Inc. which is affiliated with the Garden Clubs of Australia Inc.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CLAREMONT FLOWER SHOWS: 1985 to 2009

In 1985 it was decided to hold a Spring Flower Show in Claremont. This event was a one day affair, held on the first Saturday in September. The venue was the Sunday School Hall behind the Uniting Church in Wyndham Road. The judge of the daffodil classes was Mrs. Natalie Little who awarded Grand Champion in Show to a yellow trumpet named ‘WILD WOMEN’ and Champion Miniature to a 3-headed stem of ‘TETE-A-TETE’. The cut flower and pot plant classes were judged by Peg and Steve Monaghan. The small hall was filled with exhibits from many local gardeners. The schedule included sections for Open, Restricted Level, Local Growers and Church Members. When the Show was opened to the public at 1.00 pm there was a large crowd gathered and it was a squeeze to actually fit into the Show Hall. Likewise in the back of the Church building itself where Janet Oakley had a fine afternoon tea available. The Show was widely regarded as a great success!

In 1986 a second Spring Show was held at the Uniting Church Hall. So many exhibitors turned up that entries spilled into the back of the Church. When “the doors” were opened to the public at 1.00 pm the waiting crowd stretched from the entry porch all the way up to Bristol Road – and along the footpath a bit! It was nearly impossible to move in the
Show Hall and Afternoon Tea in the back of the actual Church was almost a bunfight. Obviously a larger venue was required for future shows.

In 1987 the Spring Show was moved to the Claremont Memorial Hall on Main Road and because the venue was considerably more spacious the scheduled classes were extended somewhat. The Daffodil Classes included sections for Seedlings, Open Level, Restricted Level, Advanced Local and Local Growers. The Church Members Section was increased and the Bilton Street wall of the show hall was set aside for entries from Claremont, City of Glenorchy and Lenah Valley Garden Clubs. This arrangement was an instant success and is one of the few features of the earlier Shows that persist to this day. The 1987 Show also featured first displays (at Claremont) by the Alpine Garden Society, Norma Macauley (Helleborus expert), the Rhododendron Group and the Camellia Society under the leadership of Mrs. Judy Lewis. Indeed, the Camellia Section became a major feature of the Show and members of the Camellia Society decorated the stage superbly.
This Show saw the arrival of major daffodil exhibitors from all round the state and the hall was well filled with entries. Mr. George Tarry, then President of the English Daffodil Society, assisted with the judging, as did Mr. Fred Silcock, one of Victoria’s leading growers. When the doors were opened to the public at 1.00 pm a considerable crowd was waiting outside. People were lined up in queues 3 and 4 wide reaching all the way back from the hall doors right out to Main Road and further along the footpath. Mr. Tarry commented that he had never seen anything like this level of public support at an English Daffodil Show. More than a thousand people attended this first two-day Spring Show.

The 1987 event set the tone for the next four or five years at Claremont. All Sections of the Show continued to be well-supported and a solid base was established for the future. By 1992/93 it was considered possible that a Summer Show might also be staged.

An informal committee including Barry and Lorraine Davidson, Kaye and Karl Pless, Kevin and Mary Crowe, Margaret Lowry, Fay Smith, Richard and Scott Bell and others set up the first and second Summer Shows which were held at Claremont House. Lilies were benched in one room, garden club entries in another and general flower, pot plant, vegetable and floral arrangements in yet another. These shows were well supported by both exhibitors and the public – although not all show visitors found their way to every room. So, it was decided to move the Summer Show to the same venue as the Spring Show – i.e. the Memorial Hall on Main Road, Claremont.

From the informal group a more formal committee evolved over the next few years. Some felt there was a need for more show guidelines and clear rules relating to exhibiting at the shows. These were introduced and the show schedule was considerably revised. The sections for Local Growers and Church Members were replaced by a larger range of general classes and by 1996 the “picnic atmosphere” of earlier Claremont events had been replaced by much better organised Spring and Summer Flower Shows.

The 1996 Claremont Spring Show had the honour of being visited by a group of some 15 or so members of the American Daffodil Society who, led by A.D.S. President Mr. Bob Spotts, were all involved in judging of the daffodil classes at the show. Later that afternoon they were hosted at a civic reception by the Mayor of the City of Glenorchy, Alderman Terry Martin, and in the evening they were hosted to a dinner/reception at the Claremont Bowls Club. A very favourable report of this visit was subsequently printed in the Journal of the American Daffodil Society.
Other prominent visitors at the 1996 Show included Mr. Richard Perrignon and Mr. John Mathews, both from New South Wales.

Richard Perrignon had already visited Claremont Show several times previously and has also visited quite a number of times since. Richard writes the report on the daffodil season in Australia for publication in the annual “Daffodils” Yearbook of the Royal Horticultural Society. Hence, since the early 1990s, many glowing reports about Claremont Shows have appeared in that important English journal.

John Mathews first visited Tasmania (to attend the Claremont Show) in the Spring of 1993 and has probably not missed a Spring or Summer Show since. John has made a mighty contribution in so many ways – as a judge, a lively guest speaker at various functions and in providing floral decorations for the entry foyer, the afternoon tea room and especially the stage where his work has been so greatly admired.

Important mention must be made of the outstanding work of the Show Committee in acquiring and having made, from the mid 1990s onwards, high quality tiered benching and black cloths and various other show supplies. Prominent committee members involved in this included Colin and Lyn Drake, May Backhouse, Ian Norman, Richard and Scott Bell, Ilona Jacobson and numerous other helpers.

By the year 2000 the foundations, on which the current Spring and Summer Shows are based, were in place – with committees thereafter working, always, for any improvement.