Friends and family gathered recently at Fairhill Native Botanic Gardens and Nursery to remember one of its founders, Barbara Hansa.
Barbara, described by a friend as a true pioneer of the native plant industry and conservation on the Sunshine Coast, passed away last month.
With her husband Alex, Barbara started Fairhill nursery on former farmland at Ninderry in 1975.
It was one of the first Australian native plant nurseries in Queensland and most stock was propagated from seed.
The land had been cleared so they planted a native garden that grew to 4ha, and over time expanded the nursery, adding a gallery that supported local artists and a bookshop.
In 1978, Barbara held the first celebration for World Environment Day celebration on the Sunshine Coast in the gardens.
The event was coordinated by Barbara and supported by a committee that included people who later became part of the Sunshine Coast Environment Council.
Want more free local news? Follow Sunshine Coast News on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Barbara was involved in the formation of SCEC along with others including Stan Tutt, who was later awarded an OAM for his services to history and conservation, and some meetings were held at the nursery.
The World Environment Day Festival continued as an annual community event at Fairhill until 1982, by which time it had grown to a three-day program that included a slide and film night at the Plaza Theatre in Nambour, a dance at Yandina School of Arts and music and bush songs at the nursery around a campfire in the evening.
The festival launched by Barbara outgrew the nursery site and, after one year at Petrie Park in Nambour, moved to Cotton Tree where it was held for the next 20 years.
Barbara was also a founding member in 1978 of the Sunshine Coast Wildflower Society, a group that campaigned to protect flowers at the Sunshine Coast Airport following clearing of huge tracts along the coast for development.
A Wildflower Show started by Kathleen McArthur at Caloundra in 1967 had grown in popularity and was held at the Coolum Civil Centre in the 1980s and 1990s to highlight the fragility of native wildflowers.
As part of the show, Barbara led tours of places like Emu Mountain, Marcoola and the Marcus Beach high dunes to increase understanding and awareness of the range of local native wildflowers.
“Barbara’s life was a tribute to her ongoing love of native plants. She was a true pioneer of the industry and of conservation on the Sunshine Coast,” friend Elaine Ricketts said.
When Barbara and Alex decided to step back from Fairhill, their son Nick took over the running of it. It was sold in 2020 but continues to operate.
Love nostalgia? So do we. Help keep more great Coast memories alive by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email at the bottom of this article.
