Durban Botanic Gardens

HISTORY OF THE FRIENDS OF THE DURBAN BOTANIC GARDENS

Errol Scarr who was Director of Parks, Recreation and Beaches in the Durban Municipality from
1982 to 1992 was very supportive of the formation of a Trust of the Durban Botanic Gardens.
He wanted to ensure that the Gardens met the needs of the community well into the future and
therefore Trustees who had the passion to maintain the important horticultural elements of this
historical botanical garden were appointed.

THE TRUST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Trust was formed in 1993 and in 1994 the Friends of the Durban Botanic Gardens was
formed as the fundraising arm of the Trust.

So enthusiastic were the first Trustees to fund raise, that even prior to the formation of the
Friends, they undertook several projects.

Two publications were written by Trustees - one on Exotic Trees of Durban by Louis Paola and
the other The New History of the Durban Botanic Gardens researched and written by Prof Donal
McCracken, the first Chairman of the Trust, and who is still today a Trustee.

Since 1993 various functions have been arranged to either generate interest or income for
the Gardens. These functions included plant fairs, several Teddy Bears' Picnics, The Sparrows
Breakfast for Members of the Friends, promotions in shopping malls, a soiree, art exhibitions,
a national sculpture competition, a fun run, an Open Gardens competition on the Berea and a
demonstration of South American musical instruments.

FUNDRAISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fundraising projects are now an integral part of the entertainment calendar of the Gardens.

The Music at the Lake Concerts started in 1995 with the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, funded
by Nedbank. Ten concerts per year were held at the beautiful lake area in the gardens offering
one of the best outdoor concert venues. These concerts have now grown in popularity and the
performers now include several of South Africa's top rock bands. They represent a major part of
the funds raised by the Friends.

Children's theatre is a popular form of entertainment which has been performed in the Gardens
for the last fifteen years during school holidays. Plays are written and directed by highly talented
local actors and are adapted to reflect local elements in the storyline or traditional dress. Children
as young as three through to twelve year olds enthusiastically participate and jeer the villains.
The success of these plays encouraged the Friends to build a permanent amphitheatre in the
upper section of the Gardens which was part funded by the Trust and the Council. It is anticipated
that the design of the space is suitable not only for children's theatre but also for lectures,
musical presentations and a meeting place for guided walks through the Gardens.

Educational talks and lectures take place in the Visitors Complex. This is also an excellent venue availablefor hire catering for corporate functions, demonstrations, weddings, lectures, musical recitals and many more.

The Visitors Complex is the single largest project undertaken by the Trust and comprises a
gift shop, an information centre, a small boardroom and a 200 seater hall. Funding came from
funds raised through the Music at the Lake concerts, the corporate sector and the City Council.

2000 saw the first Durban Botanic Gardens calendar consisting of original artwork done by
botanical artists in KwaZulu Natal, was printed and sold by the Friends. In all 5 editions of this
calendar have been sold through bookstores or tourist outlets.

Other projects which have been funded by the Trust include a new roof for the Orchid House,
the development of The Garden of Senses, the redevelopment of the Fern Dell, two wooden
viewing decks over looking the top area of the Gardens and upgrading the pathways around the
Gardens.

The Gardens with the help of the Trust continues to offer a diverse range of education
programmes. These include curriculum-based hands-on learning programmes for schools
designed to encourage learning about the value of plants, the importance of biodiversity.
School environmental festival days are organised, with specific emphasis on disadvantaged
schools, for key national environmental weeks such as Environment Week in June, Arbor Week
in September and Weedbuster Week in October. Over 4000 school learners benefit from these
programmes annually.

The Trust also offers a range of public
lectures by plant and environmental experts. These have included our annual Star Party, Climate Change Forum venings and traditional food workshops as well as other interesting topics such as Gardening For Climate Change. Learning about plants never stops.

THE FUTURE
The future of the Durban Botanic Gardens
is both an exciting and meaningful one. Our Garden Window Project will transform the Gardens into a multipurpose service hub promoting the range of services that plants and horticulture provides people. Plants are intimately connected to our livelihood. Given the current concern about food and the impacting rising cost of fuel, the production of locally grown organic food is going to become more of an issue for South Africans across the board. As a botanic garden, we are well placed to help develop practical solutions to more sustainable ways of producing food. We are currently developing a new permaculture training garden that we
plan to have ready by the end of the year.

The Friends and the Trust are committed to finding new and innovative ways to fundraise to ensure that the Durban Botanic Gardens continue to be a centre of excellence for all things horticultural as well as an important tourist attraction and a place of peace and tranquillity for the citizens of Durban

Mission...........................................................

To foster relations between the Durban
Botanic Gardens and the public of Durban
and its environs
........................................................................

To promote an understanding of the
functions, aims, resources, services and
needs of the Gardens
........................................................................

To assist in bringing to the Gardens
expertise an energy as may be available
in the community
........................................................................

To assist in bringing to the Gardens
funds needed for the maintenance and
development of the institution's services
to the community
........................................................................

To promote and stimulate an interest in
the environment in general and in the
Gardens in particular
........................................................................

To canvass and collect funds for the
benefit of the Durban Botanic Gardens
Trust and to assist the Trust to attain its
objectives
........................................................................

To support the Gardens in its services to
the community by interesting the general
public in the Gardens and by promoting
such means as are possible on the general
affairs and welfare of the Gardens

Download a friends of the durban botanic gardens membership application form by clicking here...
(The form is in ms word format)

The Conservatory Magazine will soon be available to download from our website as an Adobe PDF
document.