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Australian National Botanic Gardens
Growing, studying and promoting Australian plants

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GPO Box 1777
Canberra ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA

Telephone (02) 6250 9546
Facsimile (02) 62509599
Media enquiries: Paul Ziesing (M) 0418 955 661

NEWS RELEASE

Botanic Gardens launches Wattle Day celebrations

"The Wattle Lady" Maria Hitchcock will launch the program of events celebrating national Wattle Day at the Australian National Botanic Gardens on Saturday 28 August with a public talk about the significance of wattle.

Ms Hitchcock successfully campaigned to have the Golden Wattle, Acacia pycnantha, gazetted as Australia's national floral emblem and 1 September gazetted as national Wattle Day. She is also the author of the book Wattle, published in 1991.

The Garden is also hosting the "Welcome in the Spring" picnic on Sunday 29 August from noon until 3pm, with music from "Spice" and "Cassidy's Ceili".

Throughout next week the speakers program includes a range of public talks about wattle:

Volunteer Guides will conduct free wattle walks throughout the week and free wattle seed anzac biscuits and wattle ribbons will be available at the Visitor Centre. Each Wattle Day since 1992, the Acacia Appreciation Club, Hiroshima, Japan, has provided hundreds of yellow ribbons as a gesture of friendship. The ribbons were made by children of the Hiroshima Shudoin Orphanage, and are for visitors to take home and attach to their favourite trees.

The full program of events and activities is available at the Gardens' website at: http://www.anbg.gov.au/anbg/events/wattle-week-2004.html


Paul Ziesing

27 August 2004

 

Media contact:
Paul Ziesing
Communications Officer
Australian National Botanic Gardens
(02) 6250 9546 and 0418 955 661
paul.ziesing@deh.gov.au