Next
Meeting: Thursday May 10th 7:30
Program: George Fuller, MBE "Disas"
George Fuller has had a wonderfully prestigious career. He has been awarded
the MBE, worked for Sanders Ltd at St Albans, and the Royal Botanic Gardens
at Kew. He was the curator of Pukekura Park (botanic gardens) and adjoining
Brooklands Park in New Plymouth, New Zealand. His scientific writings
concern orchid propagation and cymbidium hybridization. He helped introduce
masdevallias, pleurothallids and pleiones into popular culture in NZ. But
perhaps we would know him best from his huge catalog of orchid species
photographs. Alex D. Hawkes has used many of his photos in his writings,
including 'The Encyclopaedia of Cultivated Orchids'.
Mr. Fuller's awards come from lifelong service to orchid world and the
introduction of neglected orchid groups into general culture. That is how he
comes to us to speak on Disas. It could be said that by starting a breeding
program he singlehandedly reintroduced Disa uniflora into New Zealand. He sent
Disa seed nationwide for just the cost of the postage in the effort to
increase public cultivation of these beautiful orchids. We have selected this
as our topic of discussion because Disas can perform well in our climate too.
Mr. Fuller's friendship with Disaphiles worldwide allows him to come to the
Diablo View Orchid Society. After speaking at the Spring AOS Trustees
Meeting he will tour the US and Canada. He will be visiting DVOS member Mike
Gallagher, who arranged for him to talk with us. This will be Mr. Fuller's
only other public speaking engagement while in the USA. The AOS described Mr
Fuller as 'a New Zealand humorist' in its program notes. Mike just calls him
a heck of a nice guy. I can only assume this is due to Fuller's founding of
the Kew Gardens-Wisley Gardens Road Relay Race by donating a pair of Maori
carved batons. Come to the talk! I don't think it will be dull and the
pictures should be fantastic.
--Kathy Barrett |
