General News
25 August, 2025
Volunteers keep garden blooming all year
For almost 10 months of the year, local volunteer Kate Hutson visits the Cenotaph rose garden on Federal Street, alongside fellow gardeners Ana Castellano and Marg Mellington, to take care of the town's beauty.
"We prune them once a year and once the roses are established, another friend, Ana and I come up usually once a week to deadhead the old rosebuds, remove any diseased leaves, feed them and just keep an eye on them," Ms Hutson said.
The work varies with the seasons, and sometimes Ms Hutson's husband, Bill, cames along to work with her.
"It depends on how bad they are," she said.
"They get worse after rain because there's a bit more disease on them, but by removing it, they stay a healthy plant.
"Sometimes it's a couple of hours, and another time it's just an hour."
Ms Hutson has been helping at the site for about five years, but says the garden has been cared for regularly for much longer.
"I love it when the roses start blooming and how nice it makes the street look," she said.
"It gives a lot of people in the community a lot of pleasure, and because it's a cenotaph garden, I feel like I'm doing it for our soldiers too."
While the trio works most weeks of the year, Ms Hutson said extra help during pruning season would be welcome.
"During the pruning season, it would be good to have somebody help," she said.