Leura Gardens Festival, Blue Mountains Spring Gardens

The Leura Gardens Festival is an event involving people from the Upper Blue Mountains, and beyond. During the 9 days of the Festival, around 300 volunteers will sit at garden gates, checking and selling entry tickets. Others will be assisting at the Festival Cafe, and at Plant Sales, a mini nursery set up for the Festival.

Every Festival garden has a gate crew, minding the gate, issuing brochures or selling tickets, giving information, and generally making visitors welcome.

Joan Wearne OAM is a long time supporter of the Festival, shown here with her late husband George. The duties of gate keepers are to sell or mark entry tickets, give information to visitors and generally represent the Festival at each garden.

Brooke Broughton is a recently elected committee member of the Leura Gardens Festival Inc. His main contribution will be as Volunteers Coordinator. With 9gardens open for nine days, and with four volunteer attendances per garden per day, the rostering of gate volunteers is a demanding job; all the careful planning does not prevent last minute hitches and alterations that have to be attended to.

Noel Roscoe is a dedicated garden owner. Shenstone, Garden number 1, is his property. Noel is also a member of the Festival committee. He is shown here with his trademark hat in which he usually welcomes and inspires visitors to his garden and answers their questions.

Photo: Noel Roscoe