Jean Galbraith (28 March 1906 – 2 January 1999) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

, gardener, writer of children's books and poet. Galbraith was born at Tyers,

Gippsland Gippsland () is a rural region in the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains south of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers an elongated area of east of th ...

, where she lived for her whole life. The family's sprawling native garden at their cottage "Dunedin" formed the backdrop to her first articles on growing native flowers. As a teenager, Galbraith joined the Field Naturalist Club and began to train herself in botany. Despite her lack of formal qualifications, Galbraith became a highly respected botanist.Holmes, K., (1997) 'A literary gardener', ''Australian Garden History'', 9 (1), pp. 4–7. She was counted an "important and influential woman gardener", and "natural successor" to

Edna Walling Edna Margaret Walling (4 December 1895 – 8 August 1973) was one of Australia's most influential landscape designers. Early years and migration Walling was born in Yorkshire and grew up in the village of Bickleigh in Devon, England, sec ...

. Galbraith used the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

"Correa" for her early works. She first started writing at the age of 19, and was widely published from the age of 26. For 50 years she contributed monthly to two magazines, ''The Garden Lover'' and ''The Victorian Naturalist'', as well as occasional articles for ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

''. Galbraith collected some of her ''Garden Lover'' articles and published them in 1939 as ''Garden in a Valley''. Galbraith collected thousands of specimens for the

National Herbarium of Victoria The National Herbarium of Victoria (Index Herbariorum code: MEL) is one of Australia's earliest herbaria and the oldest scientific institution in Victoria. Its 1.56 million specimens of preserved plants, fungi and algae—collectively known ...

. The species '' Prostanthera galbraithiae'' was named for Galbraith as co-discover of the species and advocate for its protection. In 1936 she donated the first wildflower sanctuary in Victoria, established by the Native Plants Preservation Society of Victoria at Tyers, near Traralgon in Victoria's

Latrobe Valley The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical district and urban area of the Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. The traditional owners are the Brayakaulung of the Gunai nation. The district lies east of Melbourne and nestle ...

. She was recipient of the 1970

Australian Natural History Medallion The Australian Natural History Medallion is awarded each year by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) to the person judged to have made the most meritorious contribution to the understanding of Australian natural history. The idea origin ...

and founding member of the Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists Club. In addition to poetry Galbraith also wrote the lyrics for hymns, such as "O Christ our Lord whose beauty". "She held a deep Christian (

Christadelphian The Christadelphians () are a restorationist and nontrinitarian (Biblical Unitarian) Christian denomination. The name means 'brothers and sisters in Christ',"The Christadelphians, or brethren in Christ ... The very name 'Christadelphian' was co ...

) faith which sustained her at all times".Helen I. Aston. ''Jean Galbraith 28 March 1906 – 2 January 1999 A Tribute'' The Victorian naturalist, Volumes 116–118 1999 p73 In 1993, rare aniseed boronia, '' Boronia galbraithiae'' was named in her honour. Galbraith died in Ringwood, Victoria, in 1999.

Works

In all Galbraith wrote ten books: Botany and gardening: * ''Wildflowers of Victoria'', 1967 * ''A field guide to the wild flowers of south-east Australia'', 1977 * ''A gardener's year'', 1987 * ''A garden lover's journal (1943–1946)'', 1989 * ''Wildflower diary'', Winifred Waddell, Jean Galbraith, Elizabeth Cochrane, 1976 * ''Fruits'', Jean Galbraith, John Truscott, 1966 Books for children: * ''Grandma Honeypot'', 1963 * ''The wonderful butterfly; the magic of growth in nature'', 1968 * ''From flower to fruit'', Jean Galbraith, Moira Pye, 1965 Autobiography: * ''Garden in a valley'', Jean Galbraith – Biography and autobiography, 1985 * ''Doongalla restored: the story of a garden'', 1991, 123pp (First published in The Australian Garden Lover' between 1939 and 1941 under the title ''Two and a Garden'') * ''Kindred spirits: a botanical correspondence'', Anne Latreille, Jean Galbraith, Australian Garden History Society, 1999 Poetry: * ''Poems for Peter'', () She also wrote regularly for the NSW ''

School Magazine A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of fo ...

'', ran a series of broadcasts on the ABC for children, and in 1964 and 1965, contributed a monthly page for the Educational Magazine called "Beauty in Distress – a plea for the preservation of our native plants".

References

* Latreille, A. (2002), 'Galbraith, Jean ('Correa')', in R. Aitken and M. Looker (eds), ''Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens'', South Melbourne, Oxford University Press, pp. 241–42.

External links

*
Open Access
*

A Day with Jean Galbraith
Based on a 1990 interview this ABC

Radio National ABC Radio National, more commonly known as Radio National or simply RN, is an Australian nationwide public service radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. ...

explores her relationships with her family and friends. {{DEFAULTSORT:Galbraith, Jean 1906 births 1999 deaths 20th-century Australian botanists Australian gardeners Australian children's writers Christadelphians Australian Christians 20th-century Australian poets Australian women poets 20th-century Australian women writers Australian women children's writers Garden writers