IPPS New Zealand Committee Profile

Jill Reader

As far as horticulture is concerned, I was a late bloomer. Dad was an accountant, mum was a housewife, and I wanted to join the police force or army. And so I did have a brief career in the military police, married a soldier, started a family, and then bought a house. It was only when faced with a newly acquired house on a quarter acre section that I started to think of plants at all. I didn’t know a forsythia from a petunia, so I joined the local library and read my way through their gardening section.

Somewhere amongst all the reading, horticulture started to seem like a good career. And so followed a Dip. Hort., a Dip. Field Tech., and then a job as head propagator for Rob Burrows at Trents Nurseries.

Following Trents was a 13 year stint managing the GMO glasshouse at Crop and Food Research, during which time I spent another 4 years studying part-time at Lincoln. Unfortunately a restructuring of the area I worked in left me facing redundancy.

Six months working at Allenton’s (during which I became Jill Weeder), and 18 months at Southwell Plants brought me back to good basic nursery work – far removed from genetic engineering and the moral and ethical issues involved. About the time this goes to print I am about to embark on a new phase of my career as a horticulture tutor at Telford Rural Polytechnic. Very exciting, and I’m really looking forward to sharing my love of plants with young people.

I’ve been a member of IPPS since the mid 1990’s. It has been a great experience so far, and I am pleased that as editor and a member of the executive I can now give back something to the society from which I have gained so much.

April 2009

Coming Up

D&D turns 100 and there's reunion gathering in November - details here

Done and dusted - news from the 2010 Conference - details here.

International Tour and Conference is in Eastern Region from 16 September

Spring field day plans are a work in progress

Ok, so it's a month or two away, but put these dates in the diary for the 2011 Conference!

News

How's this for commitment? We're told that Gus Evans has not missed a conference for his entire membership duration of 37 years. That must be an attendance record and worth noting!

Never spoken at conference and you'd like some help - Coaching is available

At the Blenheim conference Richard Ware was presented with the Award of Merit.

Peter Waugh was honored too - with the John Follet Award of Recognition.

New Japan / New Zealand Exchange.

IPPS Travel Scholarship details

IPPS New Zealand Committee Profile

Jill Reader

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