Treenet Symposium Speaker

Penny & Clive Blazey AM

Speaker Biography

Penny and Clive founded Diggers in 1978 where they pioneered the preservation of heirloom vegetable seeds and garden-worthy ornamental flowering plants. In 2011, Clive, Penny and their three children gifted Heronswood, The Garden of St Erth, The Diggers Preservation Garden and The Diggers Club business to The Diggers Foundation, and today all profits flow to the Foundation for its philanthropic purposes. The Diggers’ Heronswood and St Erth gardens were the first officially certified organic gardens in Australia and are the only certified organic gardens in Australia that are open to the public. It is through these demonstration gardens that Diggers helps to educate gardeners to engage in the story of sustainability and seed heritage.

Penny is a graduate of anthropology and history who has enriched her life by serving others. She was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2005, served on her local Mornington Peninsula Council, pushed for the Mornington Peninsula to become Australia’s first UNESCO-recognised urban biosphere and was President of the local branch of the National Trust. Clive is a self-taught passionate gardener and current Diggers Club magazine editor. He has written nine books and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his “significant service to horticulture, to conservation and to the community”.

Session Abstract

Seeds and trees: Diggers battling climate change

Climate change is threatening everything we hold dear; our forests, our oceans, our wilderness and the habitability of our planet. If we don’t rise to the challenge, the future of our children and grandchildren is imperilled. Ecologists tell us that the COVID threat is caused by unprecedented population pressure on natural systems – too few trees, plants, animals and microbes for nature to be in balance. The COVID threat caused a dramatic change in our health and lifestyle – the sort of dramatic and urgent change we need to tackle climate change before it is too late. We need to connect everyone with the urgency for change. By protecting existing forests and oceans from exploitation their recovery will give us time but, above all else, we must plant trees. Diggers started trialling trees in the Blazey Arboretum at Trawool, Victoria, over two decades ago. The growth and character of some of the species that have shown promise regarding climate suitability, fruit production, shade, habitat protection, bushfire prevention and accelerated carbon capture will be described in this presentation.

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