For those of you who have joined in recent years let me tell you a little about the beginnings of our Society. We should know that forty years ago in April 1965, the first meeting was held. Robert Mason and Barry Moore had arranged for an advertisement to be published in the ‘Courier’, and a meeting was held at Dr Barry Moore’s home in Lyneham.

At the time my friend Evi Raiser had some cacti growing in her garden in Ainslie, and I had a collection of three plants. Evi saw the advertisement in the newspaper and so we went along on the Sunday. We met Bob Mason and Barry Moore and Mr. Hardy from the Horticultural Society, and Mal Strahan who ran the local ballroom dancing academy and I think Frank Jost from the Canberra Times (which accounts for the wonderful publicity that we received in those early years). Frank Grossbechler and Alan Clark had given their names to Bob Mason although not able to attend that day.

At that meeting it was decided to start a club and a committee was formed to organize regular meetings, seek affiliation with the Horticultural Society and with the Cactus & Succulent Society of New South Wales and to plan a programme. We set up under the auspices of the Horticultural Society and made use of their shows and newsletter. Fees were set at one pound, made up of 10/- for the Horticultural Society and 10/- for the group. Our affiliation with the NSW Society was less formal and was on a similar basis as that today, i.e. an annual subscription. The magazines that we received from them were the foundation of our present day library.

The first regular meetings were held from July at the Mal Strahan Dance Studio above the Seven Seas Fish Shop in Civic. Indoor meetings were held on the third Sunday of each month. The first president was Dr. Barry Moore, Secretary/Treasurer was Bob Mason, and Vice president was Mrs M. E. McMillen and committee members were Mrs. Evi Raiser, Miss Elisabeth Hungerford, and Mr. Frank Grossbechler. We usually had a cutting table at each meeting.

In September we started the outdoor meetings with a visit to Frank Grossbechler’s home. The first year we took part in the Horticultural Society’s Shows at the Spring Bulb Show, the main Spring Show, the Autumn Show and the Chrysanthemum Show. In September we received our first seed list from Ralph Field and Bob purchased a small consignment of pots for the club members in October.

Within a year our membership had grown to about 40. The club purchased bulk plants and pots and labels for members to buy. I purchased my first Euphorbia obesa, which I still have today. In those days we paid 2/6 (25c) for common species like Frailea skilynskiana and 5/- (50c) for a Mammillaria plumosa.

Our relationship with the Horticultural Society was strong. We had commenced providing a segment for the Horticultural Society Bulletin. At first the notes were provided by Dr Moore, later by Frank Grossbechler then myself and later still by Glen Sheldrick. We also nominated a member to sit on the council of the Horticultural Society. Our first representative was Paul Duff.
As the Society grew we no longer donated half of our fees to the Horticultural Society. Later still the membership of the Society reduced its connection with the Horticultural Society in accordance with the wishes of the majority of members at that time. More recently we have re-established that accord.

Since the 1980’s, a member of our Society has provided the chapter on Cacti & Succulents for ‘The Canberra Gardener’ published by the Horticultural Society and we have displayed plants at Floriade in co-operation with the society. We have participated in the conference programmes between the different Cactus & Succulent Societies and held our own one a few years ago. Visits to other Societies and other growers away from Canberra have been arranged whenever we could, and we have entertained many groups from NSW. From time to time we have been able to have visiting speakers at our meetings.

During our first year we produced our classification list based on those in ‘Cacti & Succulents’ by Haage and ‘Succulent Plants’ by Bertrand. These were then the most technical books available. Over the years our library has grown, being expanded by overseas journals and many esteemed publications. Names of plants have been changed many times to add to our confusion and keeping up with current botanical research is essential.

We have established regular plant sales to the public twice a year, and participated in plant sales at other venues when invited and able. From these plant sales we also make contact with future members. At times we have held monthly plant competitions, or plant displays, with comments and discussion of the specimens presented adding to our knowledge. We have helped each other with advice based on our own experiences with potting techniques and growing practices in this climate. We have experimented with outdoor growing and greenhouses of many different constructions.

There are not many of the early members still with us, but we still have their experience and expertise from which to learn. One thing we have always done was to record our successes in aspects of growing for the guidance of future members. I think we are the first Society to have produced the “List of plants for outdoor gardens’. We have also produced handout sheets on soil mixes, seed raising, and judging standards from time to time. We have come a long way since the days when one member wrapped his outdoor growing Cereus sp. in plastic every winter.

As the last of those who were there at that first April meeting let me congratulate all the people who have been members of Society for their interest in the most fascinating plants that nature has developed and for helping to advance the cultivation of cactus and succulent plants in Canberra – and to say ‘Thank you’ for their company over the years.