Garden Class Presenters
Helen TutonHelen Tuton is an environmentalist, scientist, adult educator and garden writer. With a double degree in Wilderness, Reserves and Wildlife and Agronomy from the University of Queensland, Helen specialises in soil science and sustainable soil management. Horticulture and gardening are Helen’s passions and in her Bachelor of Science (Horticulture) at Burnley College, she accrued three prestigious Dean’s Honours awards for academic achievement. Helen is the principal writer of “Cuttings” (Sustainable Gardening Australia’s monthly e-magazine that has a readership of over 13000). She is also a highly regarded public speaker and SGA adult trainer, and is a published author and journalist, having penned numerous articles for well-respected gardening and lifestyle publications. Helen’s dream is to connect communities, enrich lives, inspire change and save the planet (by the weekend!). |
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Anna Thirkell-JohnstonAnna was one of our senior nursery staff at Bulleen Art and Garden for many years. Her degree in horticulture has nurtured a love of the outdoors and gardening and she brings this knowledge through her role as a consultant who visits clients on site at their homes. Her own extensive gardening experience has come from more than her own backyard: in 2005 she worked in gardens in England, where she was able to pass on her knowledge of sustainable gardening practices to Londoners in drought. |
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Maria CiavarellaMaria was the author of Maria’s Musings in our monthly garden newsletter and is our reigning compost queen. Known also as the chook lady she loves her feathered friends and heads up one of our most featured classes, Backyard Chooks for Beginners. She is a trained science teacher and is passionate about gardening and the environment. Maria has a young family who are all being instilled with a love of gardening. Given her teaching background and her own homegrown experience with kids, she is often called upon to give talks and gardening demos at schools and kindergartens. At the heart of all this, Maria has grown up with a rich Italian heritage, with a typically Italian love of good food, its preparation and its preservation. |
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Laurel CoadLaurel has over 12 years of retail nursery experience and has presented many gardening classes during that time. As well as horticultural and permaculture qualifications, Laurel recently completed a Diploma of Conservation and Land Management at RMIT. She is passionate about produce gardening and habitat gardens for wildlife. She loves to get out bushwalking as much as possible and being out in the garden with her young daughter. |
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Tony ChiodoTony was apprenticed at Mietta’s in Melbourne before studying at La Guida Italiana di Cucina in Milano and working in some of Italy’s top restaurants. After returning to Australia he was soon traveling again, this time to study Ayurveda, meditation and yoga in Japan and India. And so began his journey into natural health and natural foods, along with a stint at Wild Rice Wholefoods Café, before embarking on his own adventure with Café Angelica in Kew. He went on to qualify as a macrobiotic and Wholefoods teacher at the Kushi Institute, Boston, and through his Eating Well programs, and regular articles in The Age’s Epicure and Australian Natural Health, inspires others to integrate natural foods into their daily lives. His recipes have also appeared in Vogue Entertaining and Travel, Vogue Living and Australian Gourmet Traveler, The Age Vegetarian Book, The Age Seafood Book and his recently released title ‘Eating Well’. His new book Feel Good Food will be published in April 2010. |
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Karen SutherlandKaren dug her first vegie patch at 8 years old, and has developed this into an obsession, with more than 100 edible and useful plants in her north suburban garden. Working as a gardener and landscaper for over 20 years, she now focusses on edible garden design – inspiring and helping others to grow their own produce. Check out her work at www.edibleedendesign.com |
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Diana CotterDiana trained in Amenity Horticulture in Britain over 25 years ago….. back in the days when it was believed any garden problem could be answered with a chemical spray! She set up her own business designing, planting and maintaining gardens in London. All this experience was brought to Australia 17 years ago, and much more has been learnt since. Diana has presented workshops for Sustainable Gardening Australia for several years and has recently joined BAAG as a garden consultant, specialising in sustainable design and advising on new approaches to gardening… all without the slightest hint of a spray! |
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Richard BellFor the past 25 years, Richard Bell has conducted his own Water Garden business, wholesaling and retailing water plants. He has also designed water gardens and maintained water features in big private gardens and public buildings. He will tell you that he is never astonished at what is dredged up from the bottom of a public water feature! Richard has featured on the ABC’s Gardening Australia and radio gardening programs. His pond maintenance company is the biggest in Victoria and he is deservedly looked on as an expert in all things watery. Richard and his wife Sally and family recently made a tree-change and have opened up a nursery in the hamlet of Newlyn, near Daylesford. |
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Peter JonesPeter Jones has been breeding and exhibiting pure breed poultry for over 35 years. By utilising his knowledge of genetics, he has successfully brought a number of rare poultry varieties back from the brink of extinction and provided source stock nationally. He is the Co-founder, past President and current Show Secretary of the Crested Breed club of Australia and Vice-President and Show Manager of the Victorian Rare and New Breed Poultry Society. A Primary teacher by profession, he runs a rural education class for boys who struggle with Literacy. |
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Barney DyerBarney Dyer has been involved in horticulture in some form from early childhood. He grew up in a farm in Tasmania and has always had a love of plants and people. He officially studied horticulture in 2000 and has since worked in nurseries, private gardens, orchards and schools. Barney loves teaching and to empower people to do what they love. His passion is creative building, alchemy (or making something out of nothing!) and living a balanced sustainable life. |
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Luke TrewinLuke Trewin is the director/ co owner of Pro Ponds, a water garden business servicing Melbourne and surrounds with pond maintenance, repairs and installations. |
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