Harold W Caulfield A.M.
The plaque commemorates Harold W. Caulfield A.M. who was the Curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens from 1956 to 1980, and the Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens from 1980 to 1982. The plaque is located in the shelter near the planterium entrance.
On 15 October 1956 the Brisbane City Council (BCC) appointed Caulfield curator of the Brisbane (later Brisbane City) Botanic Gardens; a residence on the site came with the job. Under his leadership, the small zoo in the grounds was demolished and the animals dispersed (1958); a native flora section was planted under the riverside avenue of Bunya pines (1960); demonstration plots of lawn grasses and hedges suitable for growing in south-east Queensland were established in the centre garden (1963); and a major landscape development, designed by Harry Oakman and featuring a lake, waterfall, and associated plantings, continued during the 1960s.
In 1969 the BCC began planning for the establishment of new botanic gardens at a site that was larger and not subject to flooding. The next year Caulfield was awarded a Churchill fellowship to study botanic gardens in the United States of America, Britain, and Singapore. His analysis of overseas trends together with his local knowledge assisted the management team in the council’s parks department to develop a plan that made provision for an administration building, library, technical office, auditorium, and large depot with space for offices and machinery. The Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha opened in 1976 and he became its second curator in 1980.
The Memorial Plaque
Plaque location down the path towards the bottom of the lake June 2022
Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Harold Caulfield Pergola,
Harold Caulfield cutting the ribbon watched by Joan Lister 1983.
The rectangular dark brick shelter is located on the pathway from the Mt Coot-tha Bus terminal to the Planetarium. It was designed by the Landscape Architecture Section and built by construction workers of the Council. Enclosed on three sides, the shelter is partly roofed with a pergola annex which is being planted with yellow allamanda to represent the Sunshine State. The dark bricks are in sympathy with the iron-bark trees which dominate the area. The Curator of the Gardens, Harold Caulfield, is very pleased that the shelter has been erected.
"It provides much needed protection from the harsh westerly winds during winter and from the hot sun during summer. "Apart from being functional, it is very aesthetically pleasing," Harold said.
https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/government---local/display/113878-harold-caulfield