About the Friends of Mossvale Park Inc.

The Friends of Mossvale Park is an incorporated association of people interested in the upkeep of Mossvale Park, in South Gippsland Shire.

The purposes of the association are
To promote the botanic and historic characteristics of Mossvale Park (located at Mossvale Park Road in the Shire of South Gippsland) and foster the interest of members in the Park and in plants and flora generally through education, volunteerism and fellowship.
To aid and support the maintenance of the park.
To aid and support the documentation and dissemination of information about the collection of plants in Mossvale Park and the associated history.
To aid and support the conservation, protection and enhancement of Mossvale Park’s natural resources.
To coordinate and support volunteer involvement in the park.
To provide advisory committee services to South Gippsland Shire Council
To support the ongoing development of Mossvale Park and encourage the use and enjoyment of the park by the community

The Friends group holds a working bee on the first Thursday of each month from 10.00am. Activities the friends undertake include weeding, mulching, planting and basic pruning and maintenance of the specimen plants.

Meetings of the group are held at 11.00am after the working bee every second month, beginning February each year. The Annual general meeting is held in July. The friends’ group maintains the tree list and catalogue, a website promoting the trees and the park and a social media page.

With the support of the shire we apply for grants for park upgrades and fundraise to add to the plantings in accordance with the management plan and the living collection plan.

Our Patron, John Hawker

JOHN HAWKER is a horticulturist with over 40 years’ experience working on botanic and historic gardens. John has qualifications in Agricultural Science, Horticultural Science and Viticulture. He commenced work at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne in December 1982, moved to Urban Design in 1990 and Heritage Victoria in 1995. In 1989, John was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study overseas the conservation and management of botanic and historic gardens.

John worked for 23 years at Heritage Victoria assessing places for the Victorian Heritage Register and provided advice on their protection and conservation. He retired in January 2019. John has undertaken numerous garden surveys, and participated in heritage studies and masterplans.

Since 1982 he has also been involved in the National Trust’s Register of Significant Trees and contributed to the Trust’s publications on Cemeteries: Our Heritage and Conserving Cemeteries. John is a co-author of Elms in Australia.

John is a former committee member of the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. He is currently Patron for the Ballarat Botanical Gardens Foundation, member of the Port Arthur Conservation Advisory Committee, Williamstown Botanic Gardens Advisory Committee, President of the Friends of Victoria Gardens Prahran and is a garden volunteer and guide at the heritage listed Bishopscourt, East Melbourne.