Glebe Garden Club Celebrates 25 Years

With just weeks to go before their 25th anniversary, Glebe Garden Club (Ipswich) founding member David Murphy reflects on the motivation behind creating this thriving, friendly, and extremely helpful club.
David notes the importance of including “Ipswich” in the club’s name to avoid confusion with the Sydney suburb of Glebe, NSW. But the club’s name also holds historical significance, stemming from David’s connection with the Uniting Church on Glebe Road, Booval.
“I’ve been involved with the church for more than 20 years,” David shares. In the early days, he was producing a church magazine, Footsteps in Faith, but when costs became an issue, he explored alternatives. “I thought the funds could be better used elsewhere.” The solution? Holding plant stalls after Sunday services. This simple idea planted the seeds that eventually grew into the Glebe Garden Club.
Historically, the word “glebe” refers to church land, particularly a garden where rectors would grow vegetables and herbs. So when the club formed in 1999, the name was both a nod to the church’s history and the club’s garden roots.
Soon after its founding, the club was recognized by the local council, which requested their help in restoring the glasshouses in Queen’s Park. A sub-committee was formed, and years of dedicated work led to the glasshouses being restored to their former glory. Officially reopened in 2006, the glasshouses now showcase rare equatorial plants and heritage flora, serving as a popular attraction for locals and visitors alike.
In addition to their community efforts, the club organizes regular events, including a recent trip to the gardens of Toowoomba. “One passenger, introduced by her daughter, told me the trip was something she never would have been able to do without the club,” David recalls proudly.
The club also holds monthly meetings with guest speakers like Brian Heath, a member who joined four years ago. Originally from Grafton, Brian has a wealth of gardening experience from his early days on a fruit and vegetable farm, as well as his later ventures in orchid retail. His partner, Lynn Turton, is equally passionate about gardening, particularly roses, including her favorite variety, the “Unnamed Single Pink.”
Brian is happy to report a growing number of young members: “It’s great that they want to learn,” he says.