Government House, the ceremonial home of all British Columbians, welcomes locals and visitors from all over the world on a daily basis.
It is no small feat to maintain the standards befitting a National Historic Site, and the work of the Friends of Government House Gardens Society contributes immensely to making this treasured space so special.
From smiling greeters to busy archivists and museum curators to gardeners with their hands in the soil, rain or shine, the result of the hard work of all Friends has created a cherished sanctuary for people to gather, relax and connect.
As Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, it is my great honour to share my gratitude to all members of the Friends of Government House Gardens Society. Your commitment to volunteerism is something I very much admire and appreciate. I hope you are all as proud of what you do as I am to represent Government House alongside you.
On behalf of His Majesty King Charles III, thank you for all that you do to
support the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the Estate, and the Province of British Columbia.
Sincerely,
The Honourable Wendy Cocchia, CM OBC
Colour and Beauty at Government House
Here are the Friends own In-House Floral Designers group. Led by co-ordinators Lynne Thompson and Audrey van Osterhout, these 15 dedicated volunteers design and create the colourful and eye-catching floral arrangements that regularly grace its rooms, hallways, and special events.
It all begins when the House hospitality services manager tells the group a month before about upcoming events. “Lynne and I decide on a colour scheme and which flowers to use. We tell the designers the size, the number and kind of flowers to use, and where in the House they go. They then come up with their own design. We have some very creative and talented designers and we don’t need to tell them how to do their jobs”
A Busy Fall
While each month requires a different number of arrangements, Audrey says autumn is their most active time. “In September, we worked 312 hours and in October, 404 hours. For the six weeks of long-service awards, we created 66 designs each week which required well over 700 volunteer hours. Of that, the organizing team took about 200 hours to order the necessary floral items.”
Two further events that needed floral designs were held one week later, including the annual Gala. The organizing team spent about 150 hours planning and ordering for these events and volunteers worked about 201 hours on Gala floral designs.
Audrey says this is a different kind of event as, “It needs not just more arrangements, 66 rather than the usual 25 to 30, requires more spectacular ones, and uses more dramatic flowers as well.”
Lynne has been involved as a floral designer for 25 years, Audrey for 12. “Planning and creating the designs is the best part of my work,” says Audrey. For both Audrey and Lynne and the floral design team, they are continuing a volunteer tradition begun more than 35 years ago by Jane Rogers, wife of Lieutenant Governor Robert Gordon Rogers (1983 – 1988).
“Jane recruited community ladies who brought their own flowers and then later used ones from our on-site greenhouses,” says Audrey.
“Now, the flowers and greenery are usually sourced from a local wholesaler. A Vancouver wholesaler is used when more exotic flowers are required. When the flowers are in bloom in the floral designers’ garden, those are used as well.” While the source material and volunteers may have changed, the results continue to be spectacular and always much appreciated.