The Committee of Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens Inc unanimously approved a change of name for the Gardens during a meeting on Thursday, September 3.
The new name is Tamborine Mountain Regional Botanic Gardens in the Scenic Rim.
The decision to change the name was approved at the Annual General Meeting of members in August. The motion called on the Committee of the Association to decide the final wording of the name that must “include significant reference to the Scenic Rim; that the name continue to include the words Tamborine Mountain.”
The change was announced to the volunteers working in the Gardens and greeted with approval.
Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens Inc President Denby Browning said the change reflects a strong desire by the organisation to emphasise that the Gardens are truly regional and that they are deeply embedded in Tamborine Mountain while being an important part of the entire Scenic Rim.
“We are pleased that the name reflects our wide appeal across a broad community while prominently retaining the name Tamborine Mountain,” he said. “The name may appear long, but the committee felt that it had to encompass three important elements: Tamborine Mountain, Scenic Rim and the fact we are a regional Garden.
“A substantial part of our funding each year comes from ratepayers across the entire Scenic Rim and it is important that everyone from Eagle Heights to Aratula feels a sense of ownership.
“The Gardens are registered with Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand Inc (BGANZ) as a regional botanic garden.
“It is unfortunate that a few people chose to speculate and misinform the community about the process and the final decision. We would prefer that all people interested in the activities of the Botanic Gardens contact members of the committee for details before making public statements.
“We look forward to continuing our task to constantly improve the Gardens for the entire community. Of course, we welcome new volunteers whether they come from our immediate community or further away. We already include Members from as far away as the Gold Coast and Aspley in Brisbane. We hope that more concerned members of our local community also put their hands up to help build the future of the Gardens.”