Janet Street and her Hawthorn Tree - Janet E R Street, was the former secretary of the Friends of the Timaru Botanic Gardens, 1991-2009.
I walked past this tree countless times before I really saw it... It is a modest hawthorn growing in the Timaru Botanic Gardens. Not especially tall. Not showy. Just well placed, well cared for, and quietly doing its thing. by its trunk are two plaques. One names the tree. Crataegus laevigata ‘Coccinea Plena’. English Hawthorn. A European species, part of the rose family, known for its deep red flowers in spring.
The other plaque names a person...
“Recognising the contribution of
Janet E. R. Street
Secretary
Friends of the Timaru Botanic Gardens
1991–2009”
Eighteen years is a long time to do anything, especially volunteer work. If you have ever been part of a committee, you know what the secretary role really involves. It is not glamorous. It is keeping records straight, making sure things happen when they are meant to, remembering why decisions were made years earlier, and holding continuity when people come and go. Secretaries are often the ones who know the organisation best, because they are the ones who stay.
For nearly two decades, Janet Street would have been that steady presence for the Friends of the Timaru Botanic Gardens.
I wondered when they chose the tree if they chose it because Hawthorns are resilient? They cope with tough conditions, live a long time, and don’t demand attention. When they flower, though, they really do flower. For a short time each year they are covered in colour, before settling back into the background, supporting birds and insects.
This tree isn’t a grand memorial, just a living tree and an acknowledgement that someone gave a significant part of their life to caring for this place. I think we don’t always do this well. Much of the work that keeps our public spaces going is quiet, administrative, persistent work. It is often done by women. It rarely gets noticed, let alone recorded. A plaque like this matters because it says that contribution counts. That long service counts.
I don’t know the details of Janet Street’s life, althought I would love to know more, so if you have some information at hand that would be wonderful.
Now, when I walk past that hawthorn, I take a moment to think of her, take notice whether it’s in flower or not. I think about eighteen years of meetings, minutes, letters, conversations and decisions that helped keep the Timaru Botanic Gardens what they are today.
It is a reminder that a legacy isn't always seen as one specific thing, task or achievement. But a tree, planted, growing on long after the work is done can remind us of that community contribution. Particuarly in a beautiful space like the Timaru Botanic Gardens.