The Amherstburg Fort Malden Horticultural Society (AFMHS) got together last week for a look at the past year and to pay tribute to outgoing board members.
The AFMHS members gathered in the seniors centre at 179 Victoria St. S. for their annual general meeting (AGM). President Janice Emery spent part of the meeting paying tribute to outgoing members of the board of directors.
Paulette Drouillard was honoured for her service to the board and to the AFMHS as a whole. Emery said Drouillard’s work has not gone unnoticed and Drouillard was thanked for her work on the board.
Jacklyn Logan stepped down from the board of directors to focus on other things, including becoming a master gardener. Emery said Logan has been integral in getting the AFMHS to move forward “into the 21st Century.”
Marjan Drop was honoured for her vision, with Emery stating Drop was instrumental in developing the “signature garden” in front of the Amherstburg Community Hub and the garden near the H. Murray Smith Centennial Park sign reinstalled near the corner of Victoria St. S. and Richmond St.
Carole Deschaine is also leaving the AFMHS board to focus on other projects. Emery said Deschaine was the person who lined up the guest speakers that came to the AFMHS meetings.
One of the initiatives the AFMHS participated in this year was the Amherstburg Garden Tour. The society presents that every other year.
“Every volunteer on the Garden Tour this year was amazing,” said Emery.
Over 500 people were estimated to have gone through the 2024 Garden Tour to view the ten gardens that were part of it.
The AFMHS was a part of the Amherstburg Art Crawl in the summer and that included allowing the public to decorate “ghost figures” in Navy Yard Park.
“This year, we were creative and had an artistic display,” she said.
They also held a plant sale in the spring and conducted their annual “Deck the Planters” initiative just recently.
“Members regularly met for Monday night gardening,” she added.
Emery thanked the current board and said she was “overwhelmed” with the support from members and the community. She said future goals are to keep moving forward and continue to adapt to the environment.
“We need to learn better ways to deal with climate change,” she said.
The 55-member group has a good relationship with the town, she added, with Emery also thanking all board members and members, not just the ones who are leaving, for their efforts.
“These are great people that I’ve met,” she said.
AFMHS honours board members at AGM
By Ron Giofu
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