Speaker for July, 2017: Andrew Raper
Andrew Raper has been propagating plants ever since he can remember — and he knew from an early age that camellias were his thing. His parents, Alan and Barbara Raper, started Rhodo Glen Nurseries in 1953 at The Patch on the edge of Victoria’s Yarra Valley. Rhododendrons were Alan’s prime passion. He was a member of the Rhododendron Society, where people worked hard to promote the shrub. Alan would often be found at the kitchen table after dinner, propagating his plants.
But as a teenager Andrew knew he preferred camellias, and when he took over the business in 1994 he started growing them with his wife, Lisa, sister Carolyn and her husband Tony Gainger.“We’re all into camellias,” he said. Andrew has served two terms on the Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria and Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show boards and as president of the Camellia Society. (from The Weekly Times, 29.04.14)