OMAGH Gardening Society is making plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2007. In 1953 a small group of gardening enthusiasts, inspired by Mr R T Newell, a former principal of The Model School, organised a Flower Show to recognise and celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II that year.
The show was deemed such a success that it was repeated in the following years and provided the catalyst for the formation of what was then known as the Omagh and District Horticultural Society in 1957. The name has since been changed to The Omagh Gardening Society.
Since that time the society has organised a programme of lectures, demonstrations and garden visits and at least one flower show every year - indeed for many years both Spring and Autumn shows were held. These shows have been highly regarded events in the Northern Ireland gardening calendar and attracted visitors from all over the North and even from England. The Spring Daffodil Show in particular has a high reputation and the results are widely published, even by the Royal Horticultural Society and the American Daffodil Society in their specialist journals.
Since that early beginning many famous personalities of the horticultural world have visited Omagh - Julia Clements (famous floral artist); Harry Wheatcroft (extrovert rose personality); Helen Dillon (TV gardening personality); Janis Ruksans (world renowned bulb expert) as well as all of the world's major daffodil breeders, when they came either as individuals or as members of world touring parties which the Omagh Society members so generously hosted.
The society has a good story to tell, but the facts are locked in the memories of older members and in the pages of local papers. Efforts are being made to recover information from senior and founder members, indeed there may only be one or two of the latter still left to help us but thankfully in one exceptional case information flows freely. Members of the current committee led by Laine Turner (chairman) and Mary Haley (hon secretary) are making plans for an appropriate 'Golden' celebration. At Members Night on Janaury 23 a little outline history is planned together with an appeal for information and recollections from older and past members, or their families. Indeed, any kind of memorabilia that can be dug up or otherwise located from any source will be most welcome and will help build the historical record.
