Andy Franks, winner Marie King, and Warburton RSL’s welfare co-ordinator Albert Grulke and president Royce Turnbull. 60511
By Mara Pattison-Sowden
WHEN Marie King was a child she would help her parents grow flowers, put them in a kerosene tin and take them to sell at the Queen Victoria Market.
So it was no surprise that the 85-year-old won a summer competition to grow the best gladioli flowers.
Mrs King was awarded the Cath Franks Memorial Trophy for her tall, bright and beautiful flowers at a presentation at Warburton AdventCare last Tuesday, 15 February.
Warburton RSL members initiated the competition between five nursing homes across the valley, and three homes were successfully able to document their gladioli growing. The flowers all bloomed at different times so the winners were judged on size and colour by submitted photographs.
Mrs King tended to her flowers twice a day with a secret concoction of plant food.
“We started with the bulbs and I’ve never grown anything in pots with potting mix,” she said.
“I made 12 pots up and I got flowers in all of them, they flowered in rich and beautiful colours.”
Mrs King said the weather was against her and she had to keep moving the pots around in the sun.
Warburton RSL president Royce Turnbull said the challenge with gladioli growing was to get them to bloom at the right time.
“We hope next year the gladioli will get together and co-operate with us,” he said.
Welfare coordinator Albert Grulke said the memorial trophy was named after a past Warburton RSL member, Cath Franks, who was the first lady to join the Yarra Valley Legacy movement and worked hard to ensure veterans were well looked after.
Mrs Franks passed away in her early 50s, and her son Shane and his wife Karin, who run the Country Gardeners Nursery in Woori Yallock, donated 50 kits of bulbs, potting mix and pots to the competition.
Andy Franks was honoured to have the memorial plaque named after his wife and he also attended the presentation on Tuesday.
