Marie Elisabeth
Thomann-Becker: my mother's story
Chris Tynan
When I heard the WISENET Journal was
coming East, I asked if I might have the opportunity to tell my mother’s story.
In contrast to this overachieving age, where so much is measured in tangible
achievements, loud awards, bright prizes and so on, my mother’s influence on
Australian science is considerable – but quiet and unassuming.
Mum was born in Switzerland in September 1908. She was always knows as Marielies – a contraction of her given names, Marie Elisabeth. She met Dad, Paul Fisch, during their years at school. Dad had studied agriculture after High School, came to Australia and worked in orchards for four years while Mum remained in Switzerland studying horticulture and then working in gardens in Switzerland and Holland. Dad returned to Switzerland, married Marielies and after migrating to Australia in 1934, they set about restoring an old neglected orchard in Doncaster, Victoria. The orchard had mixed fruit – pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, apricots, figs, lemons and later, apples – very different to an orchard in Switzerland where the range of fruits was more limited. They managed to make it a successful venture while also raising a family of seven children – six daughters and one son.
Despite having little money, my mother revelled in the open freshness of our Australian lives. On hot days without swimming pools or air conditioners, she used to take us outside and squirt us with the hose to cool off. As young children we enjoyed this immensely. Inside, she managed with packing boxes for cupboards – material things don’t matter when you are happy. At home, our garden, which had been occupied by European plants when Mum and Dad first moved in, gradually became converted to Australian native plants only (except for fruit and veg!). We had just about everything – name a genus and it was there! My favourites were: Eucalyptus preissiana and E. torquata.
Both my parents were very interested in natural history. They joined the Victorian Field Naturalists Club and attended meetings and excursions. They were fascinated by the Australian vegetation and were amazed at the lack of interest in it by most other people. We were encouraged to appreciate and learn about the Australian bush – geology, botany and zoology – and became members of the Junior Field Naturalists club. Dad used to pile us children and our friends into the back of the truck and take us to Hawthorn Town Hall where the meetings were held. As the family grew and we couldn’t afford Boarding House accommodation for holidays, we used to camp a lot in the Victorian and New South Wales bush. When we were out there, my parents encouraged us to make pressed plant collections, taught us the names of the plants, and we were even given a ‘bob’ (colloquial term for a ‘shilling’ which is today’s equivalent of $2) if we found a new orchid. By new…I mean a species that our family had
not come across before.
As was the deferential way in earlier days, it is my father that has been recognized by having an Australian field orchid named after him (Pterostylis fischii - http://www. anbg.gov.au/bot-biog/bot-biog-F.html); but it was Mum who fostered our interest in the use of Australian plants as horticultural subjects. She never stopped being impressed by the uniqueness of Australian plants and became a foundation member of the Society for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP) which was first called Australian Plants for Australians, founded in Melbourne by A.J. Swaby. My mother supported the group by attending meetings and accepting an office bearer’s position. There was a general belief that our native plants were not very interesting and could not be grown in home gardens; also that they could be grown only from seed. Mum, with others, showed that propagation from cuttings was also possible and sometimes more successful. She established a nursery of native plants at home, lectured to any group that was interested, established gardens at peoples’ homes and at schools and gave freely of advice to any who asked. She was made an Honorary Life Member of SGAP Victoria in 1985 “in recognition of special services rendered to the Society”.
We inherited my mother’s love of Australian plants and I followed in her footsteps and also studied horticulture. Later, I taught it for many years at the Canberra Institute of Technology. I particularly enjoyed teaching about Australian plants, their history and their use in horticulture, and am proud of the many compliments I received from the students on these classes.
Today our parks, nurseries and gardens, including my own, are filled with Australian plants. I often look at them and remember how my mother was instrumental in the movement that changed our values in Australian botany. Marielies died in September 1995. There are no paper trails that bear her name, but her legacy is universal and enjoyed by all of us.
Information about growing Australian Plants can be found at the wonderful website of the Australian National Botanic Gardens: http://www.anbg.gov.au