‘Joseph Banks – Australia’s First Botanist’

Andrew Sankey will tell us the fascinating story of Sir Joseph Banks, a Lincolnshire man, has become known as the Father of Australia for his connections with the country. After travelling around the world with Captain Cook he set up a scientific garden at Kew that became the greatest botanical garden in the world and introduced some 7,000 new plants to Britain. He transferred bread fruit to the West Indies, became President of the Royal Society, was a founder member of the Horticultural Society, and even sent plant hunters to China. Joseph Banks was an explorer, botanist and a great man of science who has the Australia family of plants Banksia named after him. It is a remarkable tale of ingenuity, fortitude and new plants, and not without links to our own library collection.

Andrew Sankey went into secondary school teaching and became Head of Graphics before starting a garden design and landscaping business in Lincolnshire. He created a cottage garden open under the NGS and became Chairman of the Lincolnshire branch of the Cottage Garden Society. He also ran a small nursery specialising in plants for dry sun/shade positions. He was asked to give a talk on the history of the cottage garden and since then has lectured widely on a range of gardening subjects, both throughout Britain and the USA

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Main Course

Steamed fillet of Plaice, salmon and tomato mousse, courgette flowers and tarragon cream

Dessert 

Tiramisu