The following is one of five profiles that appeared in Pond
& Garden May-June 2000, Volume 2, Issue 1 as part of
"People, Places & Plants of the PCL of Waterlily Names".
The Introduction, linked below, explains how the articles came
about.
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Charlie Northcroft
Reprinted from Pond & Garden 2:1
Click images to enlarge
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As work progressed on the PCL, I put out calls for help to the iwgslist@iwgs.org. One who responded was Charlie Northcroft, who had catalog information from Australian hybridizer Johan Harder of Arcadia Water Gardens in New South Wales. The names were new to me and I asked lots of questions. Before long Charlie became really interested in the project and went to visit the Harders to glean more information for the PCL. | |
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| Charlie became the invaluable link with several Australian hybridizers and, while on holiday in New Zealand, searched for waterlily growers there and contacted them for information. Things that piqued my curiosity were that Charlie claimed to be a beginning level hobbyist grower, though his level of interest indicated far more, and his email address was St. Joseph's House of Prayer. |
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Charlie wrote:
St Joseph's House of Prayer is a community of Christians from various denominations, who provide a place of prayer and hospitality for church groups, families or individuals, in a huge old former orphanage that is situated on 50 acres of farmland on the northern edge of Goulburn in New South Wales. The community depends on donations from the people who make use of the facilities, in order to maintain the place and to support ourselves. Although ecumenical in outlook and ministry, the Community is under the authority of the Catholic Church, and the Archbishop of Canberra Goulburn, Francis Carroll, takes a personal interest in our life and work.
We may be occupied at different tasks around house or property, but come together for prayer three times a day in our little chapel, and for lunch and dinner. Everyone takes turns doing the cooking which makes for variety, both in the type of food cooked, and the standard of the cooking! In the past it was rumoured that some people determined what day they were going to have off on the basis of who was cooking that night! Of course this is no longer true, if in fact it ever was! During the summer months we often decorate the dining tables with bowls of floating waterlilies which are much admired by our visitors, who also enjoy walking down to the river and viewing them in their natural setting.
I have been involved with Christian communities since 1976 and first came to St Joseph's in 1979 for a week long gathering of different communities. Subsequently I visited during holidays and on one of these visits was asked if I would consider joining the community and running the farming side of things here. I didn't know much about farming but knew more than those who were here at the time so I got job and joined the community in 1982.
I have also been responsible for setting up our prayer ministry on the internet and a weather information site for farmers. The ideas for both came through prayer and, in the case of the weather site, at a time when we didn't even have a computer that was able to access the internet! Being on a farm ourselves we often prayed for farmers, particularly in times of drought. In 1997 when yet another drought began and the rural suicides were increasing, God opened up the way for me to find information that was helpful to farmers, provided a new computer and launched us into cyberspace! But that story would need another article! (Visit us at http://www.ozemail.com.au/~sjhop )
I became involved with waterlilies through my mother's love
for them. She did not know why she loved
waterlilies so much until she was about 40 years old and found
a photograph amongst her fathers things. It was of her mother
showing her waterlilies at a very young age. She had died when
Ruth was four, but they would have often visited this special
spot, and these memories of being taken down to see the waterlilies
in the pond on the family farm in South Westland New Zealand
had been nurtured in the subconscious and were to have wider
ramifications.
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I well remember being embarrased as a young boy seeing
my mother picking waterlily flowers from public ponds and botanical
gardens when she thought nobody was watching. She recently informed
me that my sister and I had brought her some that we had got
from somewhere once too. Funny, I don't remember doing that!!!!!!!!
My mother is an artist and she has always signed her signature
including a little drawing of a waterlily. She came over here to the St Joseph's House of Prayer for her eightieth birthday and stayed for six weeks. |
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| Ruth & Charlie Northcroft | ||
David relates:
"We set off on the adventure to find the water lilies, arrived
at the property and proceeded to the river. The waterlilies were
at a place where cattle came regularly to drink, so the edge
of the water was a black and oozy mud.
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"We sat on rocks at the water's edge, pondering
the beauty of the view. Ruth was waxing eloquent, using all the
superlatives she could summon to describe the picturesque scene.
As we were being transported by her colourful description, silently
contemplating the beauty of the scene, this 80 year old grandmother
drew herself up to her diminutive 5 feet, and strode into the
water, oblivious to the black ooze, lungeing at the lily closest
to her. Again and again she lunged, down to the roots! She wanted
the lot. "Taken totally by surprise, I leapt from my meditation and plunged in after her, fearing she would be swallowed up by the black and muddy ooze while consumed by a compulsive water lily fever. I reached out and grabbed her arm, while she lunged again and again. I held her around the waist and then eased myself alongside and asked if I could help her to pull them out. With redirected passion Ruth busied herself in giving orders, 'This one, and make sure you get the roots.' |
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We planted them in in our dam, but it was too cloudy and when I saw that they weren't doing very well I took one of the roots and planted it in the river. That one thrived and a year later we obtained some roots of 'Sulphurea Grandiflora' which we added as well. Then the 1997 drought hit. The river receeded until the waterlilies were drying out and the sheep were running over the top of them. I took advantage of the low water level to subdivide the roots and plant them out into deeper water and when the rains came we had an abundance of these two varieties. Since then I have obtained other varieties and colours.for use as table decorations. The spot where they are on the river is a lovely prayerful or reflective spot for our ourselves and our visitors.
I looked up "waterlilies" on the internet one day last year, discovered the IWGS site and found that I could subscribe to their email discussion list.It was through that list that I learned of your request for information regarding new hybrids. It has been a unique international effort which I have been proud to be a part of.
Since this article was written, Charlie has made a remarkable move to Wilcannia in far western New South Wales. He relates "I decided I needed a bit of a break and as there was a lot of talk about reconciliation with the Aboriginees (being a New Zealander I didn't know much about them) so I thought I might come out here and learn a bit of the problems and gain a bit of an understanding. Their kids are very friendly and I have been working as the maintanance man at a little Catholic school here.
"I brought out a few waterlilies out here which I put in a very small pond made with black plastic about the size of Guillermo's Bathtub (which I think is just great). Apparently the lilies back at St Joseph's House of Prayer are looking fantastic at the moment. I have a new webste at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/hope2/ " (Don't miss Charlie's trip to Wilcannia!)
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