Portrait of a Visionary Emily Gibson, Landscape Designer 1887 - 1974 Margaret Hendry originally published in Landmark, April 1998

With other students from Burnley Horticultural Gardens, I treasured my association with Emily Gibson, known affectionately as Millie. Born in Dublin, Millie was six years old when Mrs Rolfe Boldrewood wrote The Flower Garden for Ladies and Amateurs (1893), the first gardening book by an Australian woman. Both women were inspired by a love of gardening, which for Millie continued throughout her eighty-seven years.

Her contribution lies in the way she used the resources available and interpreted them. In turn this enabled us to build on her achievements, and by example she led us in to the profession of landscape architecture.

My discovery during my first week at Burnley in 1947 of Mrs Boldrewood's book remains a vivid memory. Her advice for "lady gardeners to wear a hat and carry a bottle of Eau De Cologne" has remained with me. One of Millie's letters written in 1962, the year before the first moves to form the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, has become one of my treasures.

At the age of seventy-five years, she wrote "Don't grieve too much about the lack of finish that you see around you. The conditions today are so different in our status from what they were even five years ago, I can see a quite different future for you and others around you." This remarkable farsighted woman anticipated the changes and had prepared her students to be part of these.

From the early fifties, Millie encouraged her most promising students to continue their studies. With their enthusiasm and her persuasion, King's College, part of Durham University, accepted Erica Ball as a student in 1952. On her return to Melbourne, Erica's first commission began with the landscape development of the Village for the 1956 Olympic Games. Millie maintained her interest and concern for her students well into to her eighties.

Her story begins much earlier. Millie arrived in Bendigo, Victoria, at the time of the international competition for the design of the federal capital in 1911. As a young woman of twenty-four, she had an intuitive urge to design and an appreciation of art. So it is not surprising the family chose to settle in Victoria. Already William Guilfoyle's work at the Botanic Gardens had become famous and Charles Bogue Luffman had transformed Burnley Gardens. This enabled Millie to use these gardens for comparison and as a future basis for many of her designs.

As women became more actively part of public life, Millie saw the opening to build on her own skills and engage in a new profession.

Already aware of the contribution of previous artists and garden designers, she reinterpreted their vision. First, through the landscape paintings created by Claude Lorrain and William Turner, which helped to change the way people viewed and valued the landscape. Then by combining the design philosophy of William Robinson and Gertrude Jekyll she used plants in colour arrangements set in natural groupings.

Later, when Millie worked with Walter Burley Griffin, she incorporated the 'City Beautiful' form. This used groups of trees in sweeping lawns to form a simple landscape setting around large public buildings.

To understand her influence in a historical context, it is important to appreciate the way in which Melbourne developed. Seventy-six years before Millie arrived, the free settlers of the District of Port Phillip, a colony of NSW, recognised the importance of parks. So it is not surprising the citizens soon called for the setting aside of land for parks and a botanic garden. Within two years after the appointment of Charles La Trobe, as Superintendent, the town council formalised this request. The momentum grew and by 1848 Melbourne had its own Horticultural Society. With the keen interest of its' citizens at this time, Melbourne developed in a different way from other Australian cities.

Two years after Charles Bogue Luffman became principal of Burnley Gardens, he enrolled 72 women students. In 1899, Ina Higgins, the sister of Mr Justice Higgins (basic wage case), asked for women to be included in the course. She wrote four books and later became a designer, but little is known of her work.

Debate and published lectures were engaging peoples' minds. Luffman participated in the conference organised to coincide with the first meeting of the Commonwealth Parliament in Melbourne. He delivered a paper entitled 'The Agricultural, Horticultural and Sylvan Features of a Federal Capital'. Two years later, he wrote The Principles of Gardening for Australia. Later this book helped to influence the development of garden design as a profession.

In 1903, Luffman engaged in public debate with Walter Butler, a distinguished architect and a member of the council of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects. The paper Butler presented dealt with the need for a unity to exist between the house and garden using a geometrical format. Luffman designed in both a formal and informal way, but for the first time he extended the design criteria by including other considerations, such as, architecture, position, natural and financial resources.

The first professional organisation began in 1899. The formation of the American Society of Landscape Architects followed by the first School of Graduate Design at Harvard University signalled an increasing awareness in the designed landscape. Millie's intuitive and creative ability enabled her to respond to these unfolding opportunities. As a teenager in Dublin, she had become aware of the need for and support a professional institute could give.

By the time Millie migrated, the Botanic and Parliamentary Gardens were beginning to mature and Guilfoyle had retired as director. Gardening became the pastime of ordinary Australians. Burnley Gardens began to take form. Within four years Millie went to Burnley in 1915. Always a person of careful discernment, she undoubtedly made astute judgements about the merits of the many gardens she saw. At the age of twenty-eight, Millie showed her talents as a resourceful leader with drive and an ambition to design.

The group of women she joined included Olive Mellor and Edna Walling, both of whom grew up in Britain during the most productive period of Robinson's and Jekyll's writings. These books and the gardens they designed were readily available to see. By her work, Jekyll encouraged other women to follow including the American designer of Dumbarton Oaks, Beatrix Farrand. In Australia all three had a significant influence on the way design developed. They re-interpreted earlier English traditions and translated these into an Australian context, by incorporating more indigenous plants into their designs.

From the early years of Millie's life in Australia, many important events took place. Olive Mellor undertook a two-year working scholarship from 1912-13. She boldly approached the Minister of Agriculture at the Spencer Street Station and asked him to allow women to undertake the practical components of the course. Not only did this allow women to become full time but also to receive a qualification. It opened the way for them to practise as designers in a paid profession.

During Millie's studies, American landscape architects extended their services. For the first time a public authority employed them in the US National Park and Forest Services. The significance of this lies in the use of people skilled in site assessment, planning and landscape architecture. With growing American contact, it is reasonable to assume Millie had been aware of these developments.

Olive became the first woman instructor during Millie's time as a Prefect at Burnley. Edna joined the course a year later. These three remarkable women were either on staff or students together. A Women's Horticulturist's Association came into being in 1917. While it's unknown if any of the three joined the Association, its existence during World War One shows considerable interest in horticulture.

On graduation Millie worked in the Melbourne office of Walter Burley Griffin. From 1918 she returned to Burnley for four years. During this time she organised the part-time horticultural course, and taught landscape design and gardening. She also sought to broaden her experience by learning to draft plans, painted with Max Meldrum and developed her design ability under Bertha Merfield.

Four years later at the age of thirty-five, Millie returned to England to join the London office in Victoria Street of Milner Son & White as an apprentice. Not only did she learn about garden design, but also visited gardens in Europe. A few years later in the same office, Sylvia Crowe undertook a similar apprenticeship. More than twenty years later, Millie gave John Stevens a schedule for site assessment from this office.

Returning two years later in 1924, Emily became a journalist with the Argus, and the Australasian. During the twenty-two years as a writer, she average two thousand letters annually. So with a turn over of forty four-thousand letters, Millie had a considerable influence on design and the home gardener. She ceased writing when the Argus went out of production in 1946. Olive and Edna also contributed articles to gardening magazines. The hey day of the home garden had begun. Her sister in-law Win Grassick tells the story, that Millie had no time to design Win's own garden, so she asked her to get Edna to design it.

In the twenties, the American Bungalow and the front garden came into fashion. This provided the opportunity for Olive, Edna and Millie to establish themselves as writers and become well-known designers. All designed gardens, but Edna branched out to include large and country gardens. During the Inter War period, other Burnley graduates undertook design commissions including Mollie Shannon and Betty Begg. They provided plans in the Garden Lover, and wrote about the planning, construction and maintenance of the home garden.

As a journalist with the Argus, Millie undoubtedly watched the happenings in Sydney. Professor E G Waterhouse's article 'Gardening as an Interpretative Art' in the 1926 issue of the Home probably caught her eye. Perhaps also the work of the designer and writer Jocelyn Brown.

Millie wrote under the pseudonym of 'Culturalist' in Edward Pescott's Gardening in Australia (1926). As the principal of Burnely Gardens, his influence during her time as a student and staff member becomes clear. Not only did this have a long term influence on Australian gardening, but also on design. The book included a plan showing a series of compartments, continuing Butler's approach to outdoor rooms.

Within five years of Millie's return from England, the British Association of Garden Architects came into existence. So she probably knew about the moves towards its formation. A year later in 1930, a name change took place to 'The Institute of Landscape Architects'. The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects came into being during the environmental movement, more than thirty years after the British one.

By the thirties, Millie had considerable status in her profession and acted as a judge for many activities. Because few large gardens were constructed in Melbourne during this time, designs focused on suburban gardens until the late forties. Then a new direction came when she became associated with a group of architects on large scale institutional and commercial sites. As a pioneer in this field, this became one of her major contributions to landscape architecture.

Millie's contribution between the two world wars highlights her achievements. Not only did she work as a designer and journalist full-time, but also as a teacher and lecturer. The way in which she pieced together a pattern of education for herself reveals a remarkable vision. Millie's alert mind recognised every opportunity and she used these to develop her skills. She also had a generous spirit that included others, especially many of her former students along with Hilda Dance and Grace Fraser.

After the Second World War, Emily employed an architectural student, Malcolm Munroe as her draftsman. This confirmed the need to move towards establishing a professional practice. From 1949-66 she and John Stevens worked on many projects including the Shell Co. housing in Geelong and the Vacumn Oil Refinery at Altona. Referred to Millie by Professor John Turner (a friend of her brother Fred Grassick), John worked with her on these projects. All the people who met Millie treasure this period with her. Millie's breadth of vision and ability to interpret site conditions made an impact on those who were privileged to know her.

From the time of her return from England, Millie designed gardens and through her association with architects between 1949 and 1966, she undertook larger commissions including: -

• Geelong Old Folks' Home

• Sale Nursing Home

• Healsville Hospital

• Martin/King Westall Factory

• northern boundary of Royal Children's Hospital

• Pentridge Prison (section)

• Maribyrnong Migrant Hostel

• Shell Co. Housing Geelong *

• Tintern Church of England Girls' Grammar School

• Vacuum Oil Refinery, Altona *

• Burnley Gardens (section near new Building)

• British Tobacco Co

• Fairleigh Women's Prison (section)

• Nicholas Aspro Head Office

• British Nylon Spinners

• Glaxo Factory Bayswater

• University Women's College

• Forsyth Hall, Riversdale Road

* John Stevens worked with Emily on these projects.

So Millie's remarks in her 1962 letter to me show her ability to grow with the profession. Her associations with architects continued for seventeen years. These included the major architectural firms of Stephenson and Turner, and Buchan, Laird and Buchan. "I think you will find as your work among architects increases in Melbourne, that the liaison between architect, engineer and landscape architect has become very much closer.

I know in my own work I could not have had greater help than I had from the two firms of architects, that I had most of my work in and learnt so much from."

Millie showed great skill in the way she used plants to blend the building with their surroundings. Her designs consisted of plant combinations, with few structures, as the plants declined the gardens were lost. I remember the enthusiasm with which she spoke about plants, especially the soft colours of the crab apple and flowering cherries. The delights of spring brought a rich reward to her. A signature of her design included clean white trunked trees, especially Eucalyptus citriodora.

Little appears to remain of her work for she burnt all her drawings and papers in the late sixties. Fortunately, I managed to have a few of Millie's books included in the 'Clough Collection' at the University of Canberra Library. So while we do not have the privilege of being able to treasure Millie's designs and her writings, many of us treasure her memory. A quote on her memorial card reads, "When ever you see a flower in bloom you will remember ... Emily Matilda Gibson.".

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Margaret Hendry OAM FAILA, 1930 - 2001: A Fellow of the Australian and UK Institutes of Landscape Architecture, Margaret Hendry dedicated her professional career to landscape design and teaching.

From 1963-74, she was a landscape architect for the National Capital Development Commission (the first woman appointed and one of only five in Australia at that time) where she played a significant role in shaping the landscape of Australia's National Capital.

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