Meet Maria Hitchcock OAM “The Wattle Lady” on National Wattle Day – Q&A

Meet Maria Hitchcock on National Wattle Day, talking at Tamworth City Library. Known nationally as the Wattle Lady, Maria led the campaign for gazettal of our National Floral Emblem the Golden Wattle (Acacia Pycnantha) and for National Wattle Day. Maria is also an ABC Saturday Gardening Presenter, and author of “Correas”, “Bush Foods”, “A Celebration of Wattle”.

Maria Hitchcock OAM has been very active in her local community over many years helping to prevent Eucalyptus Dieback, teaching TAFE courses on identification and propagation of Australian Plants, designing the western section of the Bicentennial Arboretum and advising educators as a member of the North West Environmental Education Committee. She is a founding member of the local APS group and holds membership of many other local organisations and advisory committees. Known nationally as the Wattle Lady, Maria led the campaign for gazettal of our National Floral Emblem (Acacia pycnantha) and National Wattle Day. Her book, A Celebration of Wattle (2012 Rosenberg) outlines the history of the Wattle Day movement.

Maria is a retired High School teacher who holds a Bachelor of Arts (UNE) majoring in Botany and a Masters in Professional Studies (Aboriginal Studies) Hons. as well as a NSW Teachers Certificate and the ZMP Zertifikat in German (Göttingen). She is a Life Member of the Australian Plants Society, former leader of the ANPSA Correa Study Group and Waratah & Flannel Flower Study Group and holds the National Correa Collection in her private botanic garden which is registered with BGANZ. She published Correas in 2010 and a Bush Foods book in 2020. She is a regular ABC New England North West Radio Garden presenter.

Maria received an Order of Australia medal for services to conservation and the environment in 2018. She leads Save our Flora, an independent online project which encourages members to grow and preserve our listed threatened flora and is an ABC Saturday Gardening presenter. Maria recently ran an online native plants nursery (Cool Natives Nursery) specialising in frost and drought hardy native plants, Waratahs, Flannel Flowers, Correas and Threatened flora. Over the years she has developed some extensive propagation skills as well as computer and internet marketing competence. She is an experienced speaker, giving presentations to APS Conferences as well as a wide range of organisations including the Botanic Gardens Congress in Wellington NZ in October 2019. Maria is currently convenor of an Armidale based Think Tank called New England Visions 2030 Institute.