2024 Chronicle Garden Competition winners prove that age is simply a number
Spring has officially sprung and with it so has the 75th Chronicle Garden Competition, drawing tens of thousands of excited flower-lovers to the Toowoomba region. Meet some of the region’s winners here.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Blooming into its 75th year the annual Chronicle Garden Competition has continued to thrive despite a global pandemic and the rising cost of living.
While the Darling Downs is home to an array of stunning, picturesque public parks and gardens, the passion and dedication of the private gardens each year is incomparable.
The 2024 competition proved gardening is more than a retiree’s means to prevent idle hands, with the grand prize awarded to one of the event’s youngest entrants.
Toowoomba mother-of-four Tiffany Wicks won the 2024 Grand Champion award for her Mount Lofty garden.
Garden competition co-ordinator Mike Wells said while the renowned event might not see the entrant numbers of 75 years ago, there’s been a major diversification in their age ranges.
“It’s great to see an under 45-year-old grand champion because we’ve had grand champions from our older set and they’re the glue that holds everything together,” he said.
“These younger people coming through are now going to continue to garden and I think they’ll be encouraged by Tiffany’s win and want to put their gardens in.”
Mr Wells said the perennial event attracts tens of thousands of tourists each year, predicting it will only grow bigger and better, even surpassing its 100th year.
“I think we’re the biggest and the best, it’s gone for the longest – 75 years, that’s amazing and really there’s no other city that can compare with what we can do,” he said.
“I’m absolutely confident it will get to 100, every year we’ve started to increase the number of entrants and diversify the range of prizes which is important.”
Entering into her 36th year, veteran garden competition entrant Cheryl Ganzer was awarded the 2024 Reserve Grand Champion.
Ms Ganzer tearfully accepted her award, who in previous years entered the competition alongside her late husband, John.
Fulfilment by the enjoyment others get when they enter her garden was what motivated Ms Ganzer to compete each year.
“I get a lot of pleasure out of it and the people that walk around my area are so supportive and encouraging of me,” she said.
Taking home a number of regional category awards this year including Grand Champion, Wyreema resident Narelle Hurse began entering the competition only three years ago.
“I just love gardening and I’ve always had visitors telling me I should enter,” she said.
Ms Hurse said her favourite bloom in her garden this year’s garden is the renaissance ranunculus.
Pittsworth residents and garden competition newcomers Margaret and Barry Stafford were awarded second place in the Regional First Time Entry category.
Mrs Stafford said entering the competition was on their bucket list for a number of years, having finally ticked it off in 2024.
While some entrants spend 12 months preparing their garden, for the Staffords it only took a matter of weeks.
“Barry and I felt that we were winners in our eyes even if we didn’t get a prize because we achieved so much in such a short amount of time,” she said.
Mrs Stafford said the annual competition was an important event in bringing tourism to the city and also the surrounding regional areas.
More Coverage
Originally published as 2024 Chronicle Garden Competition winners prove that age is simply a number
Police divers join retrieval mission after ute submerged in lake
Police divers joined a retrieval mission after a stolen ute was bumped in a lagoon in the Lockyer Valley.
Four people in hospital after tractor rollover, separate crashes
Four people have been taken to hospital in the Lockyer Valley and Darling Downs regions following a tractor rollover and separate crashes overnight. DETAILS.