Toowoomba council endorses sponsorship package for Chronicle Garden Comp as trio voices opposition

A trio of councillors voted against funding the 75th Chronicle Garden Competition, then moments later voted in favour of $45,000 towards a new event.

Three Toowoomba councillors have voted against sponsoring the Carnival of Flowers’ centrepiece event this year, with questions raised about the council’s long-term support of the beloved Chronicle Garden Competition.

The council on Tuesday endorsed a sponsorship package worth more than $23,000 of cash and $27,000 of in-kind support towards the competition run by this publication, which celebrates its 75th year in 2024.

Each year the Chronicle Garden Competition – one of the highest paying garden competitions in Australia – incentivises green thumbs across the Toowoomba region to have their private gardens in peak condition to coincide with the Carnival of Flowers, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the city and injecting $95,000 into the community.

The Chronicle Garden Competition launch at Clifford Park, Thursday, February 1, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Councillors Tim McMahon, Carol Taylor and Bill Cahill all voted against funding the event in 2024 for different reasons.

In contrast, moments later councillors unanimously voted for a sponsorship deal for the upstart Toowoomba Marathon in the very next motion, worth nearly $45,000 in ratepayer funds.

It is understood News Corp is providing nearly $40,000 in prizes to the winning gardeners, along with thousands of dollars to support its operation and promotion.

While most councillors supported Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers co-ordinator Kate Scott’s recommendation to assist in funding the competition, the motion sparked a debate over the council’s desire to continue beyond 2024.

Councillor Tim McMahon. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Councillor Tim McMahon suggested the TRC could take over running the entire event, despite it being a Chronicle event for three quarters of a century.

Mr McMahon said he wanted to see a report delivered to council about alternative funding methods following the 2024 competition.

Longstanding councillor Carol Taylor, who also voted against the motion, queried the future of the competition now that The Chronicle was owned by News Corp.

Both councillors McMahon and Taylor have attended the Chronicle Garden Competition award ceremonies in the past.

Councillor Bill Cahill also voted against the recommended sponsorship package, believing there was not enough detail on the event’s financials to make a decision.

Councillor Carol Taylor. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Councillor Bill Cahill. Picture: Kevin Farmer

While she endorsed the sponsorship, deputy mayor and former deputy editor of The Chronicle Rebecca Vonhoff shared concerns about the financial aspects of the event going forward.

“If we don’t know how much they’re chipping in, when does it stop being the Chronicle Garden competition and start becoming our garden competition?” she said.

In response to concerns, councillor James O’Shea reminded his colleagues of the rich history attached to the competition and its value to both the Carnival of Flowers and Toowoomba’s nickname “the Garden City”.

“The reason I’m supporting this is, forget about who it’s from, it’s a sponsorship request,” he said.

“I do see it as a worthwhile investment to contribute to this competition — they don’t need to wax lyrical about the histories, traditions and reputations of this.”

Chronicle general manager Erika Brayshaw said the garden competition was not only synonymous with the carnival but the newspaper had invested more than a million dollars of its own money throughout the decades into the major drawcard.

“The Chronicle Garden Competition has been the lifeblood for Carnival of Flowers for 75 years,” she said.

“This historic competition relies entirely on financial sponsors and support, most of which comes from our local community.

“It is imperative for our community (including Toowoomba Regional Council) to get behind this competition that is the driving force behind Carnival of Flowers.”

Ms Brayshaw also supplied the sponsorship submission form by The Chronicle to the council, which did not require the company to provide detailed financial records about its contributions.

Bob and Val Ford, 19 Burke Street, Rangeville. Chronicle Garden Competition 2023

Legendary green thumb Bob Ford, who has been entering the competition for more than 30 years and has won the Grand Champion prize alongside his wife Val multiple times, said the event should run external to council.

“It’s always known as the Chronicle Garden Competition – it is known Australia-wide and worldwide as that,” he said.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said the council voted in favour of a three-year sponsorship deal with the Toowoomba Marathon. While the event asked for three years of funding, the council approved funding for just 2024.