The Friends 26th Annual General Meeting with Guest Speaker John Patrick

The 26^th Annual General Meeting of The Friends of the Johnston Collection will take place on Wednesday 27 August 2025. All members, and their guests, are invited to attend.

The afternoon will start with the opportunity to enjoy a private viewing of the first floor of 'Swagger: Gentlemen of Fashion', the current exhibition in Fairhall. Members will then move into the Kent Room, for the 26^th Annual General Meeting, followed by a presentation by our very special guest, John Patrick.

John Patrick is an expert on gardens, plants and garden history. He has been a presenter on ABC television series Gardening Australia, and has written extensively on gardens (including thirteen books, and articles for magazines such as Vogue Living and The Australian Garden Journal).  John has lectured widely in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand and has worked as a judge and consultant to garden shows and events. He was one of the founders of Australia’s Open Garden Scheme.
Early in his career, John designed the gardens of Fairhall, in preparation for the opening of The Johnston Collection to the public in 1990. In this 35th year of the opening of the Collection, we are delighted that John will join us to share anecdotes about this project, and highlights from his extensive career.

The Friends of the Johnston Collection was established in 1999. The Friends enjoy benefits of membership including exclusive Preview Nights of new exhibitions, educational lectures in the Kent Room, guided tours of Fairhall, organised visits to museums, tours of beautiful houses and special gardens, and talks by renowned authors. The Friends play an important role in supporting the work of The Johnston Collection.

Following the special guest lecture, The Friends will enjoy afternoon tea, with time to mingle and browse in TJC Emporium.

All visitors to The Johnston Collection must arrive by the courtesy bus. There will be a 1:50 pm pick-up from The Pullman Melbourne on the Park on Wellington Parade.

Bookings are Essential.

 Image: Installation view of The Johnston Collection, 2025. Photo: Adam Lutz.