Page 3910 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 15 Sept 2009
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at the ACT government tree farm at Pialligo, under the care of Yarralumla Nursery, and is distributed around Australia.
Earlier this year, a forest of Dr Boden’s freefall was planted at the arboretum, sponsored by the Institute of Engineers. The Boden pin oaks will form a host forest for a smaller number of rare maple-leaf oaks, a species that is confined in the wild to a few upland forest areas in Arkansas in the United States.
In the late 1960s, Robert Boden’s interest in trees and the environment took a new turn when he embarked on a doctorate at the Australian National University into the ecological effects of changing rural land use patterns in the Canberra region. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1971 and leapt into a new career in nature conservation administration with the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service in Canberra. In the late 1970s his professional career took yet another dramatic turn when he was appointed inaugural director of the National Botanic Gardens.
Dr Boden’s vision over the next decade was for the gardens to become a world-class seat of learning and research, as well as a much-loved place of recreation and relaxation. As director, he successfully turned what had been a local botanic garden into Australia’s premier conservation institution and an internationally renowned tourist attraction.
In 2005, the Australian National Botanic Gardens honoured Robert with a plaque which read, “A life dedicated to trees and amenity horticulture, with a special interest in the eucalyptus.” But Dr Boden’s legacies at the gardens extended much further than a plaque. He was instrumental in the construction of the Burbidge Memorial Amphitheatre, which opened in 1980, and the visitor information centre, which was opened in 1985 by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Dr Boden also instigated a centre for horticultural therapy and improved access for the disabled. He was responsible for the boardwalks that lead visitors through the rainforest gallery, the cafe at which countless visitors congregate each year, the first public concert on the eucalypt lawn in 1983 and the annual celebration of Wattle Day at the gardens.
After his departure from the gardens in 1989, Dr Boden’s passion for trees and conservation found new outlets. He served as a council member for the National Trust of Australia for several years and was admired and respected for the expertise he freely shared and the contribution he made to a number of local and national inquiries. As the first deputy chairman of the ACT Flora and Fauna Committee, Dr Boden’s experience was crucial in the development of criteria for assessing threatened species. In 2001, Dr Boden was appointed as a tree adviser under the Tree Protection Act. Through this role he was able to directly contribute to the protection of trees in the ACT.
Dr Boden’s passion was again evident in June 2006, when he advocated successfully to save 230 poplars that were to be cut down by the National Capital Authority between the National Library and Questacon. He was also instrumental in
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