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Topic: Daisy Alice Hardwick (nee Hills) (1905-1989)
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Daisy Hardwick was an enthusiast for ornamental and domestic horticulture in the Tauranga district. From 1952 she presented fortnightly garden talks on on the radio - 1YD Rotorua and from 1961 on 1ZD Tauranga. She wrote a gardening column for the Bay of Plenty Times for 16 years. She was Patroness of Tauranga Federation of Gardening Clubs and supporter of the Bay of Plenty District Council RNZIH. The Daisy Hardwick walk in Tauranga is named for her.
Daisy Alice Hills was born in Opotiki on 1 November 1905 to Frederick Charles and Lucy May Hills (nee Hollard) who married on 25 November 1895. She was one of eight children and developed a love of gardening at age eight which would continue throughout her life.
She married on 15 March 1926 at age 20 to William Hardwick (reg. 1926/2036). They had three children together.
Daisy received an award for her work caring for evacuated children during World War II (1939-1945).
She was involved in the following groups:
- Chamber of Commerce
- Country Womens Institute
- Progress League
- Retailers Asociation
- Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society
- Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture (from 1966)
- Tauranga Federation of Gardening Clubs - patroness
- Womens Division of Federated Farmers
- Womens War Service Auxilliary
In 1952 Daisy and her husband William purchased a 13-acre property in the Minden Hills. They spend many years clearing the gorse, fern and pine and then planting over 600 tree and shrubs.
From 1952 Daisy began regular radio session son gardening in both Rotorua and Tauranga. She wrote gardening notes for the Bay of Plenty Times for many years. She contributed to:
- Bay of Plenty Times
- Bay Sun
- New Zealand Dairy Exporter
- Radio 1YD Rotorua (from 1952)
- Radio 1ZD Tauranga (from 1961)
Daisy was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Horticulture in 1980 for her services to horticulture in New Zealand.
William died in 1961 (reg. 1961/40366).
In 1988 Daisy moved from the Minden where she had gardened for 30 years to Melrose Home in Tauranga after suffering a broken hip.
The 9.6 kilometre Daisy Hardwick walk around the Waikareao Estuary was named for her.
Daisy died at Melose Hospital in Tauranga on 6 January 1989 (reg. 1989/32769). She was cremated in Tauranga on 10 January 1989 and her ashes scatters on the Daisy Hardwick walk and at the Minden Lookout.
References:
Ancestry.com
Bay of Plenty Crematorium, Tauranga. Cremations 1967-1992.
Bay of Plenty Times (25 May 1988).
Bay Sun (2 August 1980) [Tauranga Book 13, p. 26]
Births, Deaths and Marriages Online (New Zealand).
Royal New Zealand Institue of Horticulture: Awards.
Tauranga School Centennial 1871-1971 (p. 43).
The Weekend Sun (5 December 2014).
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William Hirst and ssiter Daisy Alice
Aunt Daisy
