Family Histories
Home NEW Updates About Us Historic Sites Consultants Contact Us Terms/Conditions
|
MANSFIELD Carol
A TRIBUTE TO CAROL
MANSFIELD A Tall Poppy Carol was renowned
and respected Western Australian "plants woman" who was always willing to share
her extensive knowledge by opening her garden, sharing cuttings, seeds and
bulbs and giving talks to local Perth groups like the Garden History Society,
Heritage Roses in Australia, the Cottage Gardener’s Circle, Hills and Darling
Scarp Garden Groups, Kalamunda Learning Centre and writing for garden magazines
thus developing a wide range of garden friends and colleagues over five
decades.
|
|
|
FRANK & CAROL MANSFIELD #2 |
Whilst
working as a nurse at Guy’s Hospital, England, Carol Turner met Junior Doctor
Frank Mansfield. This was the beginning of a 55 year romance. They married the
following year where he was resplendent in his British Army Medical Corps’
officers uniform. Carol
and her husband, Dr. Frank Mansfield left the UK in 1965, destination Western Australia as their new home and to start country
medical practice in Collie then Bunbury. It was here that Carol discovered
amazing wildflowers in the bush land. Carol was a registered trained nurse and
Frank, a General Practitioner who later taught at University of Western
Australia. Before leaving the UK they both worked in rural medicine at the
British Army Hospital in Aden, Yemen. |
|
The couple moved to the Kalamunda Shire permanently and raised three daughters in the hills and valleys of the Darling Scarp. Carol and Frank’s own garden surrounding the heritage listed Fawke's House, in Carmel was remarkable. Here bloomed hellebores, narcissi, species cyclamens and Heritage Roses. In addition to the delightful shaded woodland garden and cottage garden, native plants flourished in a different area. Their later garden on a steep rocky block in Gooseberry Hill was ideal for growing more native flowering plants with sheltered pockets of garden for ferns and ornamentals. Frank
was much more than just a doctor. He was a highly civilised human being with a
quirky sense of humour. An elderly patient once gave Frank a budgerigar to take
home for his children. Unfortunately a cat caught it and enjoyed the meal. The
next time the patient consulted him, she asked how the family enjoyed the
budgie. With a straight face, Frank replied, “It went down very well”. |
"FAWKE'S HOUSE" CARMEL #3 |
|
Carol
changed career by graduating from University of Western Australia in 1989 with
a qualification as a librarian. She was motivated by her love of literature,
researching heritage gardening and local Kalamunda history. She put these
skills to good use in research, lecturing at TAFE and contributing gardening
articles to “The West Australian Gardener” published quarterly by the
Horticultural Council in mid 2000's. Her
interest in gardening, particularly heritage roses, bulbs, wildflowers and
collecting unusual plants lead her to joining many gardening groups. |
|
Carol
was a founding member of the WA branch of the Australian Garden
History Society (AGHS) when it formed in 1988, as well as a member of the
original committee. During her membership she helped organise a workshop on
restoring gardens, was a guest speaker at branch functions and prepared garden
history related articles that were published in the Society’s national journal
“Australian Garden History.” She researched and contributed entries to The
Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens published in 2002 by AGHS. From
2003, Carol gave well attended workshops and courses at the Kalamunda
Community Learning Centre on Garden History of the World, Australian Gardens
since European settlement and local horticultural history of plant nurseries
and cut flower industry. Her research and presentation were meticulous with
details of early plans, plants, watering systems, the people and pictures from
different regions and times. After the classes finished, the sharing of plants,
books, knowledge and friendship continued informally. Gardeners
Circle
(formerly Cottage Garden Circle) in South Perth was enriched with Carol’s early
membership in the late 1990's including the management of the garden library.
Carol’s Carmel Fawke's House autumn garden was first visited by the group in May
1998. The Circle fostered the love of gardening and many new metropolitan
groups formed as a result. |
CAROL MANSFIELD #4 |
|
The
original Open Garden Scheme WA was a branch of the Australian Scheme
with a program of open gardens to the public for an entry fee, part of which
went to a nominated charity. Refreshments and propagated plants were also sold.
Carol was an early member and one of the first Scheme garden selectors in
Perth. Falls
Farm Heritage Rose Garden. In 1985 Carol and
Frank became involved with the Lesmurdie Ratepayers Association (LRA) to
substantially restore the previously condemned historic 1911 Falls Farm Cottage
in Lesmurdie, a local government property. The subsequent planting of the
Heritage Rose Garden arose from Carol’s enthusiasm for roses of historical
importance, species roses and their hybrids, her gardening knowledge and hard
work. Community involvement was required to establish the garden. Firstly to obtain quality soil for the beds.
Carol then sought donations to purchase 34 rose bushes from Bob Melville’s
Nursery which were planted by the Mansfields and Pauline and Neil Tonkin of
LRA. Carol finished the beds with a temporary wire fence and protective wind
break for the new bushes. |
|
FALLS FARM COTTAGE 1988 #5 |
|
FALLS FARM HERITAGE ROSE GARDEN 1986 #6 |
FALLS FARM HERITAGE ROSE GARDEN 1986 #7 |
|
ORIGINAL LOQUAT TREE 1988 #8 |
A
Bicentennial Grant to LRA provided brick paving and a trellis which were built
by Bentley Technical College garden design students arranged by John Viska and
Peter Graham and Lesmurdie Lions Club. Carol also planted masses of petunias in
circular gardens for the 1988 Bicentennial Celebrations. Her initial and
continued work in the garden was recognised by the naming of the rose garden as
“Carol’s Garden”with the sign unveiled by Sir Charles Court. |
|
"CAROL'S GARDEN" #10 |
In
the 2000’s a Kalamunda Garden Group formed with Carol a founding member.
The group met monthly to promote local gardening interest with guest speakers,
country excursions and sharing garden knowledge. Due to a high interest in
joining an already large group, a second garden group was formed in 2009 called
Darling Scarp Gardeners. Carol moved over to assist the new group
and continued on as advisor on unusual plants and sharing tube plants, cuttings
and seeds and information. Carol
and Frank’s interests lead them to countries including Turkey, China and Bhutan
to see and experience wildflowers, plants and gardens later shared in
presentations at the garden groups. Another
passion of Carol’s was Kalamunda’s history and heritage and she joined the Kalamunda
& Districts Historical Society in 1989. It was not long before
Carol immersed herself in research projects such as the drafting of The
Municipal Inventory of Heritage Places for the Shire of Kalamunda, a new
requirement for local governments. This entailed research, listing and
describing all significant buildings and places in the Shire. |
|
"CAROL'S GARDEN" #11 |
|
Other
valuable research included period furniture for the museum’s 1930 guest house,
searching for period artifacts for display, compiling notes for grant
applications and providing essential local information required by heritage
consultants for Conservation Plans for Shire owned properties. Carol’s
background was useful when working with Librarians to set up the Kalamunda
Shire Library Local Studies Room. To advance this project, Carol with
the then Librarian were awarded a grant to attend a Canberra course on the
conservation of paper artifacts at the National Library of Australia. Another community achievement was the setting
up of Friends of the Library to actively promote literary events
and raise funds for specific library needs. |
|
1991 CAROL MANSFIELD AT THE " BILL SHAW LOCAL HISTORY AWARD" #12 |
Carol
was involved with judging the Society’s Bill Shaw History Awards and later the
Oral History Group rising out of a regular local history discussion group of In
2017 Carol was made a Fellow of the Kalamunda & Districts Historical
Society, an award for her demonstration of original research contribution,
the third of only four such awards since 1971. Carol who did not seek acclaim
and went about garden and history projects in a low key, efficient manner, was
sincerely pleased with this honour.
|
|
Other
skills and interests shared within the community included quilting with the
West Australian Quilting Association in the 1980’s, Book Club at the Kalamunda
Community Learning Centre, water colour painting, classical music and joining
the congregation of Kalamunda Uniting Church in recent years. Carol moved to
Mt. Claremont due to ill health and to be closer to her family for the last two
years of her life where she died on 17th May 2022 after a full and
inspiring life, filled with the beauty of nature, joy of music and literature,
the hunt of research and deep sense of community. Many Perth residents will
have a plant memento from Carol in their gardens.
|
1999 CAROL MANSFIELD & MARCIA MAHER RECEIVING COMMUNITY HERITAGE GRANT #13 |
|
|
|
Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.
|
|
References: Article: Gay Bridgement Images: John Linton 1, 12, 13
Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008-2022
|
