Ronald Campbell GunnPrint Page 
The memorial garden commemorates botanist Ronald Campbell Gunn (1808-1881) who was an explorer, botanist, public servant and politician. He also discovered Gunns Plains in 1860.
He was a justice of the peace, a police magistrate, private secretary to Sir John Franklin and a clerk of the Legislative and Executive Councils. He was elected to the Legislative Council, and went on to the House of Assembly. He was deputy commissioner for crown lands for the whole of Tasmania. He held a variety of other government positions, including deputy registrar of Court Requests, and of births, deaths and marriages - and of coroner.
He was passionate about horticulture. He collected thousands of specimens of Tasmanian plants which he meticulously described and sent to Kew Gardens in London. From these specifications, 42 plants were given the species name of gunnii.
Location
| Address: | Gunns Plains & Raymond Roads, Community Centre, Ronald Campbell Gunn Memorial Garden, Gunns Plains, 7315 |
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| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -41.277386 Long: 146.038411 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Garden |
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| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Science |
| Link: | http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/adbonli… |
Dedication
Ronald Campbell Gunn Memorial Garden
This garden is a memorial to Ronald Campbell Gunn who discovered Gunns Plains in 1860.
Ronald Campbell Gunn (1808 - 1881) was an explorer, botanist, public servant and politician. He was a justice of the peace, a police magistrate, private secretary to Sir John Franklin and a clerk of the Legislative and Executive Councils. He was elected to the Legislative Council, and went on to the House of Assembly. He was deputy commissioner for crown lands for the whole of Tasmania. He held a variety of other government positions, including deputy registrar of Court Requests, and of births, deaths and marriages - and of coroner.
Gunn was also an energetic botanist and an avid plant collector, and his botanical excursions took him into rugged, unexplored country. He was secretary of the Horticulutral Society and the Tasmanian Society, and accompanied Antarctic botanist J. D. Hooker on many local excursions. In 1850 he sent a pair of living Tasmanina Tigers (Thylacine) to the British Museum. He investigated gold discoveries at Tullochgoram, Deloraine, and on the Forth and Upper Arthur Rivers. He also named the nearby town of Penguin.
It is intended the Ronald Campbell Gunn Memorial Garden will showcase a selection of plants that he discovered, and which will thrive in the area. The garden also features a sculpture called "Germination" symbolising the beginning of new life. As the garden expands, we hope to include more of the plants, which carry Gunn`s name, and make it a restful area for visitors and tourists to stop and relax. With the glorious setting of the beautiful Gunns Plains, we hope the garden will become an arbour of greenery and colour, and at the same time commemorate the many achievements of one of Tasmania`s most respected pioneers.
We hope you enjoy the Ronald Campbell Gunn Memorial Garden
