John Bentley is committed to helping revive our understanding, and appreciation, of indigenous plants.
The Friends of the Melton Botanic Garden president led a guided tour of the garden as part of NAIDOC Week celebrations on Friday. About 20 people took part, with a number of them first-time visitors.
Mr Bentley said everyone enjoyed the tour and wanted to go home and find out more about indigenous plants and bush foods.
The group learned about ways Aboriginal people used indigenous plants in cooking or everyday life. Mr Bentley says he’s learned about this information through books, workshops and interactions with Aboriginal people.
“I just think this is a whole part of history that was lost for some time,” Mr Bentley said.
“And if we don’t promote this knowledge, it’ll be completely lost. People are starting to become really interested to find out about all of the uses of plants and other things we’ve got in the land.”
Mr Bentley says some of his favourite plants are the river mint that grows along river banks around Melton, and the drooping she-oak.
Aboriginal people would use river mint in cooking, but also crush the leaves to use as a mentholated ointment. And the drooping she-oak would be used to make tool handles and clapsticks, Mr Bentley says.
The Melton Botanic Garden is at 21 Williams Street.
