A BUMPER crowd of floral fanatics visited the Busselton Uniting Church on Wednesday and Thursday to be part of the 90th annual Busselton Wildflower Exhibition.
Held over two days, the exhibition highlights a wonderful array of native South West fauna with vibrant colours and gorgeous smells on display.
The flowers are picked by a team given one day pickers licenses by the Department of Conservation to give those unable to go bush a chance to enjoy the beauty of spring.
Wildflower committee chairman Barry Oates OAM said the turnout for this year’s event was spectacular with more than 360 species on display.
“It is such a delight to see the smile on everyone’s face as they pass through the exhibit,” he said.
“The week has been organised chaos but the results have been marvellous.
“With the school holidays we have had lots of families come and enjoy the display as well as some joey kangaroos and young possums.
“We have also had a number of older visitors reminisce about how the flowers remind them off trips out into the wild in their youth.”
City of Busselton Mayor Ian Stubbs attended a function at the exhibition on Thursday night as one of his final official engagements.
Mr Oates said the Mayor spoke passionately about the beauty of the show and his admiration for the many hard-working volunteers who bring everything together.
The Mayor also congratulated Busselton resident and former exhibition chairman Les Peaker on his on-going devotion to the event by inviting him to cut the 90th anniversary cake.
Mr Peaker, 89, proudly told the Busselton-Dunsborough Mail he had been to every addition of the exhibition including 17 as chairman and the first with his mother when he was still in the womb.
“It has been a wonderful event in Busselton for so many years and it is great to see the crowds keep coming back each year,” Mr Peaker said.
The event raised funds for the church’s work in the local community and also featured a number of craft and food stalls.