Hatton, Don & Leonie
DON AND LEONIE HATTON
It is with deep regret that we inform our members that Don and Leonie perished during the firestorm that swept through Strathewen on Saturday 7th February 2009.
Australian Plant Society - Yarra Yarra extend our sincere sympathy to Bronwyn and David, family and friends.
Members since 1979 Don and Leonie lived in Templestowe and in 1984 bought a 20 hectare property at Strathewen which they named Laanecoorie. Between 1984 and 1998 they travelled between homes with their daughter Bronwyn, moving permanently to the property in 1998. Together with their children, David and Bronwyn, they turned 20 hectares of a run-down over-grazed property to an unbelievable landscape. Don and Leonie’s dream was to conserve as much as they could of the biodiversity and habitat of the north-east foothills of the Great Dividing Range and constantly introduced species they believed belonged there.
I had the pleasure to work for Don and Leonie constructing bridges, pathways and steps throughout the property. Considering they both had considerable health problems, their energy amazed me.
Don showed me a report card from people who had stayed at their B & B. He was quite chuffed with the glowing praise he received about their property.
Whenever I worked at the property I was always greeted by their little dog Perrie who was a faithful pet always at their side. In September 2003, Yarra Yarra hosted an APS Quarterly Meeting and visited the property on the Sunday. As I was showing the visitors around the property we came upon a lyrebird’s nest on the ground with a mother hen sitting on it. This showed that the diversity of fauna and flora was coming back. Don was always videoing or photographing new plants or birds that they had found. They loved their orchids of which there were about twenty seven species. I think Leonie was the one who knew more about the plants. She was always off somewhere planting or eradicating weeds. Those who have been to the property would know that some of it is quite steep but this never worried her.
Don was into science and he designed all the buildings on the property. Prior to retiring he worked as an aeronautical engineer for Aeronautical Research Laboratory.* Don had a few sayings: “Isn’t it great, how about that, isn’t it fantastic” generally strung together referring to the new ways of harnessing energy.
Don purchased a small four wheel drive vehicle to get around in. This was called a ‘gator’. It always put a smile on my face to see them coming down the track. Leonie yelling Don! Don! Don! and with the motions of a boxer ducking and weaving from over hanging branches and the worry of dropping off the edge of the path, while Don had a clear run. Hence one of my jobs was to make the track a bit wider. I’m glad Don was a better driver of a car than he was of the gator.
Don and Leonie’s wish was to leave their property in some kind of trust, which would ensure that their work was everlasting. Unfortunately, I think they never envisaged that their time would be cut short. I only hope Bronwyn and David can carry on their work.
I say farewell to my friends. I will miss them deeply.
Mike Williams, President of APS Yarra Yarra. Article written for Australian Plants Society Yarra Yarra Newsletter 2009-04-05
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