Wyndham council has received backlash for deciding to prune the State Rose and Garden Show from its yearly events calendar.
The show, which has run at Werribee Park in November for the last 10 years, was hosted by a group of volunteers with council’s support.
Community advocate Lisa Markovic said she was puzzled to see it pulled from the calendar.
“I think it is an important event because it is something everyone can enjoy– it was popular among locals and tourists alike,” she said.
“It is pretty obvious that the community wants it to stay, it is inclusive and brings some really good tourism to the area.”
Ms Markovic said giving more warning to the community would be helpful before axing beloved events.
“I think it would be really good if they incorporate a bit more transparency with how they redo the calendar,” he said.
“When a bomb like this is dropped, it can really upset the community.”
Wyndham planning and liveability director Eric Brasils said council has decided to pause the show as part of a ‘review and refresh’ of its events calendar.
“This pause will allow us to reimagine the event and explore new opportunities for our community,” Mr Brasils said.
“In making this decision, Wyndham has worked closely with the dedicated volunteer group who maintain the rose garden and we continue to support them.”
He said council will be supporting the group by giving it a grant equivalent to what the show would bring in through donations.
“The garden remains open to the public year-round, and we encourage everyone to visit and enjoy it,” he said.
However, Mr Brasils said that, ultimately, the garden is owned by the state government through Parks Victoria.
“It is their asset, and we will continue to support them from a tourism perspective and work with them should they wish to continue promoting the garden.
“We want Parks Victoria and the state government to begin to think of new ways to increase the exposure of their assets.”
The state government was contacted for comment.
