Macoboy, Kenneth Stirling (Bill)   (1927 - 2005)

Born in Australia, 1 January 1927; died on 24 May at Coffs Harbour, NSW, aged 78 years.

OBITUARY - Vale Stirling Macoboy

Stirling (Bill) Macoboy's grandfather was a professional nurseryman who migrated to Australia in the 1850s. Despite this strong horticultural background, his grandfather's love of plants took some time to emerge in Bill who had started his career as an advertising copywriter, eventually becoming a director of television ads.

While working in the US Bill began writing stories on indoor plants for The Australan Women's Weekly. He illustrated these articles with some of the wonderful horticultural photographs he had taken. Gradualy his collection of photographs became more extensive.

In 1969 Bil used more than 1000 of these photographs in the first edition of What Flower is That? The publication of this book represented a significant breakthrough because it was so different to the existing gardening books (which concentrated heavily on information and were light on for pictures).

Advances in publishing and, most importantly, reduced printing costs now meant that greater emphasis could be placed on pictures rather than words (although Bill's writing skills added to the book's success). What Flower ls That? became an international publishing phenomenon and has been reprinted numerous times.

In the late 1970s Bill became the garden editor of the popular Better Homes & Gardens magazine. Although he was now living back in Australia, he continued to travel widely and to add to his extensive collection of plant photographs.

Eventually Bill reduced his involvement with Better Homes & Gardens and concentrated more on travelling and collecting photos. Because of his interest in warm climate plants he introduced Australians to a wealth of plant material that until then, with our inherited European gardening traditions, had largely been ignored.

In the following years Bill continued writing, photographing and producing more books and he has more than fifteen horticultural publications to his credit. He has always had a particular love of camellias and one of his best-loved books is the magnificent Colour Dictionary of Camelias.

Bill finally settled in Coffs Harbour, where he was able to surround himself with the subtropical plants he admired so much.

His work lives on and his contribution to Australian gardening is of immense significance. He has inspired generations of gardeners and has mentored some of today's most recognised members of the horticultural media.

Judy Horton, HMA, NSW.
September 2005

Source: Extracted from: Obituary - Vale Stirling Macoboy, HMA News, p.2, September 2005
Portrait Photo: 1986, photo: Jack Lee, What Flower is That?, back dust-jacket flap.