“CityNews” has lost a good friend; is friendless in the ACT government and is making new friends with its fabulous, new website. It’s another “Seven Days” with IAN MEIKLE. 

GARDENING guru Cedric Bryant has been part of the fun and fabric of “CityNews” for more than a decade.

He worked with me when I ran “The Canberra Times” but, after 24 years, was sent packing in a heartbeat by its editor. 

“It was a sudden thing, he called me into his office and told me that he likes change and that, as of now, I was terminated,” Cedric candidly told reporter Kathryn Vukovljak in the story announcing his arrival at “CityNews” in February, 2011.

But, as a gardener, he’d know about the silver linings in clouds and I was proud to give him a weekly page. And he’s never missed a week. Not one. Until now. 

A horticulturist (“Never horticulturalist, Ian”), he trained with influential gardening expert John Brookes in the UK in 1988, and operated his own commercial nursery and herb garden at Yass. He designed gardens for more than 45 years and numbers among his clients famous Australians, leading locals and national institutions.

Cedric’s not a man given to fads. His gardening writing is clear, simple, straightforward advice on how to make the best of your garden, big or small, whatever the season.

Though (shock, horror), he did break from the traditional advice of pruning roses in late August to advocating a prune-’em-anytime approach. That shook a few leaves. 

Through “CityNews” columns, he has worried about the shrinking size of the suburban block and its inability to grow big trees or offer enough room for kids to play. He’s been critical of how the Floriade was managed and presented, unhappy that the thinning floral density of the flowerbeds was part of cost cutting and that the flowers were secondary to other entertainment. 

He was pretty well a lone voice against the choice of trees lining the tram route, concerned at the dangerous prospect of falling branches. Only time will tell if he was right.

Cedric established his garden design and horticultural consultancy at his home in Watson in 1991. “They say the taps at a plumber’s house are always dripping, but it’s not the case here. I work hard to maintain this garden because it’s my demonstration garden,” he told Kathryn.

Charmingly, his columns always refer to it as “our garden”. “Our” to include his beloved wife Gerdina.

Sadly, ill-health has caught up with our cheerful and loyal friend and he finds himself, not lost for words, but unable to usefully keep writing. He leaves an incredible legacy of gardening tips (always searchable at citynews.com.au) and his wise advice is reflected in more gardens across this city than he’ll ever know. As he says: “Gardening is a journey that never finishes”. Thank you, Cedric. 

IT’S not just Greens leader Shane Rattenbury making a virtue of not reading the hurtipoo “CityNews”. His government’s Your Say gnomes seem keen to ensure respondents to their latest online panel survey don’t either.

A couple of readers, including Ann Smith, of Curtin, took umbrage when asked “how I got ACT govt news”.

“I selected print media among three choices, so got directed to a list of local (ha! “Sydney Morning Herald”?) print sources,” Ann says.

“Strange to say, the list did not include ‘CityNews’. Not only did I select “Other” among my next three choices, but I deliberately asked why ‘CityNews’ had not been included in the list.”

Another reader shared the full list with us. Among the usual local media suspects (except “CityNews”) was a bevy of interstate newspapers. 

The reader says: “‘CityNews’ addresses important issues which relate to or are directly impacting residents in more than one actual area of this city.”

I see our omission as proof positive of what scores of readers and commentators have asserted in the past and that is, Your Say is a flawed and blinkered research tool. Or is it a prime example of how, after two decades under Labor, the public service is politicised and scared to give fearless feedback? 

WE have a shiny, new website (citynews.com.au) that presents our work way better than we’ve been able to in the past. Rebuilt from the ground up, citynews.com.au is a real leader in design and functionality (did I promise some months ago never to use that word? Sorry). And it showcases the valuable and capable work of our reporters and writers in a beautiful, authoritative, paywall-free environment. 

We needed to shakedown mothership to allow for regional, digital growth by having a robust web structure that will take us anywhere. And Queanbeyan is our first true step. 

In recent days we have gently launched QBN CityNews (at citynewsqbn.com.au), a new website dedicated to covering the local news and views of Queanbeyan.

It will feature the best of our regular “CityNews” stories, arts and columns, but enriched with local coverage from local journalists living in and reporting from Queanbeyan. 

We believe there’s never been a better time to share our old-school journalistic values of balanced, fair and accurate reporting with a community that has been deserted by bigger, Canberra-based media players. Story leads, please, to Belinda Strahorn at belinda@citynews.com.au

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon.