Sad news reaches OnTheWight that Simon Goodenough, the former curator at Ventnor Botanic Garden (VBG), has died this week.
Simon was curator at VBG for 25 years, from 1986 until 2011, where he helped create a world-renowned botanical garden. Not long after he first arrived, he had to navigate a drought and following the hurricanes of 1987, Simon took the opportunity to introduce a range of regional gardens, namely; Australia; New Zealand; Mediterranean; South Africa and America, which are still mostly present today.
Passionate about gardening and advocating for those less fortunate, he described himself as,
“Gardener, bon viveur, slightly eccentric, family man. RHS Judge and Committee member. Retired and gardening, excited by all things plant.”
During his time at the Garden, Simon was responsible for setting up the Friends of Ventnor Botanic Garden Society, which through the generosity of hundreds of volunteers over the years has supported the Garden and those who work there.
Fierce criticism
In 2011, Simon accepted voluntary redundancy, and as someone who was not afraid to speak out about issues that mattered to him, Simon delivered a stinging attack on the Conservative Administration who had sold the 125-year lease to the Garden an American buyer (through a CIC) for £1.
He said,
“As I leave Ventnor I am fiercely proud of the Garden’s achievements. That my initial vision from the Garden has been so dramatically brought to life by the dedication of the Garden Team who have resolutely been with me through thick and thin is a magnificent legacy not just for myself, but for the earlier pioneers who shared a vision and a passion for a public botanic garden.
“The fact that such enlightenment is not shared by the current crop of self-seeking politically motivated administrators is sad indeed, but I am convinced that this is just another blip in the somewhat chequered history of Ventnor Botanic Garden. These straitened times will be tough, but I would urge all the Friends to keep the faith and support VBG and the staff who remain with even more passion and pride.
“Ventnor Botanic Garden is indelibly the Isle of Wight’s Heritage, it is of major national importance and it is a beacon of enlightenment. Those who think otherwise are wrong and are just passing through like a sewage spill after heavy rain, soon to be washed away!”
After leaving VBG, Simon went on to become curator of The National Botanic Garden of Wales.
National news
Eleven year later, in the summer of 2022, Simon shared a Letter to the Editor, suggesting it was time for new management at VBG, which hit the national press.
The BBC, The Times and the Daily Mail all picked up on the criticism aimed at the Garden’s leadership, John Curtis.
A lasting legacy
Simon’s Twitter feed provided colourful updates from his garden, which with his wife, Debs, he tended into his retirement years in the picturesque village of Chillerton.
Simon’s legacy will live on and he will be missed by all those who knew and worked with him.
His family advise that the funeral will be a private family affair as per Simon’s wishes. If anyone would like to pay tribute, Simon requested donations to either the Mountbatten Hospice or Prostate Cancer UK.
Our thoughts are with Debs and the family.
Article edit
6pm 29th Jan 2025 – Funeral arrangements updated and family favourite photo added
