She is a remarkable woman. Though reluctant to di­vulge her age—”people categorise you”—with 49 years of work behind her, she cannot be too youthful. Yet she thinks, moves and speaks with boundless vigour and zest, and, despite her commitment to her work, she still man­ages to belong to various societies—Forest & Bird, a Landcare group, the Otago Botanical Society—and main­tain a worthwhile garden.