Dorothy Koreshoff

[BonsaiBoy]

Does anyone know if Dorothy Koreshoff was the first to bonsai in Australia? i think I read this somewhere

[aaron_tas]

i know that Dorothy and Vita were very, Very early.

i know that they founded around 7-8 clubs all over the place,
and had an ENORMOUS influence in the bonsai world of australia.

i consider Dorothy Koreshoff to be my grand mother of bonsai Australia.

does anyone else know of any earlier bonsai artists/professionals??

[Asus101]

there where a few from 1954, returning service men, but Dot helped push the art. Its our turn to keep pushing.

[aaron_tas]

yeah, she's brilliant!!
i demonstrate regularly at my local club, trying to push bonsai as much as i can in tassie.
i hope everyone out there is trying to push aswell.
the more people that are interested in bonsai, the better artists in this great country there will be...

[Jon Chown]

While there is no doubt that Dorothy and Vito have had an enormous influence to many if not most of the Bonsaiists in Australia and of corse we must not forget their daughter Deborah who produced perhaps one of the finest Bonsai Publications - 'Bonsai its Art, Science, History and Philosophy' a veritable bible to any budding bonsai enthusiest.

There is another name that perhaps should be mentioned from that same era and that is Len Webber. Len wrote a book on Ficus which I seem to have missplaced for the moment but if my memory serves me correctly Len began bonsai on his return from Japan after WW2. His collection was handed over to the Ithica Tafe who I believe have subsequently given it to the City of Brisbane and it is held and maintained at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens at Mt Cootha and well worth a look if anyone is up this way.

Yours in Bonsai
Jon

[Pup]

Vita Koreshoff started growing Bonsai in Australia in 1932. He and Dorothy married in 1949 after marriage Dot ( as she is fondly known ) got interested it then became the most important of there hobbies they had.
Their Bonsai collection what is left is the oldest in Australia. At the age of 7 Deborah had her own benches with show quality trees. In 1976 there nursery became the authorised branch of the Nippon Bonsai SAIKEI Institute of Tokyo .
My first knowledge of Natives came from reading there book Bonsai with Australian PlantsIt is full of use full information and ideas.

In 2001 one my natives won the Best in Show award by AABC presented by Lindsay Bebb on behalf of Solita Rosade at the time President of the Bonsai Clubs International. At the presentation I dedicated my win to Dorothy as my Mentor. There was another doyen of Bonsai from Victoria by the name of Ron Andersen he had a big influence on Bonsai in that state he was also a help to Jennifer Wilkinson when she wrote her book on Bosai in 1993. The Bebb family of Queensland have also had a big impact on Bonsai in Australia. Pup

[Kunzea]

The history of bonsai in Australia is interesting and not much recorded. I have a project to record the oral history of bonsai in Australia. There are about 25 recordings so far from across the country, but more will be very useful I'm sure. There was a presentation of club histories at the AABC Conference in Sydney a few years ago.

The Koreshoffs were certainly amongst the earliest of those who helped to develop bonsai into the widely practiced art and hobby that it is. They were preceeded, however, in the growing of bonsai by several decades at least. There are records of 'bonsai' grown by Chinese who came to Sydney in the first decade of the 20th century (e.g. James Pang). There is also, what for me is just as yet an unconfirmed, a report of a maple that dates from early in the 20th century as well. I think it was owned by someone in Melbourne, but subsequently became the property of a lady who moved to Tasmania. I don't know if it still survives or the details of its history.

Kunzea

[PeterW]

The history of bonsai in Australia is interesting and not much recorded. I have a project to record the oral history of bonsai in Australia. There are about 25 recordings so far from across the country, but more will be very useful I'm sure. There was a presentation of club histories at the AABC Conference in Sydney a few years ago.

The Koreshoffs were certainly amongst the earliest of those who helped to develop bonsai into the widely practiced art and hobby that it is. They were preceeded, however, in the growing of bonsai by several decades at least. There are records of 'bonsai' grown by Chinese who came to Sydney in the first decade of the 20th century (e.g. James Pang). There is also, what for me is just as yet an unconfirmed, a report of a maple that dates from early in the 20th century as well. I think it was owned by someone in Melbourne, but subsequently became the property of a lady who moved to Tasmania. I don't know if it still survives or the details of its history.

Kunzea

That is interesting. It would be great to get something documented on that and possibly delve deeper into it to so we can have a recorded history of Bonsai in Australia.
Thanks for posting that info Kunzea. Can you fill out your profile a bit please.
Regards
Peter

[Kigawa]

I noticed that in this discussion Vitaliy Koreshoff is referred to as Vita or Vito. I think to the history of Australian Bonsai he should be known by not by a misspelled short name, but by his full name.

[craigw60]

Hi Pup I was very close to Ron andersen we were friends for many years Ron was very particular with his trees which were always immaculate. He was the person who taught me the importance of not have too large a collection. Ron also imported quite a lot of trees from Japan, he left me an imported red pine which was I think the last one to come into the country.
One person who had a great influence on bonsai in Vic was Nel Saffin. Nel was a very gifted teacher. She and Ron had a duo demo routine for many years Ron did the work and Nel spoke.
Craig

[Pup]

I noticed that in this discussion Vitaliy Koreshoff is referred to as Vita or Vito. I think to the history of Australian Bonsai he should be known by not by a misspelled short name, but by his full name.

The Name on the three books co written with Dorothy are ( VITA ) for Vitaliy so I believe that is why he is referred to as Vita, that his wife and friends used that also.

It was never my intention to use it, in any other sense than with Praise for the Man.

Yours in Bonsai Pup

[MattA]

I am a plant nut in general and for a number of years was heavily into collecting early australian gardening ephemera, catalogues, advertising, labels etc There are numerous mentions of bonsai mentioned for sale from approx 1898 onwards. More usually listed under decriptive titles such as "Bizarre Miniature Japanese tree" rather than as bonsai. I no longer hold the collection but will try and get copies of relevant material for you if you are interested. I am sure the new owner would be willing to share for the greater good.

I met Dot (as she introduced herself) in 1986, at the Australian Bonsai Society Show in Castle Hill. I was awestruck by a Banksia serrata, I had never seen a bonsai in the flesh and was overwhelmed until Dot came over & tapped me on the shoulder. She was so warm and so willing to share her huge passion for our art, walking around most of the display that year describing the trees and what has been done to get them to look how they do. I was so inspired I went home & dug a little jacaranda seedling from my parents front garden. I still have it today, fattening nicely in my front garden for a few years.

Over the coming years I would get my dad to take me up to see Dot & her trees as often as possible. She encouraged me to spend as much time as possible walking amongst her trees and just "feel" them with all of my senses. She encouraged me to get my hands dirty as much as possible and strongly encouraged the use of natives, a passion I have today.

Matt

[bodhidharma]

I have a friend who is a quiet achiever in Bonsai and has only ever influenced his surrounding local community. His name is Tom Cochrane and is 75 years old and still has his first bonsai he ever created at 7 years old. You do the math. His forte is exquisite little trees that are shohin in size. I am hoping he will leave me some in his will He was never influenced by the Japanese but always just wanted to do Bonsai. His Mother used to dabble and this is what kicked him off.

[Jamie]

i have heard that name somewhere before bodhi, im not sure where but i have... would love to see some of his trees! a shohin lover like myself!

[bodhidharma]

i have heard that name somewhere before bodhi, im not sure where but i have... would love to see some of his trees! a shohin lover like myself!

Quite right Jamie, i will visit him and take some photo's and ask if i can post them. I am due to visit him. I like to regard him as the person who refined a lot of my skills and he has taught me a truckload of techniques.