Jean Britton - Queen of the Daffodil

Seldom do the secateurs stop snipping for Jean Britton, who’s been at it with flowers for more than 60 years, including decades at the helm of flower shows and rose societies across the region.

Not only has Jean been a long-reigning queen of the daffodil at the Arrowtown Horticultural Society’s Spring Flower Show, celebrating its 101st year this month, but she’s been part of the New Zealand Heritage Rose Society for some 40 years. That’s included 10 as Central Otago convenor. She’s spent 10 as president of the Arrowtown Horticultural Society, which she joined when retiring here in 2005, been president of the Wakatipu Garden Club and had a long association with the NZ Alpine Garden Society.

Jean’s also a bit of a stage queen, a popular Southland entertainer with late husband Bob for many years before retiring to the Wakatipu where she’s starred in Showbiz Queenstown’s Cabaret and The Sound of Music. A founding member of the Arrowtown Entertainers, Bob writing some of their musical scripts and Jean their music, at 80 she’s still hitting the high notes.
Cold winters don’t bother Jean.

Raised in Omakau she attended the tiny Ophir School, biking home, her mitten-clad hands stuffed inside bunny skins wrapped around her handlebars. “I’d throw my suitcase down, grab my skates and head down to the rink on the pond by the Manuherikia River.”

The sole male teacher at Ophir School, with its roll of 24, instilled a love of gardening in an already fascinated young Jean. Interschool gardening plot competitions were a major part of the curriculum, and it was through Jean’s mum boasting her daughter’s home gardening prowess that a visitor suggested she should become a florist, which she did.

Music was also encouraged.

When Jean was 12, they moved to Darfield where she discovered ‘pop’ when The Everly Brothers were big. In 1960 they moved to Invercargill where Jean began a floristry apprenticeship at H.S. Young. Floristry was huge then with nine or 10 staff in the workroom. “I had to wire leaves and sweep the floor then clean the water in the buckets of flowers in the cooler every night.” Funeral wreaths and wedding bouquets were in big demand.

The pay wasn’t great, and Jean met Bob working weekends at the Caltex Station. She was engaged at 18 and married at 19. “My mother-in-law thought I was too young, and it wouldn’t last,” she grins. But it did – almost 61 years, until Bob passed earlier this year. The pair were awarded Arrowtown’s Unsung Hero Award last year on their 60th wedding anniversary.

Talented musos, they formed well known bands, including ‘The Doubtful Sound’ and ‘The Bob Britten Combo’, performing in Invercargill bars and restaurants, a sought-after act at Don Lodge and ‘Top of the Kelvin’ dine and dances.

Things didn’t always go according to plan. A waitress once launched through the double swing doors and tripped sending a large flying fish hurtling across the dancefloor, smacking into the back of a man’s nice suit. And when shirring gathered bodices were fashionable Jean had difficulty containing her song when a woman, engrossed in romantic dancing with her partner, was totally oblivious to the fact that her strapless bodice had dropped exposing her breast.

Bob was a loss adjustor and while their three children were little Jean helped in the office, eventually becoming an adjustor too for their Claims Services Southland.

But Jean’s home roots always beckoned and after many long weekends skiing and holidaying in their Arrowtown crib they moved to the Wakatipu in 1988. “We bought a holiday crib on the banks of the Shotover and ended up turning that into our home,” Jean says. Here their loss adjusting business boomed and once retired Jean got the spade out and pursued her love of gardening.

She and Wakatipu Heritage Rose Society friends fundraised at Autumn Festival markets to buy roses which they planted in a heritage trail through town.

In 2014 the Arrowtown Business Association asked Jean for ideas to brighten Arrowtown streets. With funding support from local groups and Bob’s help, they bought flower boxes and Jean and her horticultural friends got planting. They still keep those looking smart.

The Flower Show must go on and not even last spring’s deluge which prompted a local state of emergency stopped flower power from blossoming through for the 100th celebration of the iconic Arrowtown event. While the mayor couldn’t come and businesses were closed, the sun shone on cue. “It was absolutely brilliant,” Jean says. We had one of our biggest crowds. It worked in our favour.”

She may have handed over the Flower Show reins, but Jean is still helping get a now, new-look show on the road for this year’s 101st event on September 27 and 28. “It’s all about having a good team. I certainly never did it on my own,” she says.