Peter Cundall
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Peter Cundall A.M. |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
1 April 1927 Manchester, England |
| Residence | Tamar Valley, Tasmania |
| Nationality |
 Australia
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| Occupation | Soldier Horticulturalist Conservationist Radio presenter Television presenter |
| Years active | 1969–2008 |
| Employer | ABC |
| Known for | Host of Gardening Australia (1989–2008) |
| Television | Gardening Australia |
| Awards |
Australian Humanist of the Year (2006) Order of Australia (2007) Churchill Fellowship (1974) |
Peter Cundall, AM (born 1 April 1927) is a horticulturalist, conservationist, author, broadcaster and television personality in Australia. He currently lives in Tasmania's Tamar Valley, and until the age of 81 continued to be a presenter of the ABC TV program Gardening Australia. His last show aired on 26 July 2008. He will continue his radio show from Tasmania, his appearances at the Gardening Australia Expos and continue work on his autobiography. He was awarded a Membership of the Order of Australia in 2007 "For service to the environment, particularly the protection of wilderness areas in Tasmania, and to horticulture as a presenter of gardening programs on television and radio."
Cundall has become a household name to Australian gardeners. The TV show and magazine Gardening Australia Peter represents has a devoted audience of both younger and older gardeners and admirers. At Gardening Australia Live shows (gardening exhibitions in Australian capital cities) Peter Cundall's presentations attract many viewers. In a 2008 issue of Reader's Digest, he came 8th in a poll of the 100 most trusted Australians. He is an environmentalist and pacifist.
Peter Cundall was born into an impoverished home, "the poorest of the poor", in Manchester, England on 1 April 1927, as the second of six children. Two of his brothers died when he was young. His father was an alcoholic and battered his mother. This put Cundall off alcohol forever. He was sent to a Catholic school, but never believed the dogma he was taught. His Head Teacher called him a "steady lad who tries hard". He left school at age 12, but straight away had a love for knowledge, books and reading. He worked as a milk boy and a tram conductor. Near the end of World War II, Cundall joined the British Army's Parachute Regiment. He was stationed in various countries in post-war Europe in France, Austria, Germany, Italy and Yugoslavia and the Middle East in Egypt and the British Mandate for Palestine. During these travels he visited many private and public gardens and parks in order to add to his knowledge of plants and landscaping practices covering a wide range of climatic conditions. He was also stationed at a liberated Concentration Camp and has said that the things he saw and heard had a deep impact on him.
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