“I never wanted 15 minutes of fame – I just wanted to make people’s lives better. I used television to achieve goals for people.”
For 17 years he used to pop into our lounge rooms every Friday night and entertain us with his laid back, engaging style on Burke’s Backyard.
Once the best known gardener in the country, and a pioneer of the reality TV genre, Don Burke is 68 now. And while you may not see his face on the telly so much these days, he is just as busy as ever.
We caught up with the famous Australian gardening guru, environmental campaigner, media personality and budgie breeder to chat about life after 65 and what interests and inspires him most these days. He even gives us his Top 5 items for your veggie patch.
What do you think was your best achievement over a long and star studded career in television, radio and print?
“Organising the setting up of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority or the APVMA. It took over 20 years of my life and it’s no small organisation – with 30 million in funding and 190 staff. Without a doubt.
“When I grew up we were using Agent Orange and DDT and arsenic. There was no national body to control chemical usage in horticulture and agriculture and nobody gave a damn – and the view I took was that sometimes the best you can do is make things a little less worse. The whole ideas was to start using safer chemicals.
“I was the president of the Australian Institute of Horticulture and by working with Jack Hallam, the Minister for Agriculture, we introduced the environmental weeds policy. The first ones we worked on were the Rhus tree and pampas grass – and they’re pretty much gone now.”
A television innovator and reality television pioneer
With a background in horticulture and marketing, Don was daring and innovative with his television show, Burke’s Backyard, paving the way for many other lifestyle shows that followed him.
In fact, his company, called CTC Productions, which he still runs with this wife Marea, was the first media company to make the new genre of reality TV work so well.
“We did a lot of extensive research and we knew we wanted to present lifestyle entertainment – we developed fun and entertaining ways to do it. Unlike a lot of other people, I never wanted 15 minutes of fame – I just wanted to make people’s lives better and happier.
The job of anyone is to serve a variety of people and I think that’s what we did. I used television to achieve goals for people.”
Do you think it’s a good idea that retirement villages are introducing community gardens and vege patches?
“I think they’re very good – you know they started during World War II because there were so many general foods they couldn’t get. So they had allotments. I think these are great for retirement villages – look at what the Wayside Chapel is doing so well.
But it does cost you a lot more to plant and grow food. The sheer pleasure of growing your own food is wonderful but it’s quite costly. I think the health benefits and the social benefits are wonderful and it keeps your body flexible.
…the view I took was that sometimes the best you can do is make things less worse
If people are planning a community garden or their own veggie patch, what would be the Top Five things you’d recommend to plant?
“For a start, getting outdoors will add significantly more years to your life – it’s so beneficial for your happiness and health.
“I think a vege garden constructs a loop – where you grow food, eat it, then compost the scraps and it all starts again. You can do this and it’s incredibly satisfying. I would recommend:
1) Tomatoes – they are the number one home-grown crop but remember you can grow low-acid varieties or colourful ones
2) Basil – because it goes so well with tomatoes
3) Turmeric – one of the best foods to grow – it’s a ginger and of all the gingers, it’s the best – it has so many beneficial qualities and even staves off dementia
4) Lettuce – because they grow for 12 months of the year
5) Chives – cut up finely they are great in salads
An extra tip from Don is to plant a native fruit tree called the Australian Finger Lime.
“This tree is very thorny but once you try the fruit you’ll see it’s worth it. The fruit are about the size of your finger and full of what looks like caviar. Squeeze them out and you’ll find they have a lime, citrussy flavour. Fantastic in salads or with fish. It’s the best-tasting citrus you’ll ever have!”
Don currently has a DVD out called Backyard Farming – Back to the Kitchen, which can also help with your questions about how to start a community garden. It is available to buy on his website here at Burke’s Backyard.
Personal Challenges
I saw the interview you did with your wife, Marea, on A Current Affair about the time when Marea had life-threatening surgery, followed some years later by breast cancer. What advice would you give to people who find themselves in a similar situation, where they are suddenly the carer?
“Our family just pulled together when Marea was crook. She’s a heroic sort of a person and all of us did things we didn’t think we could do – we all just did them.
“So they were not entirely bad times. They were tough – we were still doing all the other things at the time – running three prime TV shows plus the magazine plus the radio.
“It would be improper and silly for me to tell people what to do – you have to do it the way you can.”
I’m still working on genetic breeding and animal cruelty. Australia hasn’t dealt with these issues yet.
What are your other interests and hobbies?
“I breed exhibition budgies and I think I will do a budgie book. I’m still working on animal cruelty caused by bad breeding practices. Australia hasn’t dealt with these issues yet. I’ve been working my way around to this issue. It’s the world’s biggest form of animal cruelty. The RSPCA doesn’t have any interest in it – not one animal welfare group could give a damn.
I’ve been fighting this for over 30 years. The focus of prevention of cruelty to animals has really gone. But I won’t give up. The most popular bird pet is the budgerigar – by far.
“I’m just launching a club called the Australian Heritage Budgerigar Association because I’m trying to keep alive these beautiful Australian budgerigars that are all but extinct.”
Not retired
Don is not retired and, just as it sounds here, he still keeps his hand in a whole lot of pies. He is a speaker and MC and he entertains audiences from all walks of life with stories of his travels, the lifestyle genre of TV he helped pioneer, gardening, the environment, animals and animal breeding.
He still runs his website, Burke’s Backyard and presents syndicated Burke’s Backyard radio segments to air around Australia. At times he does segments for Nine Network’s A Current Affair and other TV programs. He also films for Burke’s Backyard Youtube Channel.
if that’s not enough, he is a Patron of Retina Australia, a Board Member of the Science Advisory Committee for University of NSW, and an Australia Day Ambassador. He is also constantly working on new books. He has published 15 books to date with the latest released last year, called Growing & Using Herns & Spices.
Back on the home front
Don currently lives on five rocky acres on the north western outskirts of Sydney where he’s created an indigenous garden recognised by various groups as one of the best indigenous garden in Australia. Don’s book, Indigenous, tells the story of the construction of the garden and life for Don and his family.
Don remains married to his wife of nearly 50 years, Marea, and they have two children, Christine and Sean. Don and Marea have two grandsons – Joshua and Ben.
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Take a look at some of the achievements in Don’s amazing career:
POSITIONS HELD
- President of Students’ Association – Ryde TAFE – approx 1973-1975
- President Australian Institute of Horticulture NSW – approx 1980 – 1983
- Australia Day Ambassador 1990 to present
- Board Member – Sustainable Development Australia – approx 1991 – 1992
- Board Member – Landcare Australia – approx 1992
- Initiator & Board Member of the National Registration Authority for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (NRA). Now APVMA – Australian Pesticides & Veterinary Medicines Authority
- Chair of the Australian Environment Foundation 2005 – 2008
MEDIA
- Creator, Presenter and Executive Producer of Burke’s Backyard TV program in Australia for 17 years. Programs were filmed in Papua New Guinea, England, Ireland, Italy, Greece, US, Mexico, Spain, Bali, New Zealand, Japan and China.
- Executive Producer: Backyard Blitz which also won six Logies
- Radio Presenter at 2UE for 12 years and won a Peter Award
- Editor in Chief of Burke’s Backyard Magazine which began in 1998 and continued for 15 years
- Author of more than 15 books, including The Lazy Gardener, six volumes of Burke’s Backyard Information Guide, Home Grown, Indigenous, Organic and Burke’s Backyard Ultimate Book of Fact Sheets
- Don also produced and presented three documentaries for Channel Nine:
- Listen to the Kids – outdoor play and adventure activities for kids
- Fatal Instinct: environmental damage caused by feral cats
- Wild Sex – sexual activities with domestic & wild animals
- Pas Chez Nous (not in our backyard) – condemning nuclear testing at Murora Atol, screened in Europe
AWARDS
- 6 Logies – Burke’s Backyard
- 1 People’s Choice Award – Burke’s Backyard
- 6 Logies – Backyard Blitz
- Variety Club TV Performer of the Year 1990
- Banksia Award for Media Contribution to the Environment
- The Inaugural Golden Wattle Award from the Australian Institute of Horticulture
- Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the environment, horticulture & media 2012
