Our Company
We are Leura's very own Garden Centre located in this beautiful garden village in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. Birches of Leura was purchased by Bruce and Rosemary Hart in September 2020. Bruce and Rosemary are the Directors of Walytja Pty Limited, the parent company. Walytja is an Australian aboriginal language word for family or community and was chosen by Bruce and Rosemary in 1998 when the company was established as an Engineering Consultancy.
Our Vision
Birches of Leura Vision is simple. Our vision is to be known and respected as providers of quality goods and exceptional customer service. Birches of Leura brings joy to our customers, focusses on sustainability, supports “local for local” commerce, provides honest and rewarding work for our team and operates ethically.
Our Team
Although only small, our team is very much aligned with the theme of Walytja:
Lachlan has many years of experience in the Horticulture Industry having started his career in the Retail Nursery Sector. He has also spent many years in the Landscape Industry and more recently in the Ecological Restoration Industry where he project managed large scale Restoration and Revegetation Projects. He is passionate about sustainable living and has studied and practiced Permaculture Design. Lachlan’s young daughter is also growing up to be a devotee of sustainability and the natural world.
Joylee is a family friend and neighbour with years of experience in a retail setting. She brings her creative talents in merchandising and floristry to our gift shop by creating our displays and providing high quality floral arrangements. Having completed her Cert 2 in Floristry in 2019, Joylee was awarded a Statement of Excellence by Wentworth Falls TAFE. She is also an accomplished home gardener with an excellent working knowledge of plants. Joylee not only brings her creative talents to Birches but also her bright personality and friendly service. Joylee, her husband and children are long term residents of the Blue Mountains.
Rosemary is a retired Primary School Teacher with more than 60 years of service in the profession. She was a class teacher at Springwood Primary School for over 30 years. Rosemary is joint owner of the Birches of Leura Garden and Gift Centre with husband Bruce. Rosemary and Bruce have lived in the Blue Mountains for over 40 years where they have raised their family of four children and eight grandchildren and have been involved in many facets of the mountains community. Rosemary was awarded Blue Mountains Senior Citizen of the Year 2021.
Bruce served in the Royal Australian Air Force as an aeronautical engineer for 20 years prior to spending 34 years in various Management and Consultancy roles in the Defence and Communications industries where he worked for Philips Defence, ADI Limited, Optus Communications, Boeing Australia, Qantas, Honeywell and CAE Australia. As joint owner with Rosemary, Bruce’s role within the company is to support the team at Birches with administration and back-up as required in the nursery and gift shop.
