Tom Wyatt

After approximately 40 years since its inception, the final edition of Gardening Talkback went to air on 29 July 2022 with Wyatt's family being present during his last show.

In 2021, Wyatt officially unveiled new signage at the parklands on the Talbot Estate which were named in his honour.

Wyatt served as a Livingstone Shire councillor until 2020 when he decided not to stand as a candidate at the local government elections in March 2020.

Wyatt and Webber's efforts in rescuing Casius (or "Cassie") and Octavius (or "Ockie") have been credited with indirectly establishing a successful breeding program at the zoo as well as making the zoo popular with visitors. Three baby chimpanzees have been successfully delivered at the zoo in 2018, 2020 and 2021, while there have also been two stillbirths.

In 2017, Wyatt celebrated Gardening Talkback's 35th anniversary.

After Kershaw Gardens sustained considerable damage during Cyclone Marcia in 2015, the gardens were temporarily closed to allow for them to be redeveloped, which included incorporating a new central precinct with newly installed barbeque facilities, playground equipment and water play area.

While "Ockie" died in 2013 from a heart condition, Casius celebrated his 50th birthday in 2021 and continues to live at Rockhampton Zoo and is the alpha male of the pack.

During his campaign to be elected as a councillor at the 2012 local government elections, Wyatt was a vocal critic of the plan to demolish the old North Rockhampton railway station which had been relocated to Kershaw Gardens from its original site. The plan to demolish the station was first proposed in 2012 with Rockhampton Regional Council citing termite damage as the reason. Wyatt accused the council of neglect and questioned why the termite activity hadn't been noticed earlier. The station was eventually demolished in 2017 ahead of the redeveloped Kershaw Garden's reopening following Cyclone Marcia.

Prior to the 2012 local government elections, Wyatt was touted as a possible Rockhampton Region mayoral candidate to potentially run against the councils' inaugural mayor Brad Carter. However, Wyatt later confirmed he wouldn't run for mayor, but would instead run as a candidate for the Capricorn Coast-based Division 2 position. Wyatt was successful in his bid, beating incumbent Brett Svendsen and commenced serving as the Division 2 councillor under the newly elected Rockhampton Region mayor, Margaret Strelow, a former mayor of Rockhampton City Council.

A second edition of All Your Gardening Questions Answered was published by Boolarong Press in 2011.

In 2011, Wyatt joined a steering committee which was established on the Capricorn Coast to review the controversial amalgamation of Livingstone Shire, Mount Morgan Shire, and Fitzroy Shire with Rockhampton City Council in 2008.

In December 2009, it was reported that the Ibis population at the Gardens had decreased by 69% since the program's introduction. However, the Ibis population continued to be an ongoing issue for the Gardens in the years which followed.

Wyatt served as the curator of the Botanic Gardens until he accepted a redundancy package in 2008 following a public scandal surrounding his unauthorised culling of baby Ibis birds, which first came to light when two men working on a Jobs Queensland horticulturist course alleged that council workers had secretly culled at least 87 birds at the Gardens.

Wyatt ultimately accepted the redundancy package in October 2008.

In 2006, Wyatt released The ABC of Gardening which was published by Central Queensland University Press.

In 2006, Wyatt was awarded a Pride of Australia award in the environmental category with the judges praising him for initiating the Greening of Rockhampton initiative and for his role in converting a refuse tip into the acclaimed Kershaw Gardens.

In 1999, Wyatt released his book All Your Gardening Questions Answered which was published by CQU Press.

Wyatt served as curator of the Botanic Gardens until 1998 when a restructure at Rockhampton City Council saw his services no longer required. However, he was asked to return to the role in 2001.

In the early 1990's, Wyatt obtained seed material from Mexico and Zimbabwe which was planted within in the lawn surrounding the Rockhampton War Memorial which is located within the Botanic Gardens.

Becoming a bicentennial project, the gardens were officially opened as Cliff Kershaw Gardens by Harry Butler on 18 September 1988.

Wyatt is credited with helping save two chimpanzees called Cassius and Octavius from being euthanised in Tweed Heads in 1986 due to suspected tuberculosis.

A major project undertaken during his curatorship at the Botanic Gardens was the construction of a Kenzo Ogata-designed Japanese Garden which commenced in 1979 following Australia and Japan signing the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in 1976. Constructed as part of the relationship forged with Rockhampton's Japanese sister city Ibusuki, it was officially opened by the ambassador of Japan to Australia Mizuo Kuroda on 17 June 1982. In exchange, Wyatt helped develop and plant an Australian garden in Ibusuki in 1983 which included constructing a slab hut with Australian timber.

Wyatt became a regular guest on local Rockhampton ABC station 4RK in 1982 when the staff discussed the idea of incorporating a 10-minute gardening segment into the local morning program.

In 1976, Wyatt obtained additional palm species for the Botanic Gardens which were renowned for holding the largest collection of such species in the southern hemisphere. That same year, Wyatt investigated the possibility of establishing a tropical fruit arboretum to demonstrate the diversity of tropical fruit which could be grown in Central Queensland. The arboretum was successfully completed in 1978.

In 1976, Wyatt joined the Rockhampton & District Pensioners Social and Welfare Society of which he was secretary from 1982 to 2013, and president from 2013.

He has been a board member of the Talbot Estate, an independent living estate in the suburb of Wandal, since 1976 and has served as president since 2010 - only the third president to serve since the estate was established following Rex Pilbeam and Dr Laurie Georgeson.

Relocating to Rockhampton from Townsville in 1974 and holding a Certificate of Horticulture, Rockhampton City Council appointed Wyatt as the curator of the Rockhampton Botanic Gardens as well as the Director of Parks and Gardens in August 1974.

Thomas Alan Wyatt (born 1946) is an Australian horticulturalist best known for his 40-year association with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Queensland for which he hosted a weekly program called Gardening Talkback on the ABC Local Radio network.