Jan Pont & Marg Anderson: The Garden Gatherers

“When you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back”
Rebecca Solnit, Writer & Historian*

In 2001 Jan Pont and Margaret (Marg) Anderson began the hunt for a property that would take them out of the hustle and bustle of Sydney. They had a long list of requirements, including a house with character, a wood fire and a garden for people to relax in. They had already chosen a name for their property, Casa della Pace, Italian for House of Peace. They expected to find an old house with history and personality. What they found was a property that redefined their lives and has given to them as much as they have given to it.

With Marg’s sister living in Middle Arm, the Goulburn area was a natural place to start looking. After viewing a few properties in and around Crookwell, none of them quite hit the mark. As a last hope the real estate agent suggested a place where the sale had fallen through a week earlier. She didn’t have the keys with her but at least they could look through the garden and around the house.

“We walked through the gate,” Marg recalls “and we said ‘You had better go and get the keys’. We knew even before we came into the house that this was it.” Rather than an old building, their mystery house was a modern, rammed earth dwelling. A grapevine wound its way over the patio frame. Stepping off the patio took them into a professionally landscaped garden with stone walls and mature trees. There was a need to plant out the undergrowth, but the beginnings of their haven of relaxation were there.

Not having much gardening experience, they were quick to extract information from friends and visitors to build their knowledge. “Anybody who came here who knew anything about gardens, I would leap on them and say ‘Do you know what that is?’” laughs Marg. She set out to learn the names all of the 100 plus varieties of roses in the garden.

Jan brought her visions for the structural aspects of the garden, such as the wisteria walk and pergola. Little walkways entice visitors to explore deeper while sculptural elements and garden seats are an invitation to pause and enjoy a moment of rest. “There is no such thing as a finished garden,” Jan declares with equal parts despair and humour. Together they have created a stunning, multi-layered, ever-changing garden.

A year after moving to Casa della Pace, Marg and Jan entered and won a local garden competition. This prompted them to join forces with their friend Lorna Vallely, a garden designer, to begin the Crookwell Garden Festival in 2015. “I really believe a beautiful garden is to be shared, and there are a lot of people who have a beautiful garden who don’t get a chance to share it” says Marg. The festival has been a continual success, with over 1600 people visiting the eight open gardens in 2018.

“I really believe a beautiful garden is to be shared, and there are a lot of people who have a beautiful garden who don’t get a chance to share it”

Marg Anderson

The festival attracts garden lovers from across the Southern Tablelands, Canberra, the South Coast, the Central Coast and even as far as Adelaide. In addition to the tourism boost during the open garden weekend, the festival committee donates one quarter of ticket sales to local charities. Last year this saw $6000 donated to the Crookwell Community Trust, who provide financial assistance to those suffering hardship due to ill health or unforeseen circumstances.

Marg and Jan are motivated by a strong desire to share Crookwell with more people. “We absolutely love Crookwell.  We just want more people to know about it and we want to be part of drawing more people into Crookwell,” declares Jan. Both were nervous about making the move to Crookwell, as they really felt they were starting over. They were unsure how they would be received in the community, with Jan admitting “We are two women [living together], and that is a bit unusual, I think, for maybe a conservative country town.” But their concerns quickly dissipated as they were made very welcome. “People are genuinely friendly, interested and accepting in this town. We were just blown away.”

“We haven’t had one moment that we have wanted to be back in Sydney. We think Crookwell is the centre of the universe! And it has got to be one of the most amazing communities. We have been blessed by Crookwell and want to return the favour.”

Marg Anderson

When Jan and Marg met in a bookshop over 40 years ago, Marg quickly realised they were a great match, saying “[Jan] has the ideas and then we make them work together. So we are a good team. I felt that, when we moved in together. I had a real sense that…God had put us together as a team”. Their most recent endeavour has seen them become importers of artisan Italian ceramics. Paradiso Ceramics is the culmination of a long-time affection for Italy, a love of beautiful things and appreciation for the majolica ceramic ware of Deruta, a small town in the centre of Italy.

When they first visited Deruta in 2006, they were welcomed into the factory of a Mr. Tomassini, who walked them through the 500-year-old majolica production method. Over a number of years, Jan and Marg returned to Deruta, accumulating pieces for their home. Offered the opportunity to import the ceramics to Australia many times, they were never in the financial position to pursue it. This was until 2014 when another couple from Crookwell accompanied them on a trip to Italy and offered to become business partners.

Jan and Marg are drawing on their skills and strengths in retail, marketing and design to build Paradiso Ceramics into a premier source for genuine hand-crafted Italian ceramic ware. Most importantly they want people to use their beautiful ceramics, and not just have them on display. “We have people say “I bought a bowl from you and it is in my cabinet”. We use our dinner set just to have soup in. Use it!” Jan encourages.

Driving back towards Goulburn from Crookwell, my car glided past paddocks of yellow-brown grass. There were glimpses of the wind turbines in the distance. And then suddenly they were right next to me, towering machines with propellers turning slowly. Winding up and down the hills was quite hypnotic, and as I drove on semi-autopilot I reflected on my conversation with Marg and Jan.  They have cultivated an abundance of good energy through their generosity – sharing their time, their home and their garden with friends, the Crookwell community and the public at large. Having devoted themselves to Casa della Pace they have, in return, been blessed with a fulfilling and rewarding ‘retirement’ far exceeding their expectations.

The Crookwell Garden Festival will take place on 9 & 10 November 2019.

Paradiso Ceramics can be purchased in Arcadia Crookwell (an emporium of pop-up vintage stores under one roof) or from their website.

*Rebecca Solnit (2001). “Wanderlust: A History of Walking”, p.16, Penguin