Mulcahy, Timothy Richard (Tim)   (1947–2026)

Born on 20 November 1947 at Grenfell, NSW; died on 1 February 2026 in Canberra, ACT.

Tim was the son of Sydney Joseph Mulcahy and Bessie Grace Mulcahy (née Payne) of the Grenfell district, NSW.

Tim joined the staff of the Australian National Botanic Gardens as a Gardener on 23 July 1979 and at that time had Horticultural Certificate qualifications. For much of his working life Tim was involved in maintaining the extensive living orchid collection in the ANBG. In 1986 he wrote an article on the plant Veronica formosa for the last printed and published 'Growing Native Plants' booklet, No.13, which was later made available online via the Gardens' website. By 1988 he was on the Occupational Health and Safety Committee, where he represented the Australian Workers' Union, and in the same year he was part of a team that undertook an eight-day trip to the Rylstone and Blue Mountains region to collect material for the Gardens' Sydney Basin Flora area. By 1990 Tim was listed as 'Overseer (Propagation)' based at the Nursery and early in that year he was part of a team from the Gardens that travelled to Osaka in Japan to prepare the Australian Pavilion for 'Expo 90' or, fully titled, 'The International Garden and Greenery Exposition, 1990'.

Tim's earliest specimen collection record in the Australian National Herbarium is from 1984 and his last from 2006.

In retirement he was involved for some time with the 'Growing Friends' sub-group of the Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

Sources:
Family Notices: Births, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper (NSW), Sat. 29 Nov 1947, Page 40. Accessible online via Trove at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18051428
Funeral notice, Canberra Times newspaper, Sat. 7 Feb. 2026, https://www.canberratimes.com.au/tributes-funerals/funeral-notices/744430/mulcahy-timothy-richard/
Grave records for parents, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152975300/sydney-joseph-mulcahy; https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152975299/bessie-grace-mulcahy
National Botanic Gardens, Annual Report 1984–1985, https://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/about/annual-report/annual-report-1985.html
Australian National Botanic Gardens, Annual Report 1985–1986, https://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/about/annual-report/annual-report-1986.html
Australian National Botanic Gardens, Review of Activities (Annual Report) 1988–1989, https://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/about/annual-report/annual-report-1989.html
Australian National Botanic Gardens, Review of Activities (Annual Report) 1990–1991, https://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/about/annual-report/annual-report-1991.html
Article on Veronica formosa, 'Growing Native Plants' No.13 (1986); online version at https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/gnp13/veronica-formosa.html
Portrait Photo: 2007, ANBG Photo Collection, DIG 69622.

Collecting localities for 'Mulcahy, T.R.' from AVH (2025)

Data from 264 specimens