From Brussels (1962) to Brussels (1998), Personal impressions of 36 years of great ISHS Congresses

摘要

I always felt that I began my horticultural career at a good time. I started work in the early 1950s when much of Europe was still short of food and when horticultural advice, research and development were high on many a national agenda. Job opportunities were plentiful. After some years as a horticultural adviser, I was given a research brief in 1955 and so was ready to present a paper at the 16th International Horticultural Congress (IHC) in Brussels in 1962 - the first Congress heed under the auspices of the ISHS. With only one exception I was privileged to attend all subsequent congresses including the most recent which again convened in Brussels. Visiting the same city for the 25th Congress after a break of 36 years was a powerful reminder ofhow much society and horticulture have changed during this period and how successive congresses have adapted to changing times. Professor Asgar Klougart (Denmark), a charismatic figure at all earlier congresses up until Hamburg in 1982, said that memories are small bits of history hidden in our hearts and brains. Congresses are well-attended events with many concurrent sessions so that no one person gets a complete overview and there can be no consensus. There are, of course, irrefutable facts ant statistics about all Congresses such as the numbers of delegates and papers presented, the countries represented and the names of keynote speakers. On the other hand, personal impressions are subjective and will vary greatly between people depending on theirhorticutural interest and experience. The passage of time also changes the desires and perspectives of every individual participant. Certainly my expectations altered over the period of the Congresses as I changed from enthusiastic neophyte researcher to balding retiree.