Gordon Campbell Mc Callum
14 October 1936 – 3 March 2023
Gordon always had a great love of The Savill Garden and was a member of The Friends of The Savill Garden Committee from 2002 to 2004.
In 2005 Gordon became the Secretary of the Committee and stayed in the position until the AGM in 2009. During that time he reported on many milestones for the Garden at AGM’s, coffee mornings and in the newsletters, including the opening of the Golden Jubilee Garden, The Savill Garden Visitor Centre, and the New Zealand Garden. Gordon also ran silent auctions at the AGM to help raise funds.
Gordon enjoyed his time as a Visitor Guide in The Savill Garden which gave him the opportunity to share his abundant knowledge and was well known at Virginia Water where he would spend the morning in the Virginia Water Café reading his newspaper and having a coffee and a cake.
Beginnings in South Africa
Gordon grew up in Kimberley, South Africa with his mother, father, and elder brother Kenneth. His first job was with Barclays Bank in South Africa, but he soon realised it was not for him and he transferred to De Beers where he worked in various sections of the mining company, learning each part of the business.
In 1955 he became De Beer’s first administrative trainee and eventually was sent on a trip to England. After returning home he made the decision to leave South Africa and apartheid behind and make England his home, moving to Virginia Water in 1973. He carried on working for De Beers until his retirement.
Hobbies and passions
Gordon had a passion for flower arranging.
Apart from The Savill Garden, Gordon had a great many other hobbies and interests. Gordon was the President of the Egham Floral Guild and could always be seen in the flower tent at the Egham Royal Show and was in great demand as a demonstrator of flower arranging.
He was a regular attendee at garden festivals throughout the UK and a supporter of the International Tree Foundation (formerly Men of the Trees); he would go out with the group to plant trees and daffodil bulbs in the local area. His own garden was beautiful, and he won Egham Residents Association Garden of the Year in 1985.
He had a great love of the arts, always enjoying visiting the Watt’s Gallery, the Royal Opera House, and the Royal Albert Hall and was himself a talented amateur dramatist. His membership of the URC church in Egham was an important part of his life and he was an active supporter of the Terence Higgins Trust.
Written by: Diana Bendall, Chair of The Friends of The Savill Garden
