The Gordon’s Bridie Conway took out the gold medal in the Intermediate Student section at the recent Melbourne International Flower and Garden (MIFGS) show.
Students created floral displays based around the theme of “a moment in time” over a period of 3.5 hours, with Bridie’s entry “Firecracker” taking the top prize.
Ms Conway, who is currently studying a Certificate III in Floristry, said she was thrilled to win gold.
“It was a really exciting moment,” she said.
“I was super proud of my display, so to be recognised for that was awesome.
“It was a really friendly competition, with a lot of encouragement between contestants, both competitors from within the Gordon and across other schools.”
Ms Conway’s love of floristry stemmed from her experiences using flowers to decorate cakes while running her own cake business.
She said the competition would be a real boost to her floristry career and paid tribute to her experiences at the Gordon.
“(Studying at the Gordon is) giving me a great opportunity to practise with a range of flowers and styles that I otherwise wouldn’t, and access to experiences like the flower market and MIFGS),” she said.
“Having teachers that have worked or are currently working in the floristry industry is really helpful and leads to great stories, advice and real-world tips and tricks.
“The competition was great exposure to the industry and gave me a really good experience working in conditions where there are time constraints, working in a different environment, and keeping to a brief or set specifications.”
The Gordon team’s entry in the Visual Display section also won the silver medal.
