Dahl medal is the highest award presented by Dahlia Society of Australia.

There can only be a maximum of 5 medals held by living recipients at any one time.

The DSA Delegates Committee has initiated a review of the Standards and Judging Rules of the Dahlia 1998, as a matter of priority.

A small group has been tasked with facilitating this endeavour consisting of Brian Smith (Chair), Graeme Davis, Wayne McCosker and Deb Collett.

The Terms of Reference are here.

You are invited to submit your thoughts and suggested improvements. Submissions are to be made by 30 June 2026.

National Conferences are a wonderful gathering of growers, exhibitors and enthusiasts, featuring guest speakers, educational sessions, social events, tours and more.

If you can make it, it will be well worth your while in many ways.

The 2026 State Dahlia Show on Saturday 28^th February and Sunday 1 March is the highlight of the season – a spectacular display of blooms for the enjoyment of DSV members and the public.

BUT we need volunteers to make the Show happen and lighten the load for everyone. We need helpers to set up the Community Centre on the Friday before the Show and to cover the various tasks during the two days of the Show itself particularly Sunday.

Volunteers are welcome to free lunches on Saturday and Sunday – an opportunity to talk to exhibitors, judges and other volunteers. Each role only takes a few hours of your time and is lots of fun.

If you have not volunteered before, we especially welcome you to join us. You will be given clear instructions on each task and there will be plenty of people to help.

Below is a button with a link to the DSV 2026 State Show Roster for you to view all the spots with their associated tasks.

• The Dahlia Society of Victoria page on SignUp.com will open.
• Click View to open the 2026 Dahlia State Show Volunteer Roster.
• The roster shows the spots to be filled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Click > on the left of a spot to see details of the task.
• To sign up for a spot, click on the green SIGN UP button beside it.

You will be asked for your name and email address. Your email address will only be visible to the DSV Show Volunteer Coordinator and NOT shared with any other party.

Lastly, remember to click 'Save' before closing the page.

Saturday 28 Feb and Sunday 1 Mar

Victorian State Dahlia Show

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Fran Grylls

0481 385 122

Schedule

Gold Service member Bob Yeomans died peacefully in Melbourne on Sunday 5 January 2026 at the age of 85 years.

Bob was a giant of the Dahlia Society of Victoria.

After joining the Society Bob went on to become a top dahlia exhibitor, exhibiting in the Open section and taking out more than one Blue Ribbon in the State Show. He won the Kiwi Seedling Trophy four times: 1991,1997,2003 and 2007. In 1997 it was with the bloom ‘Shirley Yeomans’ that is still available today.

In the 1980’s Bob Yeomans took on a more prominent role in the organisation of the Society starting as the Promotions Officer finding new ways to promote the dahlia and the club. Bob was a born communicator and went on to hold many roles including President, Treasurer, event MC, Show Manager and Conference organiser - all the while exhibiting and breeding. He took particular pride in overseeing the movement of State Dahlia Show from Horti Hall in Melbourne to the Mount Waverley Community Centre. The DSV Gold Service Award was presented to Mr. Bob Yeomans in 1999.

After retiring from committee positions he remained active as a speaker and as a lively and encouraging voice at the monthly meetings of the Society.

For more recent members of the DSV, Bob is renowned for developing ‘Tiny Tot’ dahlias, a new strain of bedding dahlias created from seedlings in Australia. In the December 2016 issue of DAHLIAS Magazine Bob recalled:

“It took three years to produce 10 varieties worth keeping. Everyone that saw them seemed spellbound. The positive feed-back I received from garden club members and the viewing public at local shows was overwhelming. They loved these low growing bedding dahlias with their vibrant colours and firm long stems. I called them Tiny Tots and the name has stuck.”

With his trademark hat and welcoming grin, sitting behind a table of stunning Tiny Tots, Bob was a perennial presence at the annual State Dahlia Show that will be sorely missed.

The Society was so lucky to have Bob. All through the time he was part of the Society he really gave all.

A recording of the service to commemorate Bob’s life is here.

The eulogy by Chris Michalopoulos on behalf of the DSV starts at 00.47.45

The photo story of Bob's life starts at 01:07:20

• Each pack will contain labelled named varieties, selected from the list below.

• You will not know which varieties until you open the pack.

• A Members Mixed Pack of 6 will contain at least three different varieties.

• A Members Mixed Pack of 12 will contain at least six different varieties.

Beloved member Bill died peacefully in Melbourne on 28 June 2025 at the age of 96.

Bill George Johnson was the pre-eminent raiser of anemone dahlias in Australia and one of the elite breeders in the dahlia world. He was much respected here and worldwide for his generosity in sharing anemone dahlia seed and dahlia tubers.

Bill undertook anemone breeding to a fastidious clinical level noting in detail parentage, colours and anomalies and could transfer that knowledge instantly on request. He was among the very few worldwide that knew the complex biological make-up of dahlias.

Bill was passionate in his pursuits. He excelled in playing the organ and writing original scores, loved  trams and was extraordinarily good at orienteering.

Bill was a humble human being, a wonderful family man, friend, long-serving DSV member and an exemplary citizen.

Along with my fellow luminary DSV friends Barry and Deb Collett and Stephen Cox, we celebrated the life of and said farewell to Bill at Springvale Botanical Cemetery on Friday 11 July. 

It was with great sadness that the Dahlia Society of Victoria learnt that Dwight King died aged 83 on Tuesday 6 May 2025.

In fact, Dwight was the past president of the Dahlia Society of Victoria, filling that position for a record 16 years before before passing the baton to Pam Albutt at in 2022 and returning with his wife Alice to the USA to live at Lakeside Ohio.

The DSV owes Dwight an immense debt of gratitude for stabilizing the Society when he took over and leaving it in a very healthy state when he departed.

Dwight was planning to visit Australia in 2026 and we were looking forward to seeing him again at the State Dahlia Show.  For all those who knew and admired him, the news of his sudden death has been a great shock.