26/05/2026
George Harding was very involved with the Devonport Poultry Club, we even have a George Harding memorial Shield given at our July annual show for Champion Bantam Soft Feather.
We are often asked about the name Formby Dahlias & the man behind it, George Harding , so I thought I’d share a bit of history.
Dad was born in 1921, the 7th of 10 children. Times were tough & from a very early age Dad had a love of animals & “making things grow”. He left school at 14 but that was never an impediment for him.
He enlisted in the Army just shy of his 20th birthday & served in the Middle East.
Either side of the War he built a very successful career as a middle distance runner & was regarded as the best miler in Tasmania.
While still enlisted Dad met & married Mum & over the next 18 years had 3 sons & a daughter.
After the War Dad bought a block of land for £64 &, despite having absolutely no experience, built a home for his clan. He made & laid every brick himself.
He lived in that home until his death in 2017 at the age of 95.
After the War Dad worked at Clements & Marshall, a seed & grain store until his retirement after 38 years.
Dad became interested in poultry & soon became an expert in breeding, exhibiting & judging.
After a successful foray into flowers with chrysanthemums he became interested in dahlias in the early 1960’s.
Over the years a precise approach saw him create in excess of 100 high quality new varieties - all with the Formby prefix.
Devonport was formerly known by two names, Formby being on the western side of the river. Dad chose the Formby name to acknowledge the area he lived in.
The Formby blooms became known around Australia & internationally from the US to Russia.
At the age of 61, Dad thought he’d try his hand at 10 pin bowling & had an average of 181. After dislocating his right shoulder he learnt how to bowl left handed & was more than respectable in competition.
Whether it be bonsai, marquetry, painting landscapes, playing the keyboard (all self taught) or being a qualified sign writer, he excelled at whatever he turned his hand to.
He was knowledgeable, talented, kind, honest & a true gentleman.
