dahlia society of victoria

After a drawn-out battle with a debilitating degenerative condition, John Menzel has been lost to the Dahlia world in which he was a huge presence.

John spent a significant portion of his life promoting the dahlia. He organised groups, wrote books and brought all the dahlia societies across Australia together in what is now the Dahlia Society of Australia, of which he was President from its inception to his passing.

John wrote a book titled Dahlias in Australia: The Winkie Way - a comprehensive guide to growing and showing the dahlia.

John and Anne Menzel were prolific dahlia breeders, producing many varieties which appear regularly on the show bench, mostly under the Winkie label. The July 2020 edition of the DSV's DAHLIAS magazine includes a feature on this breeding program which began in the 1970s.

John and Anne were based at Winkie in the South Australian Riverland but have also been members of the DSV and have often exhibited here.