About Us

The Story begins

Celebrating over 100 years in the floristry business

~ R.Gemmill Florist ~ 

Stanley Street, Brisbane 1891 

(My Great Great Grandfather Florist in Brisbane)

1st Generation Florists

(My Great Great Grandparent’s)

Robert & Mary Gemmill

Robert Gemmill 

“What keeps em’ coming Back!”

No doubt this quote used in differing ways, but always with the same meaning, has been the motto for one of Australia’s proudest and well known floristry families for the past 100 years. For over 100 years the floristry family business founded in 1891 by Robert and Mary Jane Gemmill in Stanley Street Brisbane.
 
A young Scot Robert Gemmill, born on the family farm at Dalry, Ayshire in 1865, and Mary Jane Asher arrived in Brisbane separately as migrants in the hustle and bustle of the 1880s. At 19, Robert  decided to migrate to Australia on the sailing ship Cloncurry. 
 
He worked at Mackay for six years as a farm hand before returning to Brisbane. He worked as a gardener, and met Mary Jane while boarding at a house in Sherwood Road, Toowong.

Mary Jane Gemmill

Mary Jane was born in Birmingham the daughter of a hairdresser and wig maker. She had worked in domestic service in some of England’s great mansions and one of her proud  memories was that she once helped toss a salad for Queen Victoria.
 
But she turned her back on “downstairs” life and migrated on the steamship, Jumna in 1889. After a year’s courtship they married at St Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Spring Hill.
 
Robert and Mary Jane worked 18 hours a day to establish a nursery on 20 hectares at Mount Gravatt granted by the government. In 1891, they rented a shop for 30 shillings a week and began the family florist’s business, specialising in English offer-ings.
 

Robert and Mary Jane had three children, Daisy (founder of Perrotts Florist in Brisbane), born 1891, Jenny (my great grandmother) born 1894 and Robert born 1896.

2nd Generation Florists

(My Great Grandparent’s)

Jenny Gemmill (R.Gemmill Florist) & James Clements

Jenny Gemmill continue to work in the family business until she married James Clements and they worked in the family florist which eventually took James surname name – Clements Florist. 
 

Business Name Changed to…

~ Clements Florist ~ 

 
In 1926 James and Jenny Clements had four children, Jim, Sydney (My Grandfather), Roy and Jean. The family continue to grow the business and built the Clements florist headquarters which became a Stanley Street land-mark, The Clements Building in Brisbane.

3rd & 4th Generation Florists

(My Grandfather & Uncles)

Clements Florist – Brisbane

1939-2000

The Clement’s Men

3rd Generation Florists

Roy, Sydney & Jim Clements (Jenny’s 3 Sons) took over the florist from their parents and expanded the business to a number of key locations across Brisbane. I worked as a young florist with my family for many years in a number of stores across Brisbane.  

4th Generation Florist

The florist shops were then handed to my uncle Robert Clements (Sydney’s Eldest Son) to own and manage until they were all eventually sold. 

5th Generation Florist

(Me)

~ The Flower Man ~

Ascot Florist

Brisbane

Today, I continue the family legacy in the florist business with my florist store in Ascot, Brisbane.

Amanda Ferguson

Owner & Operator (Over 35 years experience)