Gillian was captivated by the art form and was encouraged by the tutor, Terrie Reddish, to apply to the Society of Botanical Artists in London for enrolment into their distance learning diploma course.
"At first I was worried about the commitment in time and the two-and-a-half years the course would take. I would be sitting at my board every day for 6-7 hours. I just didn't know if I could do it," she says.
"But my daughter said 'just do it Mum!'"
So she submitted a reproduction of one of her drawings to London and was accepted into the programme.
She then began the rigorous regime of two-monthly assignments with 11 major assignments to be completed, a 2500 word essay on her chosen topic - the botanist Sir Joseph Banks and the New Zealand botanical studies he made on his 1769 voyage on the Endeavour.
On completing the diploma programme she travelled to London to receive her diploma at the Artworkers Guild Hall, and enjoyed meeting the other graduates from all over the world.
For Gillian the highlight was meeting her tutors with whom she had established strong relationships.
