About Me Personally
I began my retail horticultural career in Christchurch New Zealand, during the early 70’s as a sales assistant with Orderings garden centre. Where I was fortunate enough to be mentored by Harry Phillips a traditional English nurseryman who taught me the value of customer service and the importance of humour. Wishing to expand my knowledge and experience I took a position with Morgan and Pollard managing their wholesale large tree and turf production. Although this added greatly to my understanding of horticulture it also confirmed my heart is truly with retail. When a branch manager position became available with Gardenway nurseries, the opportunity to return to retail was too good to miss.
In 1980, the call to obtain my “OE” (overseas experience) saw me take a year off to travel through South America with my wife.
In 1981, we moved to Australia. After three years managing a video production and distribution company in Sydney I returned to my first love, retail horticulture with Hargraves Nurseryland. I then joined Lakeview Nursery as Garden Centre Manager. Lakeview Nursery was later to become the Gardens R Us chain, where I worked for the next 20 years as General Manager. This was followed by a short period working as a green life buyer for Flower Power before taking up the position of Operations manager at the Eden Gardens group of Garden centres for nearly 3 years.
Even after forty years my passion for the retail horticulture has not diminished.
About Me Professionally
Career achievements
- Garden Centre judge for the Nursery and Garden Industry of New south wales & ACT
- Two times International judge for the New Zealand Nursery and Garden Industry
- Auditor for the Australian Garden Centre Accreditation scheme
- Director with Garden Centres of Australia, several terms as president.
- “Certificate of Retail Horticulture” from the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture.
- Member Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture
- Member Australian Institute of Horticulture
- Member Nursery and Garden Industry of New south wales & ACT
- Certified Nursery Professional specialising in Retail Horticulture.
- “Train the Trainer certificate” from Retail Industry Training Council
- “On the Job training certificate” from the Retail Industry Training Council
These experiences have uniquely equipped me to understand independent garden centres and the struggles they face to be viable in these changing times.
My focus is to provide commercial, profit focussed and practical support delivered with enthusiasm, humour, honesty and integrity.