By James Wall
If you have shopped down at the nursery here at Gardenworld, there are pretty good odds you would have been served by one of our two apprentices. I am sure you would have found them knowledgeable and customer focused. We think they are the two of the best and this has just been officially acknowledged.
It was with great pride that last Thursday night my wife and I attended the Nursery and Garden Industry of Victoria gala dinner to see not just one, but two of our apprentices receive awards.
Horticultural Apprentice of The Year:
Bonnie-Marie started work experience with us as a shy 15 year old school student. By the time her two weeks were up, we realised that here was a person who was not only passionate about a career in horticulture, but was a diligent worker who could absorb information about plants. When she expressed interest in leaving school and starting an apprenticeship, we had no hesitation in employing her.
Some three years later, Bonnie-Marie is now treated by the rest of our staff as an important member of our team. Although she hasn’t quite finished her apprenticeship, as far as we are concerned she is more than qualified to look after our plants and serve our customers. She has also written some blog stories for our website and has started her own online blog. She has a keen interest in Australian native plants and anything Japanese. You can check her stories out here.
Scleranthus biflorus – A patch of lime green.
Takamatsu Castle – Bonnie visits Japan
NextGen Scholarship award:
Chris started with us as a mature apprentice (25 years of age). He impressed us with his attitude towards customer service. This experience had been gained with his time in England, working for Barclay’s bank. Chris decided on a ‘green change’ and left the cut and thrust of the banking industry to become a horticulturist. He too has a passion for plants and is a favourite with many of our regular customers.
Chris was awarded a $1000 scholarship to go towards his studies. With a young family in tow and on apprentice wages, his reward is a timely one.
Our congratulations goes out to Bonnie-Marie and Chris and we thank the nursery and garden industry association for awarding and recognising our two wonderful apprentices. We wish them a challenging and prosperous career in horticulture.