In profile: Ben Tonkin

Ben Tonkin, Grounds staff

What do you like best about your current role?

The opportunity to ply my trade, education, passion and experience for horticultural maintenance/sports turf management, in a practical and useable manner – benefiting a broad community by presenting a functional and aesthetically pleasing outdoor environment week in week out. What an encouraging space to do that in! The friendly nod of appreciation, the thankyous, and most of all the smiles on faces enjoying the results of that labour.

Can you tell us about your role and current projects?

Alongside a fantastic team, I am one member of a ‘motley crew’ providing the aroma of 2-stroke, 4-stroke, diesel, unleaded and keeping it current (pun-intended) electricity by: mowing patterns in the sports fields, manipulating the cricket wicket rollers, crawling hand and knee inspecting turf, eradicating weed/pest and disease, painting lines, installing goal posts, playing under sprinklers, pushing mowers, revving brush cutters, operating loader/tractor (yes – a big kid in a sandpit!), wielding a chainsaw, kicking up dust with a grinder, disturbing the peace with a leaf blower, surfing a mini loader, wrangling a demolition saw, conducting the mellow rat-a-tat-tat of a jack hammer, designing, planting, fertilising, pruning, paving, bricklaying, demolishing, constructing, cutting/shifting sandstone/rock or boulder, swinging a mattock, leaning on a shovel/rake, setting up, packing down … and last but not least, providing horticultural/turf/landscaping advice/solutions to those who pass by (yes, this remains a free service!).

What did you do before joining the Radford community?

I have fond memories helping my parents and grandmother growing vegetables, herbs and gardening as a young boy. Yet my interest gained momentum during horticultural science in college. After completing one week’s work experience with The Australian National Botanic Gardens, I was committed.

I commenced a three-year Horticulture – Trade (Landscape) apprenticeship (very excited with the outlook of CIT studies) with Cockington Green Gardens and Pialligo Plant Farm. Desiring to focus on horticultural maintenance, I began a full-time position here with Radford College. After enjoying two years employment, gaining interest in cricket wicket maintenance, I had the opportunity to move to Melbourne.

My initial stint in Victoria was a position with a large residential garden maintenance company. This was followed by a Horticulturist position with Parliament of Victoria. It provided exposure in heritage-listed gardens, turf tennis court and bowling green maintenance and led on to my future studies in Sports Turf Management.

Relocating to Canberra, I commenced a three-year mature-aged apprenticeship in Horticulture – Turf Management whilst working full-time at Marist College. I then finalised this course within my current role at Radford.

What do you enjoy outside Radford?

Along with finding time for fishing, reading, home landscaping and gardening, I relish time with my wonderful (tolerant) wife of 21 years, Nikki. I also love re-discovering the world with our two young children, Olivia 8 and Isaac, 3, our dogs, Moet and Merlot, and our budgie, Stripe.

How did you manage lockdown?

It was an opportunity to undertake necessary site maintenance here at Radford undisturbed, renovate ovals/gardens and finish some much-needed tree maintenance/landscaping tasks. Though I must say … it was too quiet! It is a pleasure to have the entire school community return on-site, bringing purpose to the team’s daily achievements.

Anything else interesting to share?

  • As a teenager (not of legal drinking age) I had a part-time position with a fine wine merchant (bottle-o), advising repeat customers on their wine selection. (It is incredible what one can learn and sell via wine bottle labels!)
  • I have been fortunate to enjoy several overseas trips including the UK, Europe, Dubai, New Zealand, Hawaii and the Pacific. Visiting the horticultural/sports turf attractions has always remained a high priority.
  • I can speak the tiniest amount of Czech (self-taught before a two-week visit). It was my grandmother’s birth language.
  • Both my little fingers are crooked.
  • I have two middle names – one seems to provide a lot of entertainment for others!

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