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Thread: Before I was a Lawnie.....

  1. #16
    Senior Member glassngrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    As a youngster I worked weekends at the races tracks washing beer glasses. Bailed out of uni early (Degree Info Processing) for a career in banking. After three years I wanted out of the office and into the sun. Various forklift/stores/warehouse roles. Moved to Victoria and did a stint in a saw mill before securing a warehouse/storeman role for a lighting manufaturer. Later moved to regional Vic, where I was a process worker using a press to manufacture brake pads, then a warehouse manager for an industrial supplies/hose company. After a few years for an electrical harness manufacturer, I yearned for the outdoors again - started gardening.
    I've loved doing this, but knees and ankles are packing in.
    So...after accumulating many admin and bookkeeping skills, I did some further study and became a bookkeeper.
    I still service my favorite gardening clients.
    When at home, if I hear a mower in the distance I get restless and want to be out there!
    David
    Mr Sparkle Car Spa

  2. #17
    Member Gremlins Property Services's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    O.k.... Army end of 80's then insurance salesman, left and trained and became a boilermaker, then turned to love of my life (mini's) and Became vp of qmcc. Had a time of being a mechanic and auto elec and even a panal beater and spraypainter. Security guard came next and that was followed by heavy vehicle underbody specialist which saw me become workshop foreman. Trained and became a heavy vehicle power steering tech. Commercial cleaner was thrust upon me by the missus. During that time anwered the call from customers to include lawns. Did so and dropped the cleaning, and hear I am Now.
    Dean & Michelle Hicks
    Owner/Operator Gremlins Property Services
    Townsville and Surrounding Areas

  3. #18
    Senior Member AL73's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    Been mowing lawns since I was about 10 or 11. Actually found a hand written business card me and my still best mate made all those years ago bloody funny but people called us maybe out of pity LOL. Was in the Navy for six years, studied Horticulture in my spare time. Bought a mowing round when I left Navy. Sold that got a job in warehouse working for Makita stayed approx 10 years. Got made redundant. Sold Hardware for a couple of years - got bored of that. Got job as groundskeeper, still there. Started up on my own p/time last year and loving it will go full time when time is right. But even thru all those job changes I always did a few lawns here and there always knowing I would come back eventually.

  4. #19
    member Christine Wharton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    After graduating from uni' I spent a few years working in the public service, then I became a stay-at-home mum to my "awesome foursome" family, involving myself on P&Cs etc. When the youngest was old enough I started doing some commission-based sales work for a school publishing company, driving around the countryside from here to Mt Isa and everywhere in-between. Meantime my husband was looking for some non-office/accounting work, so we partnered in the lawncare business, which he was supposed to operate primarily by himself while I did the sales thing. Our lawncare business grew so well that I found I was having to put more and more time into that (as well as manage home, family & the sales job), so I resigned my sales job and was then able to focus more time and TLC on our own business ...
    Ciao for now ~ Christine
    senior partner ~ Townsville Lawn Care
    http://townsvillelawncare.webs.com

  5. #20
    Member Of Forum jas's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    Been doing this for about 11 years now but before I was a lawnie, I was a Qualified Hairdresser, and no I'm not ***,(nothing wrong with that) actually thats 1 of the reasons why I got out of it, because I got sick of people asking me if I was ***. And also had a some back problems aswell.

    Funny thing is that some of my former hairdressing clients became my lawn mowing clients.



    jas

  6. #21
    Member Redeye's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    started in graphic arts - colour scanning & separation, then corporate analyst -corporate affairs commision, fed up with Sydney, moved to dubbo - horticulture. Back to Sydney for 2 years as a glazier, then down here last 21 years back in hort/handyman/whatever comes along!...and loving it

  7. #22
    Member of forum Stump's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    In this order
    Refrigeration Mechanic
    Welder
    Fire Equipment Serviceman
    Dairy Farm Hand
    Crowd Controller
    Finance Broker
    Woolworths
    Last 4 months this.
    I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my Grandfather.....not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car!!!

  8. #23
    Senior Member DavidS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    Left school to become a mechanic, did time and then moved to spare parts. Became Parts/Service manager in 1986 in Sydney, moved to south coast of NSW in 1994, told boss to stick job up A### in 1997 and put myself through Horticulture cert III and Horticulture Cert III Turf ( Greenkeeper) have work as a professional gardener and greenkeeper for 13 or 14 years now, have since completed Cert III Parks & Gardens and about to start Horticulture Cert IV in Landscape.

  9. #24
    Senior Member St George's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    Apprentice boilermaker then worked at Mount Isa mines for 10 years with a mowing business on my days off.then off to Port Kembla Copper Wollongong NSW.now in a paper recycling plant doing shiftwork and building my mowing business on days off.I love to keep busy.

  10. #25
    Senior Member Scooby Steve's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    I started employment part-time at the age of 14 working in a sports store (also sold fishing and hunting gear) while still at school, i actually got the job from work experience stayed working there during high school, finished year 12 at school then i was offered a full time job at the same store. Before starting full time i worked a week of work experience as part of the garden maintenance crew at Healesville Sanctuary this didn't lead to a full time job so i started work at the sports store. About 9 months in my Dad who had owned and operated his own lawnmowing and gardening business since 1970 decided he wanted to semi-retire so he offered me his business for free. It wasn't what i had planned to do but when i left school we were smack bang in the middle of the recession we had to have and was more than happy to have a job any job. I didn't appreciate it at the time but i'm extremely grateful for my Dad being so generous in passing on his knowledge as well as his business to me thanks Dad. I have been working as a gardener ever since.

  11. #26
    Senior Member 4 Gardens's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    My first part time job when I was about 11 or 12 was mowing lawns.
    I used to work in the hardware / petrol / gift shop as well.
    I also used to grow vegies and sell them to all the neighbours

    when i left school I did 3 years in the Army.

    Then worked in supermarkets for 18years

    Last 6 years been back in the garden industry - 3 years working for myself - YAY

  12. #27
    Senior Member bb1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    4 year apprenticeship as Radio Tradesman.
    Next 20 or so years in Various IT roles (technician, network manager, Project manager).
    Got sick of office politics and had a tree change. Being doing this for 5 years now, and never plan to go back to an office.

  13. #28
    Member of forum Jayk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    dropped out of uni after a cpl of yrs ... where i majored in beer drinking and protesting. worked as a social support worker for young fellas in trouble with the law for about 8 years. worked selling mobile phones and plans for telstra over the phone for about 2 yrs. bought a subway franchise with my brother. had for a cpl of years, then sold. bought a pizza bar. sold out of it. bought a jimbo round almost 6yrs ago.

  14. #29
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    Quote Originally Posted by Jayk View Post
    dropped out of uni after a cpl of yrs ... where i majored in beer drinking and protesting. worked as a social support worker for young fellas in trouble with the law for about 8 years. worked selling mobile phones and plans for telstra over the phone for about 2 yrs. bought a subway franchise with my brother. had for a cpl of years, then sold. bought a pizza bar. sold out of it. bought a jimbo round almost 6yrs ago.
    so you got tired of having your own business
    Anything Ian says may or may not be garbage, it may also be his own opinion or it may not be his opinion at all, it may just be something he felt like stating anyone following his advice does so at their own risk and may be doing something Ian would actually advise against.
    And if you don't like what Ian has to say use the ignore function if you don't know how ask i will gladly tell you

  15. #30
    Junior Member cfox0409's Avatar
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    Default Re: Before I was a Lawnie.....

    We'll i was in hire game working for Coates, flexihire,skyreach for the last 8 years and sick of putting up with a boss so now on my own and love it now spend more time with the kids and wife and couldn't be happier and now I'm not working 55 hours a week and me and my wife are about to move the business to north Brisbane and work together can't wait love being a lawnie

    Chris Fox (Brisbane)
    0427394066

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