Whitehorse City Council’s Horticultural and Landscape Services Coordinator, Steve Day, has been named Victorian Young Leader for 2008 by the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia (NGIA).
Steve, whose team is responsible for Council’s ParksWide Nursery, landscaping throughout the municipality and a number of high profile parks, will now compete against other State winners for the National Young Leader title in Adelaide in March.
He said he was thrilled to win this prestigious award, which is a highlight in his 15 year career in the horticulture industry.
“My passion for gardening first began when I helped my parents with their vegetable garden at home,” Steve Day said. “Throughout my career, this has developed into a deep interest in environmental and sustainability issues. I am totally focused on making a difference in our community.”
Steve began his career in horticulture as an apprentice at the former City of Nunawading in 1992. Over the years, he has progressed to become a Coordinator. He is also an Eco Leader, responsible for delivering projects within Council’s sustainability strategy.
“Winning the State Young Leader award is great as it will allow me to attend the Nursery and Garden Industry conferences at State and National level and help to build my skills and knowledge,” Steve Day said. “I see it as a great opportunity to add value to our work in Whitehorse on horticulture and sustainability.”
One of Steve’s achievements at Whitehorse is project managing the nursery’s water harvesting and recycling system, which collects all runoff and stormwater at the nursery and reuses it for irrigating the plants. This has resulted in a 45 per cent reduction in the amount of potable water used to water more than 100,000 plants per year.
For further information contact Vicki Amiguet at Whitehorse City Council on (03) 9262 6535.
