JOSHUA HOPKINSON
Murwillumbah,Australia
Summary
Practical Horticulturist with hands-on experience in turf and grounds maintenance, machinery operation, irrigation, and soil care across conservation, property, and nursery environments. Skilled in maintaining healthy lawns, gardens, and public spaces through mowing, turf renovation, fertilisation, and pest management. Safety-conscious, reliable, and team-oriented, with a strong willingness to expand turf-specific expertise through ongoing training.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Nursery Hand (Specialist Nursery Hand)
Burringbar Rainforest Nursery
Burringbar, NSW
10.2024 - Current
- Specialist nursery hand responsible for the day-to-day operation, presentation, and plant health of a large-scale native and exotic rainforest nursery.
- Frequently manages the nursery independently, overseeing irrigation, plant care, customer consultation, and site presentation.
- Independently manage daily nursery operations including irrigation scheduling, plant health monitoring, stock presentation, and WHS compliance.
- Maintain and care for an extensive range of native and exotic rainforest species, ensuring optimal growing conditions and high-quality retail presentation.
- Monitor, identify and manage pests, disease, nutrient deficiencies and environmental stress across diverse plant collections.
- Operate and maintain irrigation systems to support healthy plant growth and water efficiency.
- Carry out pruning, spacing, handling and movement of advanced plant stock in accordance with WHS protocols and best-practice horticultural standards.
- Provide expert horticultural advice to the public, designing tailored plant selections and landscape solutions based on site conditions, client needs, and aesthetic goals.
- Recognised for strong problem-solving skills and creative garden design support, assisting customers with complex landscape challenges.
- Build strong client relationships, resulting in repeat business and private grounds maintenance referrals.
- Deliver informal education to customers and team members, sharing plant knowledge, care techniques, and sustainable growing practices.
Horticulturist / Conservationist
JH Horticultural Services
Murwillumbah, NSW
02.2020 - Current
- Owner-operator delivering specialist horticultural, turf, and landscape maintenance services across private properties and conservation-focused sites.
- Highly trusted by long-term clients for independent site management, creative problem-solving, and consistently high-quality outcomes.
- Deliver comprehensive property and grounds maintenance including mowing, edging, pruning, turf care, and landscape upkeep to a high professional standard.
- Independently organise, schedule and manage all client-based works, coordinating multiple sites and ongoing maintenance programs.
- Develop tailored garden and landscape solutions based on detailed understanding of each client's property, site conditions, and long-term goals.
- Apply fertilisers, soil amendments, and undertake turf renovation works to improve soil structure, plant health, and landscape performance.
- Conduct weed control, revegetation, and garden bed establishment using best-practice horticultural and conservation techniques.
- Apply chemicals strictly in accordance with label directions, WHS requirements, and environmental guidelines.
- Operate and maintain horticultural machinery and hand tools safely and efficiently, including ride-on mowers, push mowers, trimmers and blowers.
- Recruit, train and mentor additional staff in response to growing client demand driven by strong reputation, repeat business, and client referrals.
- Maintain full compliance with WHS requirements including PPE use, risk management, and public liability insurance.
Horticulturist / Conservationist
Mavis Partnership
Uki, NSW
10.2021 - 10.2024
- Delivered high-quality grounds, turf and garden maintenance across a large, public-facing hospitality and events site, including ride-on mowing, brushcutting, whipper snipping, blowing, hedge trimming and edge trimming, maintaining strong presentation standards.
- Operated a Kubota tractor for property maintenance tasks including towing, trailer handling, and safe manoeuvring across varied terrain.
- Operated, monitored, and modified the site's irrigation systems (including head unit/controller), troubleshooting faults and completing basic upgrades, extensions, and shade house irrigation fit-outs to maintain consistent turf and garden health.
- Contributed to paddock-to-plate food production by managing seasonal crops from propagation to harvest, supplying high-quality produce including gourmet salads, herbs, fruits, vegetables, garnishes and greenery for kitchen service.
- Completed a native creekline revegetation project, including endemic seed collection, propagation, weed removal, planting, mulching, watering, and ongoing maintenance to support long-term ecosystem recovery and the return of endemic flora and fauna.
- Worked within a close 3-person team, coordinating daily planning, safety discussions, and quality checks in a time-critical environment while maintaining high work standards.
Education
Certificate III - Horticulture
Skills Certified
QLD01.2024
Certificate III - Conservation & Land Management
TAFE NSW
NSW01.2022
Higher School Certificate -
Murwillumbah High School
Murwillumbah, NSW01.2019
Skills
- Turf & Grounds Maintenance
- Mowing
- Edging
- Turf renovation
- Aeration
- Scarifying
- Seeding
- Fertiliser application
- Soil health management
- Weed identification
- Pest identification
- Disease identification
- Weed control
- Pest control
- Disease control
- Irrigation system operation
- Basic maintenance
- Pruning
- Plant care
- Garden bed maintenance
- Operation of horticultural machinery
- Maintenance of horticultural machinery
- Workplace Health & Safety
- PPE
- Pre-start checks
- Risk awareness
- Chemical handling
- Chemical application
- Safe mixing
- Storage
- Environmental controls
- First Aid
- CPR
Core Skills
Mowing, edging, turf renovation, aeration, scarifying, seeding, Fertiliser application and soil health management, Weed, pest, and disease identification and control, Irrigation system operation and basic maintenance, Pruning, plant care, and garden bed maintenance, Operation and maintenance of horticultural machinery (ride-on mowers, push mowers, line trimmers, blowers), Workplace Health & Safety: PPE, pre-start checks, risk awareness, Chemical handling and application (safe mixing, storage, environmental controls), First Aid & CPR - current certification
Licenses And Additional Information
- Current Australian Driver's License
- White Card - Construction Induction (CPCCWHS1001)
- Chemical Handling & Application Qualifications
- Current First Aid & CPR Certification
- Committed to ongoing professional development, including advanced irrigation, turf management, and machinery training
Availability
Available immediately
Timeline
Nursery Hand (Specialist Nursery Hand)
Burringbar Rainforest Nursery
10.2024 - Current
Horticulturist / Conservationist
Mavis Partnership
10.2021 - 10.2024
Horticulturist / Conservationist
JH Horticultural Services
02.2020 - Current
Certificate III - Horticulture
Skills Certified
Certificate III - Conservation & Land Management
TAFE NSW
Higher School Certificate -
Murwillumbah High School