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Green thumbs spring into action
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Michael Bombaci graduated from high school in 1977, determined to establish himself in the fast-paced suit-and-tie world of Sydney’s downtown business and finance centre. Working for such companies as Monier, Boral and AMP and gaining experience in superannuation, finance, marketing and workers’ compensation, Michael was assured of the type of successful career and financial security that would be the envy of many.
As the years rolled by he found himself reflecting on his time as a child and young teenager, working with his hands in the rich soils of his father’s gardens. As a passionate gardener and amateur horticulturist, Michael’s dad had passed on his green thumb and a love of all things gardening. Michael’s growing disquiet was further fuelled by the fact that his high-rise office overlooked the manicured lawns and tidy gardens of Sydney’s Hyde Park.
“I have spent my whole working life in offices so you would think that it wouldn’t have been a problem, but, as I looked down on the gardeners working in the park below, I was feeling like a bird trapped in a cage,” he said.
It wasn’t long before Michael, now 46, took leave so he could think about his future. “I knew that by leaving the finance industry I was also going to experience a significant drop in income which to me was quite a scary thought,” Michael said. But recognising that even well-off people tend to want to spend whatever they’ve earned – and then want to spend more, he realised that it was just a matter of adjusting to a simpler, more frugal way of living. “I soon learned to live comfortably on what I had. Once I became at ease with my new boundaries, life became a lot more relaxed for me,” he said.
Determined to start a career in horticulture, Michael saw a newspaper advertisement for a gardener with City Garden Wise. He got the job and in 2004, keen to become formally qualified as quickly as possible, Michael undertook his Certificate 2 in Parks and Gardens. He is now studying for Certificate 3. Michael looks forward to spending a few more years in the industry finding once-lost skills, developing new ones and generally playing catch-up in a job he concedes is so enjoyable that he could have been born to do it.
“Working in the gardening industry certainly isn’t all glitz and glamour, at least not in the way that TV shows such as Burke’s Backyard and Backyard Blitz tend to portray it, but I’ve never been happier than what I am right now,” he said.
Acknowledging that he could never return to the high-rise offices that overlook Hyde Park, Michael does admit that he could eventually trade in the clippers and gardening gloves for an opportunity to teach his trade at TAFE. “I’m very keen to pass my knowledge and experiences onto others and I see that becoming a teacher would be a great way to eventually finish up my time in this industry,” he said.
Michael Bombaci is happier than ever working with plants. |
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