Hobart arborist ‘finds his people’ with Fee-Free TAFE

Hunter Church loves to be outside, loves rock climbing, and he loves trees. A career as an arborist was always going to be a good fit – but it took Hunter a while to find this pathway. TasTAFE’s Fee-Free-TAFE helped him get there.

Hunter grew up in Adelaide. When he finished school, he enrolled in a Business degree at UniSA.

“All my friends went to Uni – I just thought that's what you had to do. A bit of social pressure there! But I didn't finish that degree… I wasn't really interested in the subject matter, and the learning environment just wasn't for me.”

Instead, Hunter headed for the Coorong, 100km southeast of Adelaide, and worked collecting cockles (shellfish) along the region’s endless beaches.

“I didn't really know what I wanted to do for a career…so I just went cockling. I did that for a year and saved up a bit of money, then went travelling through Europe – just trying to work out what I wanted to do.”

In Europe, Hunter’s career pathway became clearer: “When I did some travelling, I realised that green spaces and gardens are actually a big interest of mine,” he said.

Back in Australia, Hunter relocated to Tasmania and completed a Certificate II in Horticulture at TasTAFE’s Clarence Campus. He followed-up with a Certificate III in Arboriculture, enrolling via Fee-Free TAFE.

“I didn't have a lot of money because I'd been travelling: paying rent, not earning much… So it was really advantageous for me to access Fee-Free TAFE – it was another barrier taken away.”

Part-way though his studies, Hunter began working with Tasmanian Tree Care as an apprentice. Now, 3.5 years later, he’s become an elite climber and Crew Leader, managing 4 or 5 workers on job sites.

Colin Fry, Managing Director of Tasmanian Tree Care, has been very impressed with Hunter’s skills, abilities and maturity.

“He does an excellent job: it’s very rare to find someone who wants to take responsibility for the job site. The way he’s going, he’s going to have a long career, and hopefully we can provide more opportunities for him at Tasmanian Tree Care.”

Lofty praise, for someone who’s often at lofty heights: “I love climbing trees,” Hunter said, “– but yes, I do have a healthy fear of heights!

“I had a really positive experience at TasTAFE – because I was immediately put in contact with people in the industry who were at the top of their game. They were all like-minded – and in my case, I felt like I was home. I felt like I belonged.

“And with Fee-Free TAFE, there's just no barrier to stop you from doing that – just getting started and finding your people.”

Read more about the Certificate III in Arboriculture at TasTAFE – part of Fee-Free TAFE.