Community & Business
26 November, 2024
Passion for plants earns recognition
RECOGNITION of more than three decades of service to her industry has earned Mareeba’s wholesale nursery general manager Elaine Duncan the title of Queensland Nursery Person of the Year.
Elaine has dedicated 35 years of her life to the nursery industry through her family’s business which grew into the major wholesale operation, Flourish Plants, supplying millions of indoor and outdoor plants, flower and vegetable seedlings, ornamentals, natives and foliage to major retailers like Bunnings every year.
Her award came about after she was nominated by members of the Nursery Garden Industry Queensland (NGIQ) board, on which she has served for 14 years, including five years as Chair of the State’s peak body representing the professional nursery industry.
Elaine loves the industry she’s in but recognises how hard it can be to be successful.
“We grow plants for rewards but I don’t know if we’re a hugely profitable industry – we’re like farmers, we grow crops with a crystal ball – when a farmer puts in a crop, there is no guarantee of selling that crop and we’re the same,” she said.
There are only about three major wholesale nurseries left in the Far North region, and while under Elaine’s leadership, her business has flourished and expanded, she knows things are changing in the industry, with many nurseries closing down over the years.
“There’s a lot of reasons – urban development takes over the land, mums and dads might be retiring and their children are not coming into the industry, or it’s mum and dad’s retirement plan where they will sell up to fund that retirement,” she said.
Elaine’s son, Adam, has taken up the role of CEO of Flourish Plants, so the family has a clear pathway to the future of their business.
While being a member of the NGIA board, Elaine has been a strong voice for the industry, determined to have the industry recognised for its importance and get more support from the State and Federal Governments.
“I think the industry is undervalued overall – the ‘Green Life’ industry actually contributes $2.5 billion to Australia’s economy every year and employs 20,000 people,” she said.
“Our predicted growth by 2030 will be $3.2 billion, so we are fighting for recognition from the government,” she said.
“One of NGIA’s main focuses is to drive industry growth, advocacy to government for access to market, biosecurity, water, energy that type of thing, on behalf of the State’s industry, and working with other state’s organisations and the national body.
“We also are there to ensure we get assistance after disasters for example.
“So, the role of the NGIA is to ensure that all our membership can trade, they have a future and there is growth, and to have support from both levels of government to do what we do.
“We also work with our national body on the Green Spaces program – it’s essentially about greening the environment, reducing environmental pressure of climate change, it’s giving environmental wellbeing, all of those things that come with planting trees in the environment and adding to the community.”
