Tyler Howard

2019

“My interests in horticulture are many and varied, from collecting orchids to natives, with two pressing issues being the management of pests without damaging chemicals such as imidacloprid or glyphosate, and one thing I want to further learn is alternative control methods of pests/diseases.

It is one of the biggest innovations we require in public and private garden situations. Another is using horticulture in the battle of climate change on a localised scale, be it planted windbreaks/shelter-belts to minimise erosion in drought-stricken areas, or maximising green spaces within cities to reduce and mitigate effects of pollution. 

I want to focus my professional career on bringing sustainable ornamental horticulture to the common urban domain. My key focus is to keep the sustainability conversation going and present it to the public by means of public gardens and community groups.

I would love to be in a position to provide education of some degree to schools, with programs such as horticultural and agricultural studies. This would give children and teenagers a theoretical and practical class topic with immediate importance to the world around them, great for those who have difficulty in academically heavy subjects, or have an intuition that may be otherwise untapped.”

Due to the pandemic, Tyler had to wait almost three years to finally travel in 2022, but he managed to turn that time into an opportunity.

He networked and through his connections found doors opening in Australia and abroad.

“The exposure to industry leaders, the engagement with domestic as well as foreign institutions of professional prowess has forever influenced not only my ability, but my willingness to aim high and go get it.

I considered myself as mildly confident in myself and content in my position which I was in before I applied for the scholarship in 2019, when I met Graham Ross at my graduation of TAFE to receive my Diploma of Horticulture, and where he gave me the wild idea to make that application, but now having challenged myself and making that break from my comfort zone, I have a newfound fervour: to strive in my career and relinquish any previous comfort of bumbling along as I have and do – for a great lesson in humility and progression in one’s self is to realise one’s capabilities and act.’

Making drastic and necessary changes to my once day-to-day, changing jobs and living arrangements, contacting formidably important industry role models and organisations, devouring new and past resources to increase my knowledge and understanding in my profession, would never at all have been decisions I could have made without the influence and support of the scholarship team. I hadn’t even left for the scholarship yet and I felt I’d gained so much already!

I truly mean it when I say this has been the most positive, encouraging, rewarding, wholesome, inspiring, and I must admit, terrifically daunting experience of my life so far.

I wouldn’t know how to draw, aim or release this arrow that I’ve hewn and refined if I didn’t have the bow which was crafted and given to me by Graham Ross, Andrew Fisher Tomlin, other industry leaders and BBM, who have each given me such astounding guidance, opportunities and willpower, all of which I don’t think I’d ever expected to receive.

I am ever so thankful.