FEATURE INTERVIEW
Outstanding in the field Helen Vaughan interviews
Tom McCarter, Wildlife Garden Manager, Natural History Museum, London
Tom’s a Kiwi, who lives and works in London – and a member of this magazine’s editorial committee. I was curious to find out what motivates him to contribute to a magazine published on the other side of the world from where he lives and works, but more intrigued about his relatively rapid career progression from a Wellington City Council garden apprentice 10 years ago to Wildlife Garden Manager at the Natural History Museum in London today.
Tom McCarter
Was horticulture your first career choice after school or did you come to horticulture after trying something else? After finishing school I travelled, then started a Bachelor of Arts degree at Victoria University in Wellington. But after about a year and a half I realised it wasn’t for me and started to look at other options. I was interested in ‘learning while earning’, and was accepted on to several apprenticeship programmes (one of which included electrical engineering in the navy). But following my gut and some good advice, I accepted a horticulture apprenticeship with the Wellington City Council. As soon as I started I knew I’d made the right choice.
Have you always been interested in working with plants and nature? I’ve always enjoyed nature and being outdoors. When I was growing up I was a member of a Junior Naturalists Club, which involved lots of tramping and nature talks. I knew I was interested in working outdoors, but I didn’t know horticulture was an option until later on. 10
THE BOTANIC GARDENer | ISS 53 SUMMER 2019/20
