Mark Hamilton - Chipper Operator / Groundline
Mark Hamilton joined the Active Team in March 2010 and works in a field crew providing services to a long-term customer, Integral Energy, in outer South Western Sydney. We asked him to give us his thoughts about working with Active Tree Services:
My work involves operating the chipper, gathering branches that have been trimmed by the cutters and feeding them into the chipper. I also operate as a groundliner or “groundie”, observing the person in the elevated work platform (EWP) bucket, pulling “hangers” or cut branches that haven’t fallen to the ground out of trees, stacking branches for the chipper and driving the truck. Once I’ve done my Close Approach Tree Trimming (CATT) course and my Chainsaw and EWP accredited training I’m keen to get up into the EWP bucket. Climbing is also high on the agenda. I think I’ll be good at that.
I got into this work by applying to an advertisement in the local paper and thought it would be a great opportunity to learn something that interests me and I really enjoy outdoor work. Before joining Active I worked in a factory, but this was not for me. I have a broad knowledge of plants & trees and their growth patterns and I love all the different places we work. Every day is different – it’s great!
The work is not without challenges. Sometimes the large branches are awkward to feed into the chipper and if you’re groundlining when a strong wind is blowing you need to be extra attentive to where the branches are going to drop. Active is really serious about safety and it’s an important part of how we work as a team. Nothing too difficult though.
To anyone thinking about a career in this industry, I’d say go for it – especially if you enjoy working outside and seeing parts of the countryside you didn’t even know were there.
Sean O'Ryan - Operations Manager (South Australia)
Sean O’Ryan is an Operations Manager in South Australia. He is responsible for about half of the State’s field operations involving 45 field staff, 3 supervisors, 10 Elevating Work Platforms (EWP’s) and 3 Chipper units. Here is Sean’s account of what his job entails and how he came to join Active Tree Services:
My job mainly involves organising work, monitoring, recording and managing of productivity plus the numerous other duties which surround this. A typical day for me would be communicating with my supervisors on their targets, staff attendance, goals and work requirements. Depending on the day, I might be in the office preparing work, doing reports, having meetings or in the field talking to employees, auditing, assessing work ahead and checking the quality of completed work.
I was in the building game for more than 15 years and when I moved from Sydney to Adelaide in 2002, I found it difficult to continue in this field due to the industry here and the fierce competition to win jobs on building sites. I then decided I wanted to have a change and try something new. I replied to an ad in the news paper back in 2006 requiring tree workers. I started off as a chipper operator, then ground, then cutter incorporating leading hand, then supervisor before being promoted to Operations Manager. I am shortly going on to my 5th year with ATS and still loving it.
The enjoyment for me is the interaction with the staff, the organising and planning for nearly 50 workers and the pleasure of working alongside a great team.
The job can be difficult at times but mainly challenging. The challenging part would be making sure the crews don’t stop due to feeder allocation, working on improving supervisor and field staff skills and pushing for productivity.
This is a great opportunity for anyone who loves the outdoors. The staff are great to work with and the chance to move up through the company with support is brilliant.
Glen Campbell - Live Linesman (Vegetaion)
COMING SOON!
Mary Ayoub - Office Co-ordinator
COMING SOON!