Director Profile: Simon Smith

By Gabrielle Stannus, Communications Coordinator

Simon Smith was successfully reappointed to the Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA) Board of Directors for a one-year term at the November Annual General Meeting (AGM) after filling a casual vacancy earlier this year. Simon previously served on the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) board from 2012 to 2017, including a stint as Vice-President, and brings with him extensive growing experience most notably of his first love, Australian native plants.

Simon has had a keen interest in Australian native plants for a long time, having graduated with a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, with a major in ecology. This interest carried into his early career as a landscaper after he gained a Certificate of Landscape Technology from the Burnley Horticultural College in Melbourne.

Simon then moved to Alice Springs, where in 1987 he started Inland Nursery, a retail nursery specialising in central Australian native plants. By the early 1990s, he was supplying an extensive range of local native plants including 50 different varieties of Eremophila (Emu Bush). During his time in Alice Springs, Simon chaired the Board of Trustees at the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, a 16-hectare botanic garden dedicated to plants native to the arid central Australian region.

A move to Darwin in 1997 saw Simon purchase a nursery growing palms and ornamental plants to supply his landscaping needs locally. This business gradually evolved into what is now the Plantsmith Nursery (also known as Girraween Nursery), a production nursery supplying edible plants, seedlings, potted colour, and a range of landscaping plants, including some natives, into the retail supply chain.

At Girraween, Simon works hard to manage nursery pests and disease in the tropics without resorting to chemicals. “We are a spray free operation. For 14 years we have not used any harsh chemicals except where we are required to because of biosecurity issues or interstate movement,” he explains.

Simon is interested in working with nature, rather than against it and is keen to see more nurseries move towards the use of integrated pest management (IPM). “Everything we do, we should be having a much stronger eye to the environment. It is a big part of what the Australian Plant Production Standard (APPS) is about,” he says.

Simon is passionate about GIA’s APPS program, which he views as a key national resource. “Biosecurity is still the most important issue for the greenlife industry. And our accreditation programs are the best of the best. Biosecure HACCP is the best risk management program for nurseries in the world. It gives our growers enormous assistance to ensure they remain on top of their risks and grow the best possible plants they can,” he enthuses.

Currently Chair of GIA’s National Governance Committee - Australian Plant Production Standard (APPS), Simon is keen to champion better environmental solutions for the greenlife industry.

“Whether it is nursery, farming or home gardening, I am very passionate about seeing us move to being a part of a better environmental future, as I think we have abrogated our responsibilities in that area for too long,” Simon continues, “We grow plants, but we seem to be very happy to send them out in plastic pots.”

Perhaps surprisingly, Simon has become a strong advocate for what he describes as ‘rain-fed’ cotton, an interest he has developed as current President of the Northern Territory Farmers Association (NT Farmers). NT Farmers is the Northern Territory’s peak industry body for all plant growing industries including nursery, cut flowers, melons, dates, table grapes, and the emerging industries of forestry, vegetable production and cotton.

“Cotton is a sustainable and biodegradable fibre, and it has a lot to offer. It could be the perfect annual crop for farmers in the Northern Territory to grow through the monsoonal rains and through our wet season on existing farmland,” Simon claims, although he acknowledges that more work needs to be done to reduce the environmental impact of this fibre through better management of fertiliser and weedicide use.

However, despite his interest in cotton, native plants remain Simon’s firm favourites, although he is coy about nominating any preferences.

“Native plants are my favourites, but native plants for the correct location. It is short-sighted growing Far North Queensland plants in Tasmania. We should be trying to grow plants from at least our climate zone, preferably local provenance plants where possible,” he says.

Given his keen interest in Australian native plants, it may come as no surprise to our readers that Simon also enjoys bushwalking and birdwatching.

“I would not call myself a twitcher. However, I recently had a few days off in southeast Queensland, and took the opportunity to do a spot of birdwatching. I managed to see the Purple-crowned fruit dove (also known as the Superb fruit dove). I have seen this bird around Darwin, but to see it in southeast Queensland was pretty special given the weather at that time was quite cold and wet,” Simon says.

Simon also plays golf and loves following AFL, barracking for Essendon. Despite this one minor flaw (the author is a Collingwood supporter!), we would like to warmly welcome Simon back to the GIA Board and wish him and his fellow Directors the best of luck as they continue to work for the industry’s betterment.