Active Tree Top award winner Katrina Carmody never envisaged a career in the tree industry. Instead, it was a job she fell into by necessity and it’s a career where she has quickly excelled.

In her four years with Active, Kat has gone from chipper to operations manager on the Vic Powerlines contract. Along the way she’s gained the respect of her peers as someone who espouses the values of Active Tree Services’ dedicated team.

Kat explains she was a health and outdoor education teacher working at Gilwell Park Scout and Education Centre when the Coronavirus pandemic forced her into redundancy in 2020.

“I’d been looking for a job for a while and was at the stage where I was ready to take anything,” she says.

“And then a job just happened to come up with Active.”

Conceding she was ‘very green’ and had ‘zero experience’, Kat jumped at the chance to work in an essential industry at a time when Victoria was experiencing some of the toughest lockdown conditions in the world.

She started on the chipper before being offered the opportunity to become a Jarraff operator a year later, and says she loved “working on the big machines”.

When a fractured ankle saw her sidelined from physical duties, she moved into a customer-facing role for the annual fire cut where she liaised with clients and organised crews.

It was a position she thrived in, tapping into her people skills and previous experience working in customer service.

“It’s funny because when I was younger, I worked in retail at a discount store then at Bunnings where I’d been in the garden section and also in tools,” she says.

“I sold chainsaws before I ever used one and there’s a chance I was selling some of the trees that Active now prunes.”

These days, Kat’s role as an operations manager sees her looking after the Victorian scoping team as part of the Ausnet component of the Vic Powerlines contract.

It’s a job that involves travelling and meeting with members of the crew to ensure everything’s working perfectly, and it takes her across a variety of terrain.

Earlier this year, Kat was recognised with Active Tree Services’ most prestigious accolade, receiving the Tree Top Award for her commitment to the core values of the business.

Candidates for the award are put forward by their peers, and Kat was selected from a strong field of over 100 nominees.

It was an accolade she was both honoured and humbled to receive.

“It was a lovely shock to receive the nomination by my colleagues,” she says.

“I feel like we’re always offered the chance to explore new things and it’s something I’ve jumped on and run with.”

As part of that commitment to exploring new things, Kat is currently doing her Diploma in Arboriculture, while also juggling life as a working mum with two young children.

Outside of work, she continues to play soccer, having represented Victoria when she was younger and also has a passion for photography.

“I’d always done family and kids photography as a bit of a hobby, particularly after my partner and I had kids,” she says.

“When I lost my job it also became a side hustle, but now I’m on the road a lot more it’s more of a hobby.”

As for what’s next, Kat says her future is with Active and might one day unite her love for the tree industry with her love of teaching.

“I really value learning and that love of teaching runs deep,” she says.

“Growing up I pictured myself as a teacher and it was always what I wanted to be, but I’ve very much learned through random experiences that you’ve got to have an open mind and go with the flow.

“I believe things happen for a reason and so far, that’s all worked out for the best because I genuinely love Active and am so thankful every day for all the opportunities I’ve been presented with.”

When Matthew Sparrow first enquired about the opportunity to work at Active Tree Services, he never envisaged it would lead to a job that would take him round the world, trialling the latest machinery available to the tree industry.

But that’s exactly what’s eventuated in his six years with the company. From that initial enquiry, Matthew has gone from a chipper operator on the SA Powerlines contract to a leading hand with SA Commercial.

In the process, he’s travelled to England where he trialled then helped deliver Active’s latest exciting piece of kit and now, he trains operators around the country on exactly how to use it.

That ‘kit’ is the Magni Rotating Telescopic Handler – a highly valuable piece of machinery touted as a game changer for both efficiency and safety.

With a lifting capacity of 6-tonne, it has a vertical reach of 30 metres and boasts 3-in-1 attachments that open up a whole range of opportunities for Active.

Mathew explains Active Chief Operating Officer, Jim Roberts first flagged the Magni as an item worth investigating while at a trade show overseas.

“He thought it was something that was definitely worth looking into, so in May last year Sean Stanley from Qld Commercial and I were asked to travel to the UK to see it in action,” Matthew says.

For Matthew it would be his first time overseas, and an opportunity too good to pass up.

While there, he and Sean had the chance to witness Magnis in action on a range of projects across the country.

“It was a great experience with lots of information that helped us in terms of how it could be used, and what we might need to buy in the way of attachments,” Matthew says.

“We had the opportunity to sit in it, see its capability, and gain an understanding before purchasing.”

Ultimately that experience resulted in Active importing two initial Magnis, with the first arriving in South Australia mid last year.

“We did our first job with it on June 19, removing 19 small gums,” Matthew says.

“It was a job that was supposed to take a week, but only took a couple of days.”

Since then, a second Magni has been put to use in NSW, and Matthew’s job now involves training other team members on how to operate the machinery.

“Once you get a handle on the computer side of things, it’s a pretty easy machine to operate and I just love watching the guys get to see what it does,” he says.

“Their reaction is always great.”

Matthew notes not only does the crew at Active love the Magni, but clients also appreciate its capability too.

“Yesterday for example, it was used to lift a tree off powerlines,” he says.

“That’s normally a job that might take a day, but with the Magni it took just an hour. 

“It’s one of those machines that can save clients a lot of money, as it might mean they only need to close down a street for a couple of hours rather than a whole day or longer.”

As a result, Matthew says some clients now request it for specific works and that’s likely to increase as tha Magni gains exposure on various contracts.

But for now, Matthew’s thrilled to be part of its rollout and introduction, and he remains grateful for the opportunities he’s been afforded since joining Active.

His connection with the company also runs far deeper than just a job, with his partner and sister-in-law part of Active’s administration team.

“It was my sister-in-law Bec Button who initially got me the job here,” Matthew says.

“She was working here and had nothing but good things to say, so I asked if there was anything available and she lined up an interview.

“And since then, my partner Jamie Sara has joined the team as well.”

While Matthew concedes that can occasionally make separating work and home life a little bit challenging, he says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I live to work, so I’m a bit shocking,” he reflects.

“But I genuinely enjoy my job and love working at Active.”

“I’ve had the chance to work with great people, to travel interstate and to travel overseas.”

“Active’s been nothing but good to me.”