He’s been given the nickname Baby Costa thanks to his facial hair and gardening prowess and now he has the accolade to back it up.
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Sonny Morrison has won the Australian Institute of Horticulture’s student of the year award, which will be presented to him a star-studded gala at the Gold Coast on October 27.
The professional green thumb, who operates Sonny’s Lawn and Garden Care around Maitland, Cessnock and the Hunter, said the win came as a huge surprise.
“I thought I didn’t win because I realised they were going to have to fly me up for the awards and I hadn’t heard anything,” he said.
“But then they rang on Monday. I was so stoked.
“It’s a good feather in the cap.”
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The award comes less than a year into Mr Morrison’s career in horticulture.
After working as a real estate agent, then becoming a youth worker, he decided to have a crack at doing lawns.
With a long-term love of gardening and exposure to pristine properties in the real estate industry, he took the leap and enrolled in a Certificate III in Horticulture at Kurri Kurri Tafe – and he hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors and when I was in real estate I loved going to properties and seeing the immaculate gardens,” he said.
“I’ve always loved gardening and to be paid to do it is awesome.
“I love seeing the before and after. It’s a very rewarding job.”
I love seeing the before and after. It’s a very rewarding job.
- Sonny Morrison
Mr Morrison said being able to help elderly people maintain their gardens after they couldn’t do it themselves anymore was a particularly great part of the profession.
“Everyone’s always excited to see you,” he said.
“It gives you a lot of satisfaction.”
It was actually his customers who helped Mr Morrison take home the student of the year nod.
Four clients wrote references for his nomination and with some encouragement and support from Tenambit’s Tom Lantry, who was last year’s Australian Institute of Horticulture’s horticulturist of the year, as well as a great reference from Tafe teacher John Atkins, he managed to nab the honour.
The institute will fly Mr Morrison up to the Gold Coast on October 26 for the awards presentation at The Mercure the following night, where he will rub shoulders with the likes of Costa Georgiadis and the Better Homes and Gardens crew.