Beloved Local Legend- sharing knowledge at 92 years old.
About 25 years ago the Riverina Highlands Landcare Nursery was opened, under a different name, in a different time. The initial coordinator lasted two weeks, and trusty volunteer Ken stepped up to the challenge. Tumut local, Ken Stubbs, was the Nursery Coordinator and he still plays a significant part in both the Nursery and Tumut gardening community.
Capacity building - LEP23_036_LLC7_4
The issue
Ken was at the helm of the Nursery for 10 years, taking it from a few natives on pallets and building it to a small but profitable nursery. Ken has a natural flair for plant propagation, and while he still reads up on the latest techniques and products, I’m always trying to capture his historical knowledge, to help me successfully produce the beautiful plants that he always has.
The plant production industry is always at risk of losing expertise and knowledge with the passage of time and natural changes in business structures. It is vital that we capture this “gold” to support efficiencies and future safeguard our native plant production.
The solution
We practice generational knowledge sharing. Our interactions form a living repository of skills and insights shared through observation, explanation, and participation. We learn not by reading a manual, but by engaging directly—watching, asking, and absorbing subtle techniques that might otherwise be lost. Each shared task becomes an informal documentation session, capturing practices and thought processes that define expert craftsmanship.
The impact
It transforms ordinary work into a dynamic, narrative-driven processes where expertise is preserved through relationships and storytelling rather than static documentation alone.
Today, the nursery produces over 90,000 plants a year to supply Landcare, National Parks, Council, Farmers and the community with quality, locally grown plants. We have a new generation of volunteers in the nursery and we are passing on Ken’s propagation skills to them so that maybe someday they can take my place.
Key facts
- Using mentorship and teaching to preserve plant propagation techniques and to ensure the success of our Landcare Nursery.