Nov 23, 2020
- Arborist
- Citywide Life
- People & Culture
- Tree Services
- Urban Forester
Most Citywide staff get their first offer of employment after a rigorous series of interviews and biometric tests. But for Senior Arborist Rod Fraser, who celebrates 15 years with the company this month, his first job offer was a little less orthodox.
“Matt Williams actually chased me out to the carpark and offered me a job on the spot,” Rod remembers of that fateful day in 2005. “I hadn’t even got into the car, and he was asking me if I could start on Monday!”
Time has proven Matt, who manages our Inner Melbourne contracts, a great judge of character.
After a decade and a half, Rod has not only risen through the ranks to lead our City of Melbourne tree planting and maintenance teams. As chairman of Citywide’s Arb Leaders Forum, the 42-year old is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading urban tree experts – with his advice and expertise sought across the country.
“When I started here, the industry was still about backyard lopping and the term ‘arboriculture’ hadn’t really made it into the public eye,” says Rod. “These days, of course, it’s a much more serious business, with all sorts of scientific disciplines, and qualified arborists are in much higher demand.”
Citywide’s own approach has also evolved, with various in-house training opportunities and industry partnerships to attract more interest in arboriculture careers and fill the gaps caused by persistently low levels of graduates.
“Citywide’s leadership realises that qualified arborists don’t grow on trees,” quips Rod. “Our in-house training opportunities had started to drop off in recent years, but things are picking up again as our current leaders recognise the loyalty that can be earned from investing in your staff.”
Staying for keeps
Rod’s own career journey shows the power of a company that looks after its people. When he joined Citywide after a shoulder injury brought a premature end to a job as a kayaking instructor, it was the PDs and promotional opportunities that kept him motivated.
“I was doing an apprenticeship which included a Cert 3, and I quickly realised there were going to be lots of opportunities to increase my skills and progress up the ladder,” Rod recalls.
Within a year, his first chance came when he was invited to fill in for a team leader on leave. “I’d been in the job less than 12 months and I was telling people who’d been there for 10 years what to do! Matt Williams and the other managers gave me the confidence to keep putting my hand up for new opportunities.”
In his second year, an opportunity emerged in Whittlesea to fill in for another senior arborist, and Rod wound up taking over that team six months before his apprenticeship came to an end. He ran the Whittlesea contract for seven years before taking three months off to fill in for another role – looking after his young children while his wife Martine ran her accountancy firm.
“Actually, I only lasted three months before the Citywide vortex sucked me back in,” laughs Rod.
Into the city
In 2014, Rod took on the management of a stressed trees program at the City of Melbourne, then moved into a team leader’s role in tree planting. In 2016, he stepped up to the role of Operational Leader in charge of the City’s Tree Services contract.
“Our City of Melbourne team has roughly doubled in size in the past four years,” says Rod, “which is a testament to the commitment and trust the City of Melbourne have shown in our strong team to deliver the ever-increasing demands of their Urban Forest Management Strategy.”
Since 2016, Rod has compiled an exceptional leadership team – including Robin Hill, Rick Owers, Matt Forster, Shane Pavitt, Will Kerry, John Mylan and Audrey Moala – who together manage 25 arborists, tree planters, assessors and maintenance staff, all working to improve the health, compliance and canopy coverage of the city’s 70,000 trees.
“Rod’s a problem-solver who makes things happen,” says Matt Williams. “He received a few training opportunities in his early years with us, and now he’s giving those same kinds of opportunities to his teams, as well as mentoring several students and young arborists.
“I call him ‘Mr Citywide’ because he embodies all the best qualities that we stand for as a business.”
“I love trees,” says Rod, “and I realise that Citywide is a company where you can go as far as you want to go, and there will always be leadership opportunities for anyone who’s prepared to put in the hard yards.”
Mr Citywide, we’re proud of you!
Media Contact:
Simon Mossman - Group Corporate Communications
M 0427 307 216
E simon.mossman@citywide.com.au