When I was little I never had a definite job in mind that I wanted to do, but I was very keen to work with my hands in an outside environment. I came from a farming background but my father was adamant that I should not go into the agricultural industry.
The person who has had the biggest influence on my life has to be my grandfather Bob Evans, who taught me to love nature and appreciate the outside environment. Above all, he had a cracking sense of humour and served as a great role model.
The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given was from my mother, who advised us from a very early age to ‘only do unto others as you would have them do unto you’.
I decided to become a countryside ranger to be able to work outside and at some of Jersey’s most beautiful sites. With my love for the Island, it’s nice to work for an organisation which seeks to conserve the very best of Jersey for future generations.
The joy of the job is that we never have a typical day at work. From bird transects to path maintenance, to tree surgery, to reed management, to hedgerow cutting, to tractor driving… no two days are ever the same. Of course, there is always an element of the unexpected, especially in the recent stormy weather, with trees coming down without notice or sheep escaping! That variety is what I love about the job.
The hardest outdoor role involved in my job is something I have yet to tackle… the prospect of conducting a guided walk. That’s because the thought of performing or public speaking makes me nervous, although I know one is looming on the horizon – I will likely be leading a guided walk from the Wetlands Centre in May.
The most unusual items the Trust staff have come across over the years are a gun, a weather balloon and a black stork bird, to name just a few.
If I could meet anyone, it would be the first members of the Rive family who set foot in Jersey in the middle of the 17th century. It would be great to know why they decided to come to here.
The thing I most fear is my island home losing its sense of identity and the beauty of its natural environment being slowly eroded and lost to increasing development.
My favourite expression is ‘à bétôt’, which means ‘goodbye’ or ‘farewell’ in Jèrriais. I don’t hear it enough, but when I do it puts a smile on my face.
Apart from family photos, I am not a materialistic person. However, if I had to save one material possession in a fire it would be my back scratcher. I live in Grouville with my partner, Stephanie, our daughter, Saige, and our son, Finley. After many heavy hints to my family over the past few years, I have finally secured a back scratcher and I would be very sorry to part with it so early on in my relationship with it.
The person who most makes me laugh is my eldest kid, Finley, who is two years old. He has a great ability to crack me up with his various antics.
The three things that make me happiest in life would be climbing a tree, with my family, on a tropical island.
