MANY have stopped to smell the roses at Mount Gambier’s tranquil Vansittart Park, but few know the man behind the inner-city garden escape.
City Council worker Dan Jeutic has spent almost three decades attending to the parklands – considered one of council’s premier public spaces – taking pride in his life’s work.
Starting in 1990, Mr Jeutic first made his mark on the precinct when germinating flower seeds at the Nature Glenelg Trust community nursery site, before expanding into maintenance of the broader parklands.
Among Mr Jeutic’s legacies are nine extra rose beds, which he planted to complement existing plant life, with the experienced gardener given autonomy from council to progress the site.
“I get a lot of good comments about the area from the public including tourists that come to town,” Mr Jeutic said.
“The best part of the job was working outside and mixing with the public, but still working on my own.
“I made my own decisions on what to plant and what to take out and council allowed me to change anything I wanted to.”
Establishing the popular fish pond feature is the highlight of Mr Jeutic’s work, stating the effort was worth it.
“They used to have blue stone in the pond to prevent algae growth and it took me a while to get rid of it so it would not seep into the water,” he said.
“It also took me a fair while to get the water just right for the fish.”
The redeveloped pond area is now a family favourite, with fish of all sizes.
“They are great, they know roughly what time feeding time is too,” he said.
“I would start work at 6.30am and they would be waiting for me to feed them, then when I knocked off at around 4pm or so they would be there again waiting.
“But it is a lot of work as you need to make sure they get fed and there is no contamination which will allow them to grow right.”
Now preparing for retirement, Mr Jeutic said he will miss the garden, and the “regulars” who would stroll through the park, but conceded it was time to “let go and let someone else take over”.
“I am proud of what I have done out here especially the pond area and the extra rose beds,” he said.
“I always made sure the War Memorial area was in prime condition ahead of Anzac Day and Remembrance Day and the poppies were there as well, but now it is time for me to focus on some hobbies.”
Travelling, classic vehicles and repairing wind-up clocks are now on the agenda for Mr Jeutic, revealing he will “hang up the secateurs” and leave the home gardening to his wife.
“I have enough to keep me busy but I will miss the garden here quite a bit.”
