Turf NT North Australian Lawns
You can hear Gavin’s story at the NAB Inspirational Evening with Dr Richard Harris in Darwin on Tuesday 4 October 2022.
Gavin Howie started the family turf-growing business because it ticked two boxes – he loves farming and he could be close to town.
After surviving a tragic farm accident that saw Gavin lose both legs, his lived story of resilience is truly inspiring.
Turf NT is based at Middle Point on the outskirts of Darwin with an office and collection point at Humpty Doo. The business is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Gavin, who owns the company with his wife Lauren, says his greatest successes are being able to operate and excel in sales for a decade, and being able to employ full-time staff.
“I put our success down to drive and a strong work ethic.”
Once Gavin decided to start his own business, he visited many turf farms around Australia to gather information and advice.
One family-run turfing company, Tropical Lawns, near Cairns, mentored him.
“Every holiday, I would visit at least one turf farm. This went on for three years before we bought our block of land at Middle Point."
“Our block was previously a watermelon farm with amazing soil. Negotiations to buy the land took over 12 months."
“Many hours of research and planning went into our business before we had even started it.”
Gavin and Lauren plan to pass the turf farm onto their children when they retire.
