Local Favourites – James

By Dan Hutton on February 20, 2012 in People

James has been a Maroubra resident for ten years or so. He grew up in the nation’s capital but the swell on Lake Burley Griffin was too inconsistent. He travelled, changed careers, fell in love, got married, had kids and started life as a tradie working in the beautiful Eastern Suburbs outdoors. James runs Pepo Landscape Design and Management with his lovely wife Nicola (or as he likes to call her, Senior Management). With the help of their wonderful staff they do garden maintenance, sculpture installations, fluid and functional garden design, and landscape construction. You can visit their website at www.pepo.com.au. James shares his local favourites with The Beast…

Favourite Beach: South end of Maroubra.

Eatery: Chat Thai on Carrington Road, Coogee – “Shiny car and full tummy make you very, very happy.”

Watering Hole: I don’t get out much, but if I had to blow the froth off a couple the Clovelly Hotel is always fun.

Sporting Team: The Wallabies.

Music: The Black Keys, The Specials, The Radiators… any band starting with ‘The’.

Weekend Activity: Sneaking away for a solo surf is always on my radar but I also love taking the kids down to catch a few ‘bubblers’.

Quote: “You can’t have everything; where would you put it?”

Favourite Thing About Your Work: Starting with a messy garden, clearing it out to the blank canvas stage, then seeing the design build, grow and flourish into something really special is very rewarding. Working outdoors when the weather is fine also has its advantages.

Final Word: If you’re going to do it, you may as well do
it properly.