If there is one thing that can be counted on in Katherine, it is a friendly wave from Jim the plant man as you drive in and out of town - but his days of waving are on borrowed time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After four years, Jim is counting down the hours until his last wave from under the expansive shady Mahogany on the Stuart Highway where he sells his plants to visitors and locals.
The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics has asked him to leave the location many have come to know as his spot.
Road safety has been cited as the reason behind the prod, but nowhere else in Katherine provides quite the same shade that makes the 30-degree-plus days bearable.
"A couple of months ago I let my insurance run out on my plant sales, so I went in to pay it... they rang a few people and the next thing I knew I was told I would have to be gone by February," Jim Ashworth said.
"They said there is plenty of space between Kalano and the other side of town, but this is the only spot where there is lots of shade."
The department says Jim's current location poses a risk to traffic flow, as cars pull in to purchase a plant.
"The Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics has informed the road side vendor that he will need to adhere to the Guidelines for Advertising and Activities in NT Government Road Reserves and this involves seeking a permit to operate in a designated area," a spokeswoman from DIPL said.
She said the department "will work with any road side vendors to assist them with the permit process", but unfortunately Jim's current location is unlikely to be approved.
Previously a caretaker at Larrakeyah Station, Jim retired four years ago and found himself with little to do.
"I didn't want to become a couch potato," he says.
"Plants are easy to grow," and so he made the decision to sell them.
Not a single car goes past without Jim's attention. Without fail, the busy highway's constant stream of drivers have the pleasure of being welcomed to and farewelled from Katherine.
He says "it's simply something to do... it's no effort."
"I've always been a waver, driving up the road."
In 2019, Jim was thrust into the limelight when news of his tree being cut down generated a groundswell of resistance.
Hundreds of Katherine's locals jumped to his defence. The tall Mahogany was slated for the chop by the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics, but then alleviated to a trim to clear up branches hanging over the road.
He stood strong then and he says he'll stay strong now.
"I don't want to move," he said.
"I don't get a lot of people stopping, and sometimes it's just a $10 sale for the day. But I've been doing this for years, and there is nowhere else that would be quite the same."
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday at 6am from the Katherine Times. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here.
