Paul started growing tea tree in 1996 on his plantation outside Townsend, near Yamba New South Wales.

Paul was interested in becoming a farmer, and had spoken to Tony Dougherty about the potential of the relatively new industry. He preferred it as a crop to sugar cane, which is what all the surrounding farms were growing at the time.

Over a number of years, Paul built his plantation up to the 16 hectares it covers today.

Paul likes tea tree because it is a natural product with a real use. He says it is better than growing fad products like ‘ostriches or purple chooks’, as it is a proven product which has been in use for hundreds of years and has scientific backing.