WILLIAM DANGAR

“I had no interest in gardening as a kid,” says Sydney-based landscape designer William Dangar. Will grew up on a farm outside NSW’S Armidale and though he didn’t know it then, growing up on a homestead surrounded by a huge garden must have had an influence. On leaving school, Will headed bush to a 1.2 million-hectare cattle station in the Northern Territory. “From there I was head stockman at Brighton Downs cattle station near Winton in Queensland. Then I worked as a welder in Armidale. I also had a leather-craft business.” But then love came calling. “I met my wife, Julia, who convinced me to relocate to the city,” he says. So Will moved to Sydney, where he worked for a landscaper before starting a lawn-mowing business. Nearly 30 years later, he’s designing gardens for some incredible properties around the world, including former News Limited CEO John Hartigan’s Hunter Valley garden (pictured, below right). You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy. “I’m lucky to have grown up as a country kid,” Will says. “I’m saddened my kids won’t get that opportunity, but we do take them to the country all the time.” For more information, telephone (02) 9316 9044 or visit williamdangar.com.au