Like a plumber with a leaky tap, an occupational hazard of running a Christmas tree farm can be, well, not having a tree of your own to decorate come Christmas time. “Sometimes I’ll still be begging for a tree on December 22,” laughs Louisa Boag, who with her husband John, and his parents Robert and Barbara Boag, grow around 35,000 Christmas trees (Pinus radiata) on their 485-hectare farm at Wingello in the NSW Southern Highlands. “I’ll be saying, ‘Please, can I have a tree? Just one off the back of the truck?’ I’m not fussy! That’s how busy it gets.”
Above, Louisa and three of her four daughters apply a decorative touch to one of the 35,000 Christmas trees on their farm. Jo-Jo the rescue joey keeps them company.
The Boag family’s business, Christmas Tree Man, is busiest from October to December, when up to 15,000 trees are cut and delivered to a mix of wholesale and retail customers. “When the harvest is on, it’s flat out,” John says. “We pretty much load trucks 24 hours some days, just to keep everyone happy.”
The trees are despatched within hours of being cut, with most customers located in Sydney, the NSW south coast and the Southern Highlands. On Sundays, the family happily welcomes locals who want to choose their own tree.
Anna cradles Fatso, a baby rescue wombat.
John’s parents founded the business about 35 years ago. “Dad used to clear all the forestry trees and he thought, instead of every 25 years, why not wait five years to get a sale off the tree?” says John, who, with his younger sisters Sarah and Catie, would help with operations on school holidays and during his apprenticeship as a builder.
“We get the best of both worlds here,” Louisa says. “Where I grew up, it was much more isolated. Here we are so much more central in the region. The community in the Highlands and around Goulburn is well connected.”
Each November, John downs tools from his building business and Louisa sets up in the farm office full-time. “We have a colourful crew of workers for the harvest period,” she says. “There’s often up to 15 blokes, and Barb has always provided meals and looked after them, because they’re working hard in tough conditions.”
“We’ve got a bloke who’s been coming back for 25 years now and he still tosses the trees,” John adds. “You’ve got to do it in rain, hail and shine. Last year, it was torrential rain and we just had to keep cutting and filling the orders.”
“The girls are too young to help with the Christmas trees at the moment, but I’m sure in time they’ll be good tractor drivers!” Louisa says. “John’s sisters did that growing up; in busy times it was all hands on deck. We’re going to foster that in our children, too.”
“Even when the economy is bad, I tend to think people prioritise the Christmas tree,” Louisa says. “It embodies the spirit of the season.” When Louisa finally gets to bring hers home, she keeps the decorations minimal, mixing fairy lights with whatever ornaments the girls have made at school.
Christmas Day itself is a brief but welcome reprieve, as the Boags also offer a pick-up service for their trees, which begins in January. “When that’s finished, we go to Avoca on the NSW central coast and just lie on the beach and have the best time,” Louisa says. “It’s a family reboot. Then the rest of the year is quite normal again… until December!”
To order a tree from Christmas Tree Man, call (02) 4884 1209 or visit christmastreeman.com.au
