My retirement from full-time municipal
tree management came in 2015 when I
had to leave Walsall Metropolitan Borough
Council, partly due to ill health and partly
due to my time there (10 years) having run
its course. However, by then I was already
working part-time in education and training
and went straight from Walsall to Moulton
College in Northamptonshire to teach on
the Arboriculture degree as well as working
with the urban forestry volunteers across
the region to help with their training—
something I have done throughout my
entire career. This latter item has prob-
ably been the biggest joy since retirement
but of course brings no income; fiscal
requirement led me to other endeavors.
My passion for teaching started when I
was at college, but I chose not to pursue
teaching secondary (high school) education
after a couple of semesters as it destroyed
my will to live and so chose the land-based
sector and ended up working for Sandwell
(20 years) and Cannock Chase Councils (5
years) before landing for my last decade at
Walsall. Whilst at Cannock I took my first
part-time post teaching at Llysfasi College
(it was then part of Bangor University) at
the weekends, which I guess re-ignited my
desire to teach that had so cruelly been
beaten out of me when I was younger!
After retirement I registered with Lantra as
an instructor to teach their tree inspection
courses which at the time complimented
my TRAQ instructor's role. The latter
faltered, though, when ISA withdrew
from the UK, but there was plenty of
work as an instructor to keep me from
enjoying any kind of relaxing retirement.
After two short sojourns at Birmingham
Metropolitan College and Bournville
College, I took on the role as Arboriculture
course manager and lecturer at Pershore
College, which is demanding enough.
Any spare time is taken acting as a con-
sultant on planning applications where
trees are impacted. It's the classic game-
keeper-turned-poacher scenario, but I still
work the odd days for a municipality and
the Municipal Tree Officers' Association
(MTOA) to keep my morals and ethics
in check! Next week? Who knows?
—Ian "Mac" McDermott
20 CityTREES
Ian "Mac" Mcdermott (center) at the Morton Arboretum
with colleagues Rich Hauer (left) and Jake Miesbauer.
