12 years after he stepped into the role of volunteer gardener at Mulchinock’s Corner – a job that he has done to the highest of standards – Tim Guiheen did his final lawn cut at the famous site last month and will now be leaving the job of keeping this area looking spick and span to the younger generation.
t was back in 2010 when the then Tralee Town Council did a much needed upgrade on Mulchinock’s corner and Tim stepped forward and volunteered look after and maintain the area.
Mulchinock’s Corner has, of course, been synonymous with the Stack’s Club for a lifetime so as a Stack’s supporter – “an imported” one from South Kerry as Tim himself put it – it was an easy decision for Tim to make.
That was 12 years ago and since then he has kept it is pristine condition, often cutting the grass twice a week ‘when the growth was good’, and winning Tidy Town’s Awards for the Best Small Area Enhancement and for the Most Improved Area on separate occasions in the meantime.
In addition to that, the area has been mentioned very positively in National Tidy Town’s Reports over the years.
Speaking to The Kerryman this week – from a cemetery where he is busy doing another of his many volunteer roles – about his decision to finally lay down the gardening tools, Tim said that now is the right time for him to step away but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be casting a keen eye over his old patch every now and then to ensure it’s being kept up.
“There’s a time for everything and you know, 12 years is a good session of volunteering and I think it’s time to let a younger person take over the role,” he said.
“I’ll be keeping a weather eye on it in the sense that if I see that it isn’t being kept up to standard, I’ll be onto somebody, I’ll tell you,” he said before joking that he’ll be out at the night working there to keep it up.
“I’d be the phantom grass cutter!” he laughed.
Going on, Tim, an avid volunteer for numerous causes over the years, could not emphasise enough how important the thinks the role of volunteering is in a local community as he stressed that more people should take up a volunteer role in something they’re passionate about.
“I think it’s important to volunteer and have an interest in the town, its local history and the local clubs etc. It’s all about developing an interest and it all comes down to community and getting involved in your community and I can’t stress the importance of that enough. Volunteering is hugely important and I hope that more people decide to volunteer in the future,” he finished.
