Gardener’s one hour job puts council to shame in viral video

Nathan Stafford has called out council over its failure to clean what was reportedly less than an hour’s work for him alone. Source: TikTok/nathanslawnsandgardens

A gardener has embarrassed his council spectacularly, doing by himself in an hour what residents claim would’ve taken four blokes, traffic controllers and much more ratepayers’ money.

Nathan Stafford who runs Nathan’s Lawns and Gardens exposed what some describe as a “broken” council system and use of residents and ratepayers’ funds, drawing more than 13,000 hearts when he put a video of his clean-up job on his popular TikTok account.

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His video was posted to Tiktok where it drew some reaction. Source: TikTok/nathanslawnsandgardens

It filmed him mowing and tidying a neglected stretch of Ocean View Drive in Terrigal, New South Wales, claiming “it’s been years since this was last cleaned. Check out the before and after”.

The clip attracted more than 13,600 hearts, 225 comments, and 208 saves, with most viewers applauding the effort, and taking aim at council inefficiency – though it did also spark fierce debate over safety standards and traffic control.

“The council would send 4 blokes, 4 traffic control, 2 spotters and 1 supervisor, and cost taxpayers 6k,” one claimed.

Another said “and take 8 hours” to which a third person pipped “yeah 8 hours spread out across 4 days”.

Some expressed frustration at the system: “One time it took 8 men to put up 4 clocks in my local aquatic centre. Guaranteed they took home 2k+.”

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There was some concern for his safety while cleaning up the road. Source: TikTok/nathanslawnsandgardens

But a critic warned safety regulations were not a joke. “It’s not as easy as pull up in your truck and going out in live traffic and cleaning up”.

“Traffic control is required under the law … it only takes one vehicle to come through quickly and hit him and we’d be reading the funeral notices.”

One said “western councils may look ‘slow and expensive’, but that comes with strict safety rules, accountability, and decent jobs for workers. In many developing countries, the same job might be done faster and cheaper, but often with poor safety standards, low wages, and little accountability when things go wrong. So the real question is: do you want it ‘fast and cheap,’ or ‘safe and fair’? Because in the long run, cutting corners often costs even more.”

Another agreed, saying “it’s to make sure the job is done safely without accidents, because one serious injury could cost way more than a day of extra labour … it may look slower compared to a single bloke doing it alone, but the trade-off is safety, fairness, and stable jobs.”

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Nathan Stafford has been running his garden and lawn mowing business since 2010. Picture: nathanslawnsandgardensau.com

Another disagreed, adding: “That’s not the point, it can be done safely, but it should be done in half an hour. Unfortunately there’s no incentive or culture that makes jobs like this happen that quickly.”

Some were shocked Mr Stafford didn’t get in trouble for doing the work without permission, though another suggested he “send the council an invoice”.

“Our local council would send you a fine for cleaning it up,” said one user whose comment received hundreds of likes.

Mr Stafford started his gardening and lawn mowing business in 2010 and began uploading his videos to Instagram six years later – some of which show him doing work for free that councils haven’t picked up, and even cleaning blocked drains on roadways.

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The area after his efforts. Source: TikTok/nathanslawnsandgardens

“One of the best parts of my job is cleaning up yards for free and making videos about it. I love sharing my work and helping those who need it most. I get to meet people from all walks of life and start conversations that might not happen otherwise and hopefully bring some attention to important causes.”

He donates $2 from every order made for merchandise with his logo on it to the Heart Centre for Children with the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network.

Many believed Mr Stafford was a “legend” for his efforts with him responding to supporters with a mix of thumbs up, hearts, and humble thanks in the comment thread.

No official statement on the viral video has been issued by The Central Coast Council as yet.

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