Latest news with #groundskeeper
News.com.au
30-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Aussies have been left surprised after a groundskeeper revealed his yearly salary
Aussies have been left surprised after a groundskeeper revealed his yearly salary. Get-ahead, an app that matches job seekers with employers, has a series on TikTok where they stop ordinary Aussies on the street and ask them about their salaries. A young man in a puffer jacket has sparked an outcry after he revealed he was earning far less than the national average. 'I'm a groundskeeper, and I make about $50,000 a year,' he said. According to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statics, the average yearly salary in late 2024 was a staggering $103,812. The full-time adult's weekly total earnings are $1996.40. The average, or mean, salary is calculated by dividing total earnings by the total number of people (or employees). The median is another commonly used calculation method, which provides the 'middle' earnings figure, where half of people earn more than the median earnings value and half earn less than the median earnings value The young groundskeeper explained that he got his job because he was a member of the golf club, and then asked if they needed any help. 'I start at 5am every morning. I don't work Wednesdays, I work Saturdays instead, and we finish about 2pm every day,' he said. He revealed that one of the perks of the job is that he gets a discounted membership and he enjoys being part of a community. 'Yeah I know pretty much about everyone, which is good,' he said. The young worker said it has been a hard slog at the moment because weather conditions so dictate his work. 'We've had a lot of rain over the last six months. So it has been pretty hard,' he said. The young Aussie also revealed that 'everything is much pretty much learned on the job' with groundskeeping. Online Aussies weighed in. '50k is outrageous,' one claimed. 'Why? Not everyone should be earning a zillion dollars a year,' someone else argued. 'That doesn't even cover me eating out 7 days a week,' one joked. 'At least the man is working,' another argued. The groundskeeper's salary reveal comes after an apprentice electicans shocked Aussies by revealing her staggering wage. 'I make probably about $100,000 a year at the moment,' she said. The young woman said she was only in her second year of apprenticeship but was working shifts to earn that much money. 'We do a rotating roster, so like, two weeks of day shifts, a week of night shifts, and the night shifts are where you make a lot of money,' she said. Aussies were shocked to discover that someone still learning a trade could earn such a substantial amount. 'No way! 2nd year on $100k. I call BS,' one said. But another replied and argued that she's doing 'night shift and roster work', so they didn't doubt she'd be making six figures. Someone else who claimed they had 30 years of experience said they were stunned to learn they earned around the same as a second-year apprentice. 'That's nuts,' the tradie wrote. 'I'm in my second year and get $39,000,' another said.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This Cemetery Groundskeeper Did An AMA, And People Had A LOT Of Questions, Here Are The Fascinating Things They Shared
Do you love all things weird, dark, and creepy? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre! It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Recently, Reddit user odd_fisch, a cemetery groundskeeper, did a very interesting AMA on r/CemeteryPorn (they also shared the really pretty photo below!). And, unsurprisingly, a lot of people had a lot of questions. Here are the best and top-voted questions and then the answers from odd_fisch: 1."What percentage of graves get visited?" —finalgirl08 "Roughly 30% but it varies a lot depending on holidays." 2."Do you have many regulars who visit a lot? To visit particular graves, or to take in the whole place, typically?" —turtle2turtle3turtle "A few, some people come to walk, and some who visit regularly at graves. One gentleman has been visiting every weekend for years now. We also have a lot of Pokéstops LOL." 3."How common is it for people to piss and shit on the graves of people they hated in life?" —Famous_Suspect6330 "Well, I've never seen people shit but, umm, I have seen other unsavory acts, if you're smelling what I'm stepping in…" 4."Can share any particular incident or burial which made you laugh?" —OGadminOP "Nothing that made me really laugh. But my first week working there, prior to me living there, I was a pallbearer because there was no family in attendance so I and the other groundskeepers stepped in." 5."I volunteer in a previously abandoned cemetery. We have lots of cave-ins where caskets collapsed over time in the wooded sections. Do you experience this at yours? How do you handle it if so?" —isuzupup__ "We do have some cave-ins, and unfortunately, one of our best options is just to fill it in. Most of the graves that collapse are 150+ years old so they get few or no visitors." 6."When a headstone is broken or pushed over, who typically deals with that? Would it be you if you just happened upon it or would the family of the deceased have to ask for it to be fixed? I pick up headstones if I find them toppled or kicked over, and I always wondered who is supposed to do that since some of the ones I've picked up were seemingly like that for years, and no one picked them up. But I know I saw the groundskeepers. So I wasn't sure if it was a 'can't touch it till a report is made' type of situation or not." —Individual_Ad_6777 "Typically, it is the responsibility of the family. However, if we're able, we always fix what we can! Some are just too big to move even with four people on it." 7."Have you ever had any issues with visitors (living or ghosts, LOL)?" —DistinctBell3032 "The house I stay in is almost 200 years old — it's been used as a funeral home/office, storage, and some other stuff. Sometimes, the house feels a little spooky. But nothing unfriendly! Unfortunately, the living customers always present issues. Always complaints to be made. At the end of the day, it doesn't bother me!" Related: "That Sentence Sat In My Head For Months": Men Are Revealing The Most Hurtful Things A Woman Can Say To Them, And It's Actually Fascinating 8."How many high school metal bands have you caught trying to film music videos?" — GivemTheDDD "Not many LOL, but we do have people come in at night for 'séances.'" 9."Any problems or accidents with the people having 'séances?'" —HanhnaH "Problems? Yes. Accidents? No. Mainly, they tend to leave trash, candles, and other items." 10."I was in a graveyard with my daughter yesterday. We met an older gentleman who was mowing a section of the lawn/graves. He saw us walking and pointed to the stone a little ways away and said, 'That one's mine.' Being certain he wasn't a ghost, how often do families preplace a stone and do maintenance? I'm guessing his family of yesteryear is buried there. It was a tiny cemetery, under 20 rows." —fugensnot "Preplaced stones are a great money-saving option and take a lot of stress off of your family when that time comes! It very well could've been his stone, especially if there was no death date!" 11."Is your job well compensated?" —alwayssearching2012 "It is! Room and board are provided, and although it's mostly volunteer work, anything after 20 hours is paid!" 12."Have you ever seen a ghost in your cemetery before? I think that is the question that everybody wants to know the most." — International-Sea561 "No, not in the cemetery itself, but the house is a different story. I like to think I'm safe as I take care of the place in part!" Related: Here Are 50 Pictures That Make Me Grin Uncontrollably No Matter How Many Times I've Seen Them, In Case You Need Them 13."Do you ever feel afraid, especially at night, or are you pretty comfortable being there?" —Wintermoon54 "It feels more like home than any other place I've lived!" 14."Have you ever seen anyone ever accidentally fall into a grave?" —No_University6980 "No, but we joke about hiding in them pre-funerals (death jokes are a norm)." 15."What's the oldest grave there?" —Bleacherblonde "Dates into the late 1700s, it's barely legible due to erosion, but we have a record of it!" 16."For those old sites, since no one is around anymore to help maintain them, do you guys get together and help those out a little more?" —Oy_theBrave "Typically, yes. We knock out entire sections at a time, usually a couple of acres a day. We encourage people to come and maintain what they want to, but we knock out our stuff independently!" 17."Do you have a list of your favorite headstones? What is it about them that makes them you're favorite?" —crapatthethriftstore "I have a few I really like. Mostly, it's because of their interesting names, or because they're funny; we have a Nimrod McGruber. Poor guy. Some of the stones have nice sayings or cool engravings as well." 18."Have you ever been involved in an exhumation?" —genzgingee "No they are very uncommon!" 19."Do you assist with burials (like, set up those things that lower the casket)? What are the requirements to become a cemetery groundskeeper?" —CHAIFE671 "All I had to do was put in the work, and the opportunity arose for me to move to the cemetery! And we lay out burial sites and currently hire out for digging/ openings/closing. We're in the process of repairing and replacing a lot of stuff!" 20."I also work at a cemetery, primarily in the office, but I also help the grounds crew from time to time. What's the dumbest complaint you've heard about the way you keep your cemetery? For us, I'd probably say the lady who complained that our trees weren't trimmed pointy enough." —starwishes20 "Oh man, we just got one this Memorial Day, the local paper printed a piece from the VA saying we didn't allow any flags for the veterans. This simply wasn't true. We even had hundreds of them ready to be placed by anyone who wanted to! Sat them outside by the office and everything! We also placed a few around our veterans' monument near the entrance, so clearly, flags were not a problem." 21."Why do I see really old headstones with 'perpetual care' on them, yet they're cracked, toppled over, or broken? Doesn't perpetual care mean they paid so that if it ever broke, no matter how far into the future, it would be fixed? What happens when those old mausoleums start crumbling? Does anyone fix it, or will it just continue to fall apart? What if the mausoleum gets so bad that the coffin is exposed?" —Inevitable-Plenty203 "Mausoleums are typically family property. I can't speak for other cemeteries, but for us, when something like that happens, we file insurance and have stones replaced. Very old stones don't get replaced for a number of reasons — the perpetual care didn't exist at the time of the burial, likely was family responsibility, or it's simply so old that insurance won't do anything about it." 22."What do you do during a typical day?" —ImDeepState "Mowing, trimming, stick removal, and decoration removal (plastic decorations are hazardous in many ways)." "What's your favorite part about the job?" —Queenielauren "The peacefulness of it! It's quiet and living there gives me a lot of pride in it." You can read the original AMA on Reddit. Note: Some questions responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Want to read about more weird, dark, and creepy things? Subscribe to the That Got Dark newsletter to get your weekly dopamine fix of the macabre! It's a scary good time you won't want to miss. Also in Internet Finds: Holy Crap, I Can't Stop Laughing At These 28 Painfully Awkward And Embarrassing Conversations Also in Internet Finds: I Need To Call My Doc For A New Inhaler After Cackling So Hard At These 41 Funny Tweets From The Week Also in Internet Finds: People Are Sharing How What Happened In Vegas Did NOT Stay In Vegas, And This Should Be A Lesson To Never Go To A Bachelor/Bachelorette Party There
Gizmodo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Disney Brings ‘Haunted Mansion' to Early Halloween Decor Shopping—But at What Cost?
It's only the start of June, and already Halloween fanatics have to fight for their lives to acquire the newest spooky season decor. Lowe's just revealed this year's Disney Haunted Mansion collection and choices were definitely made in sculpting the iconic figures from the Disney Parks ride. Just give a little gander at the groundskeeper—he's even more terrifying than the Hitchhiking Ghosts! The eyes, so fleshy and protruding like they've seen a thing or two on a Doombuggy passing by. He looks absolutely nightmarish, so there's no doubt he will work for the best lawn jump scares. He'll set you back $249. At least with the Knight, the sculpt fares better, right? It's really more befitting to have the dead center stare come from the severed head, methinks. This hallway icon is available for $349 and is musical, featuring 'Grim Grinning Ghosts' along with its motion programming. Speaking of grim grinning ghosts, here are the Hitchhiking Ghost animatronics ($299), which we think approximates the designs from the ride closely enough while having that bought-in-a-Halloween store campiness in their outlandish design. Check out the rest of the Haunted Mansion Halloween decor in the spooooooky gallery below which includes new light up busts and punny gravestones. Order for Summerween fun through Lowe's and they may haunt your doorstep by next week's Friday the 13th!
