A heated confrontation between a good Samaritan gardener and an angry neighbour was caught on camera, and shows just how territorial some Australians can be when it comes to property boundaries.
Gardener Nathan Stafford was trimming overgrown hedges at a home in Ryde, northwest of Sydney, when he was confronted by a “very angry and aggressive” man.
Although Mr Stafford had obtained permission from a woman on the neighbouring property to cut weeds and clear debris, his partner verbally abused him as he completed the job.
“Before I cleaned the yard, I spoke to the neighbor’s partner and asked if I could quickly clean up any dirt that fell on her side, just to do the right thing,” he explained. “She agreed, so I did what I had to do.”
As Mr. Stafford began to work, he heard loud screams coming from inside the house.
“I was actually starting to get worried and was wondering if I should knock on the door because I knew there were kids inside,” she explained.
The yelling man finally came out and directed his frustrations at Mr. Stafford.
“I had to come quickly and clean up the mess, it literally took me about a minute, and then this guy came out and started yelling at me,” Stafford said.
Gardener Nathan Stafford was working on a property in Ryde, north-west of Sydney, when he was confronted by a “very angry and aggressive” man.
‘He was screaming: “Get off my fucking property, you have no right to be here, I’m going to crush you.”
“One thing I know with these types of guys is that if they’re going to try to swing, they do it in the first few seconds, otherwise it’s all talk.”
While the altercation happened earlier this year, Stafford said he shared the footage this week to show how strongly some Australians feel about boundary issues.
“The good thing about this job is that you don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.
The gardener explained that he has often had to deal with annoying neighbours when cutting down overgrown trees and hedges.
These situations often arise when plants invade multiple properties, leading to disputes over who is responsible for their maintenance, Stafford explained.
Many Australians were shocked by the encounter.
You would have thought he would be happy that his neighbor’s yard was being cleaned up,” one said.
A second added: “Well done mate. Instead of yelling at you, he should have helped you clean up. But you did well. You seem pretty smart.”
A third said: “She looks like an absolute sweetheart. She’s in for a very lonely life.”
“I don’t understand why people have to be so mentally abusive to someone who is doing someone else a favor,” a fourth added.
Although Stafford had obtained permission from a woman on the neighbouring property to cut back an overgrown hedge and clear away debris, his partner abused him as he completed the job.