First Job: Contract Fencer
After
Training at Springbrook Farm, my first job started in Mitchell, Queensland.
I’m working for a contract fencer since two weeks now. The job is building
fences for other farmers. If anyone needs a sheep or cattle fence, give me a
call…
Most of the
time, I carry heavy Pipes around, drive tractor or tie the wires up. The job is
allright, not what I am here for, but we’re working for a very nice family at
the moment and I learn a few things and earn quite good money, I hope.
The bigger
problem about the whole thing is my employer. In my eyes a real weird guy. He
lives alone with his two dogs on his property and sees himself as the centre of
the world.
I’d
probably be a bit weird too, living alone with two dogs. But he doesn’t seem to
have many friends or a good connection to his family.
He is
always dirty and looks as if he’d just break out of any mental home.
And he is
talking loads of shit. Pretending he’d be smarter than everybody else, telling
about his great “inventions” and how dumb other people would be, but can not
even read or calculate easiest things!
During the
week we stay in a caravan on the property of Don and Kim (for whom we work). At
least the Caravan is parted in two “rooms” but it is very annoying being around
this weirdo almost 24/7.
I’ve seen a
lot of roos now, they’re hopping around almost everywhere and we already got
hit by one. Yes, not we hit the roo hit us. But the car is alright and the roo
hopped on…
And there
are many roos lying dead on the streets. I’d say during the 50km drive to the
job at least 20 dead roos.
Emus are a
lot around, too alive as well as ran over. And I’ve seen an echidna and today
my first possum. Cute little things J Ivi played with it and it was
obviously hurt so Ross (my employer) picked it up and put it into a box with
some milk, water, fruits and vegetables to see if it’ll survive the night.
In the
first week we had dinner with Don, Kim and Sam at Cedarvale, where we are
working. Sam (Samantha^^) is 19 and has been to Europe, going to school in England and
visited a few other countries. Her older sister Jesse is in South
America right now. It was very good to talk to someone of the same
age again and she’s not one of the typical “country kids” here who have never
travelled any further than to Brisbane.
Was a very good evening and Don and Kim are very nice and laid back, typical
Australian I think.
On Sunday,
the same week we were at the 80th Birthday party of Ross’ mother. It
was a lot more fun than it sounds :-D
I met a
girl from Netherlands
who is working for Garry a Contract Musterer for whom Ross’ Brother works too.
She’s here since March and probably going to stay until March next year. But
she’s studying and this work is part of her study and she does not get paid.
She had
made the same experiences I made and we had the same opinion about the
Australian people and life in the rural areas: people are very nice and
friendly, interested in what you’re doing here, helpful and absolutely laid
back!
Oh and I
think I didn’t tell about the nice other animals I met at work. In the caravan
there was a spider bigger than my hand and in the same night two frogs were
sitting in the toilet. Disturbing, the Australian animals…
I am going
to start my second job in two weeks. It’ll be for contract cattle musterers
working around Normanton, so it’s a long journey ahead. The job sounds as hard
as interesting and I’ll probably won’t write for a longer time, cause we’re
going to be on Camp
Out most of the time and
I have no idea when there is the chance to use internet.
