LIZ Mackley’s journey from leading a busy newsroom to a farmhand on a large-scale dairy operation is as interesting as it is unusual.
A ‘now or never’ opportunity to travel, a global pandemic and the need to earn money whilst living 17,000 kilometres from home, all intertwined to lead Liz to her current role at Ballyduggen, one of Aurora Dairies many properties.
UK born Liz beat off strong competition to win the 2022 Employee Award – sponsored by Fonterra - at the recent Great South West Dairy Awards gala evening in Warrnambool. It was a very pleasant surprise to humble Liz.
“It was incredibly overwhelming and unexpected to win. Whilst it is very flattering personally, it is a great testament to the team I work in. Everyone has been so supportive and that has helped me so much since I have been at Ballyduggen.”
Whilst growing up in regional Hampshire, England, Liz had never stepped foot on a farm until coming to Australia on a Working Holiday Maker visa in February 2020. Her rural upbringing meant Liz knew ‘one end of a cow from the other’ but little more.
So, how does a former deputy editor of a successful newspaper in the UK find themselves feeding 650 calves on a rainy, windswept winter’s day in western Victoria?
“I had been working as a journalist for seven years and whilst I loved the work I was getting worn out and felt I needed a change. I was running out of time to apply for the backpacker visa so took the plunge and flew into Sydney over two years ago – just before COVID hit.
“Of course, that changed my plans. I decided to travel from Sydney to live with a friend in Warrnambool prior to all the lockdowns starting. Another friend suggested dairy farm work as a way of earning money whilst we went through the various restrictions – I tried it and enjoyed it straight away,” said Liz.
An opportunity to work in journalism here in Australia then took Liz to Gippsland where she worked as a reporter for WIN TV – her first role in television. Whilst journalism was classed as ‘essential’ during lockdown, it did not allow Liz to extend her visa and with the pandemic much worse in the UK, Liz chose to return to dairy farming in order to gain an extension to her stay in Australia.
That is when Liz began working for Aurora Dairies. The 1100-hectare property at Hawkesdale milks 1400 cows at peak. The mainly Holstein herd is split calving, with half calving in April/May and half in August/September. Initially Liz’s role was purely milking, however, her desire to learn more and develop new skills has seen her work more with the calves and young stock. Next is machinery, with Liz keen to do more tractor driving, telehandler work and feeding out. Her eagerness to learn was picked up by the Award judges, they noted:
“Liz has been able to leap into this role with great success. The combination of already training new staff, being a Safety Committee member and active involvement in no less than three Dairy Australia courses already, Liz was a worthy finalist. Then adding her abilities to learn, process and apply new skills showed her innovation and problem-solving skills to take this award.”
Along with ongoing informal training, Liz hopes to begin a Certificate IV in Dairy Farming through South West TAFE soon. This is part of Aurora Dairies commitment to developing its employees – with many staff able to study a Cert III or IV.
Although working as a journalist may not seem the obvious training ground for a dairy farmer, the two careers share some similar skill sets, including resilience and adaptability.
“I have always enjoyed variety and to some degree, unpredictability, in my work. With both jobs you may have your day planned out, but you never quite know what is round the corner. When the unexpected happens, you need to think on your feet – problem solving skills are very important!’
At a time when backpackers are returning to the country, Liz’s story is a reminder that people can come to the dairy industry from many different backgrounds and countries. Whatever reasons bring new employees to our farm gate, it is essential that we as an industry show what a great career option dairy farming is. Sometimes we may overlook or take for granted the different attractions, as well as some of the barriers, those new to dairying see.
“As a backpacker wanting to work in agriculture, working with animals is much more appealing than picking fruit, cows have such interesting personalities – good or bad. I also enjoy the physical aspect of the role – there’s no need for a gym membership!
“When I first started milking cows it was quite scary and intimidating, cows are big! You are up close to them and there is also a lot of moving parts and lots happening. Being given time to adjust and learn gently was very important to me at that stage.
“As I continue to learn, the support of the farm team here – led by manager Phil Weller – is amazing. There is a fun, energetic culture where everyone is there to help and achieve the same goal. If you bog a bike or the cows get out, you’ll be helped, not blamed. We are encouraged to test our boundaries, without being pressured. There is a great sense of achievement to be gained from taking on new challenges and succeeding,” said Liz.
Although international borders are now getting back to normal, Liz has no intentions of leaving Australia or the dairy industry. Aurora Dairies is in the process of sponsoring Liz to remain in the country and enable her to continue her new career.
“Right now I’m very happy doing what I am, working in a great team doing a job I love. Looking forward I’d like to take on more responsibility, with a view to managing a farm in time. The long-term goal is to run my own dairy farm business – possibly share farming.
“Dairy farming offers a great lifestyle and flexibility. Having responsibility for animals, watching them grow and working with them each day is fantastic, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else,” concluded Liz. With thanks to Matt Wood of WestVic Dairy.
