Gabby Macdonald

Since returning home from Canada in January, I spent a month travelling through QLD visiting some friends and family while also doing some day work at Lara Wetlands station. Upon returning home to Ballarat in January, there were lots of bush fires in the area, resulting in over 300 firefighters being sent down from NSW. I worked in the base camp kitchen in ballarat during this time, serving breakfast and dinner for the fire fighters and government staff

Key responsibilities

- dealing with patrons in a positive, professional and respectful manner

- working well in a team in a high pressure environment

- Maintaining high standards of cleanliness and hygiene with a great attention to detail

- preparing food

While I was living in Canada I spent one month at a quarter horse stud, specialising in reining. My employers were only looking for help for one month, as the most previous employee had left abruptly, resulting in my short term employment.

Key responsibilities

- monitoring water and feed levels for over 50 horses

- examining animals for signs of sickness, injury and overall health

- catching, tacking and riding horses for exercise

- grooming and rugging horses as well as keeping facilities clean

I moved to Canada to work on a ranch in April of 2023. Chilancoh Ranch runs primarily lease cattle, operating somewhat like a grass fed feedlot. In 2023 the herd consisted of 1500 spayed heifers and just over 150 cow and calf pairs.

Key responsibilities

- Monitoring calving, detecting and treating mastitis

- mustering cattle on horseback in a range of different terrain, including flat grassland, steep rocky mountainous country, thick bush, valleys etc.

- operating quad bikes

- fencing, both maintaining and building new barbed fence as well as building new electric fence and installing fencer units and battery systems

- All aspects of processing cattle, including mustering, drafting, branding, vaccinating, trucking

- some general maintenance such as fixing gates, welding, and very basic mechanical skills such as servicing ranch utes

I worked as a first year station hand under Matt Wood, at Wave Hill Station in the northern territory. I worked in a large group, of 14 people within the stock camp and often over 25 employees on the station at any given time. Wave Hill runs between 40 - 45,000 head of mostly brahman cattle

Key Responsibilities

- Mustering cattle on horse back, on mostly flat grassland type terrain.

- working cohesively within a large team, when mustering, drafting, branding etc.

- maintaining fencing of mostly 5 strand barb

- mustering and processing cattle using low stress stock handling techniques

- installing new troughs, with pvc fittings and poly pipelines

I began working at Alnor Dairy during high school, and it is where I first realised my love for agriculture and horses. I worked at the dairy farm almost every weekend during school, and was there full time once I graduated in November 2021. I left to complete my season at Wave Hill in March of 2022, and returned to work at Alnor when I came home for the wet season. I was last officially employed there in April 2023, right up until I left for the ranch in Canada.

Key responsibilities

- milking a herd of 500 dairy cows and maintaining a high level of hygiene and quality

- monitoring for illnesses such as mastitis and milk fever

- monitoring calving, helping to pull calves and cutting out freshly calved cows to join the milking herd

- feeding and monitoring up to 100 calves at a time, twice daily

- monitoring feed and water for all animals

I worked at Domino's during high school, serving customers at the front counter and over the phone, as well as making pizza's and maintaining a clean kitchen and working environment

- Ensured cleanliness and sanitation by thoroughly washing dishes, utensils, and kitchen equipment.

- Maintained a well-organized work area by consistently cleaning surfaces and organizing supplies.

- Efficiently handling multiple responsibilities simultaneously under pressure, such as answering phones, taking orders at the counter, while also preparing and cooking meals in a timely manner.

- Reduced waste by effectively managing inventory levels and rotating stock to maintain freshness.

- Enhanced customer satisfaction by promptly addressing any concerns or special requests from guests regarding their meals.

- Demonstrated adaptability by quickly learning new techniques, recipes, and procedures