Testimonial Mike

From the moment I arrived in Brisbane and met the other participants in my group for the first time, I immediately had a very good feeling and the certainty that we would get on well and have a lot of fun. We were able to get to know each other even before the first meet & greet, as some of us were staying in the same rooms. As we were all around the same age and had similar goals in Australia, we got on really well right from the start. There were no communication problems as everyone spoke excellent English.

I have very fond memories of the training farm and only ever think back positively to those days. It wasn’t just the surroundings and landscape of Clint’s house that took my breath away, but also his hospitality and openness towards us. The interaction between each other was characterized by respect and patience at all times and you never had the feeling of being out of place. In addition to the training, we were given a lot of information about living and working on an Australian farm and we quickly received our first job offers.

I myself was given four different job offers during my time on the training farm, one of which I accepted from a cattle farm in Katherine in the Northern Territory. Communication and getting to the farm was very simple and clear. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy working on the farm at all and the conditions were more than disappointing. What I disliked most was the handling of the cattle, so after some honest communication with the people in charge, I left the farm after about a week.

I informed Will about my experiences. We soon had a long phone call in which he listened to me and supported me with advice. He agreed to take care of the situation and get me new job offers. As I still had enough budget, I returned to traveling and spent the Christmas and New Year period on the West Coast with my brother and his fiancée, who were also in Australia for their trip around the world.

After a few weeks, around mid-January, I received two new job offers that matched my preference to work with horses. I received a job offer from Lyndhurst Stud in Warwick, QLD, where I am still working and very happy. Communication was just as easy and straightforward as before. I was on the Gold Coast at the time, as were my employers who were there for a horse race. After just one phone call, it was clear to me that I wanted to do this job and I accepted on the same day.

The very next day, my boss Jeff and his wife Cally picked me up right outside my hostel and we set off on the two-hour drive to Warwick. During the drive we were able to talk and get a feel for each other. I started work the same day to get to know the farm and the other employees and I found that all the other employees were my age. I quickly bonded with them and we are still good friends.

The work here was quite simple at first, as I was mainly employed in the stables. As I had no experience of working with horses, my tasks were initially limited to mucking out the stable. Gradually, however, more tasks were added, such as feeding and filling up the water. Even though the work in the stable sometimes seems very monotonous, I really enjoyed it. The friendly and warm interaction with each other made the work very pleasant.

One of my supervisors, with whom I quickly formed a close friendship, tried to take away the monotony by gradually introducing me to the practical handling of the horses. Even though she couldn’t give me any of the horses, she showed me what was important and where dangers could arise. As a result, after a few months I was allowed to lead some of the trusting animals so that I could put the knowledge I had learned into practice.

After a few weeks of stable work, I was given the privilege of going to the Magic Million Yearling Sales on the Gold Coast, where horses are presented for sale at auctions. My work was still mucking out, but I was able to meet staff from other farms and also experience a horse auction. That is definitely worth the experience.

After I was allowed to go to the sales twice, I was assigned a new job as the feed runner in June. Basically, I’m responsible for feeding all the horses on the farm outside the stables. My tasks here are filling feed into bags using a machine, making a fire every day and boiling barley, feeding the bags to the horses in the pasture and reporting injuries to the horses and other damage to fences.

This task is much more varied and extensive compared to the work in the stables. In contrast to the stable, I work outdoors, which basically exposes me to the wind and weather. However, the weather is usually sunny and it rarely rains. All in all, I really like working here at Lyndhurst and enjoy my time here.

The working conditions here are excellent. I live in a house all to myself in the middle of the farm, right next to the stables and the feed barn. This means I only have to walk very short distances to work, as I only have to step out of the front door. In my early days, I shared the house with two other employees who were also international travelers. There is a shared kitchen, bathroom, toilet and a large, air-conditioned living room in the house. Apart from that, everyone has their own sleeping area.

The house is old and has clear signs of use, but it is clean, dry and free of vermin. The internet reception with Telstra is quite good, making video calls or watching movies no problem. There is no charge for accommodation during your time here, but meals are not included. You have to buy and prepare your own food. I was even provided with a car for shopping in the nearby town of Warwick (5-10 minutes’ drive) during my time here. Overall, the conditions are very fair and I am very happy with them.

My salary has been AUD 28.26 per hour since July 1, 2023. Overtime and Sundays are billed at almost AUD 40 per hour.

That was a brief overview of my time here in Australia.

With warm greetings, Mike

Mike sent us this report in August 2023.