‘MacGyver’ cleans up awards

Not bad for someone who came to the property for a cleaning job.

Although she didn’t grow up around farming in her native New Zealand, Kerry had held a few jobs in dairy before she found herself at the Glenfyne farm.

“There was an ad on Facebook looking for someone with an ABN to clean two farm houses,” Kerry said.

“I came here and cleaned the houses and at the time, the farm manager, Dave Stewart, was looking for another full-time staff member. He offered me the job and this house and I started in April 2022.”

It has been a meteoric rise, with Kerry finally finding a place where she could fully embrace the dairy industry.

The unexpected employee award was the icing on the cake.

A video of the presentation was sent to Kerry a few weeks after the ceremony.

“I watched it and thought, for the first time in my life, I am so proud of myself. I worked so hard for the past two-and-a-half years to get here, and someone obviously thought I was worthy of this award.

“I hate attention and don’t expect awards but for someone to recognise me like this makes me feel so proud.”

Kerry, husband Mark and their three children sold everything and moved to Australia in 2016.

She had dabbled in dairy back home.

“We rented a house on a small dairy farm. I was curious so I said to the farmer `can I have a go?’ He said yes, so I put the cups on and thought it was pretty cool.

“He taught me what to do and showed me around the farm.”

She later worked in housekeeping, bar management and driving before turning to dairy in 2015 when Mark fell ill and left his work in business development.

Kerry enjoyed farming, although she didn’t always get the support that she felt she needed as a new farm hand, and when it came to moving to Australia, it was decided she’d apply for a dairy job, securing work in Gippsland where the farmer happened to be a Kiwi and could help with the relocation red tape.

“It was a huge move, but there haven’t been any regrets,” Kerry said.

Mark later returned to work, so Kerry left the farm and started a cake decorating business – plus a sideline in making slime for kids.

When a new job opportunity fell through for Mark, Kerry returned to dairy on a large farm at Hawkesdale.

“Dairy is a skill I can fall back on when needed,” she said.

She worked there for 10 months before Mark got a new job and Kerry returned to her cakes and slime and some occasional cleaning jobs, including one that was about to open the door on a new chapter.

Kerry started as a senior farm hand, but was quickly elevated to second-in-charge with a new title of assistant manager in the wings.

Her resumé shows she loves variety and learning new things, a quality that is well received on the farm.

“I love to learn new skills,” she said.

“My dad’s an engineer, so I love to make things and know how things work and how to fix things.”

These practical skills have earnt her the nickname MacGyver in some circles.

“I like to MacGyver things,” she said.

“If anything breaks, I like to think how will I MacGyver it until we can get it fixed.

“One thing I fixed in the dairy nearly two years ago is still going. I hated school, but I’m a self-learner with a lot of things.”

That thing she fixed in the dairy was a grain chute dropping into the feeder.

“A part of the frame had broken. I looked for something to put in there to stop the grain from falling out,” she said.

“We have dry cuffs made from wetsuit-like material to keep our forearms clean and dry during milking, and I grabbed one and put it in there, and thought it would work for a while. It’s still there and still working.”

Apart from her self-taught skills and the invaluable guidance of Dave and the Aurora team, Kerry has nearly completed a Certificate IV in Agriculture through RIST.

“I’ve had some ups and downs in dairy farming, but I really enjoy this farm and what Dave is teaching me,” she said.

The course is invigorating for Kerry.

“It has taught me that dairy farming is not just milking cows; it’s how you get the milk in the vat, from the time a calf comes out of a cow; it’s about their anatomy, their nutrition,” she said.

“It sparked interest that I never thought I’d have. I never thought I’d be into dairy farming like I am.”

Kerry also undertakes Dairy Australia short courses whenever possible.

The farm itself is also growing. The 270ha property was home to 350 to 380 cows when Kerry arrived, today they’re milking 519 Friesians and have had 313 calves born this year.

Kerry does “anything and everything”, from fencing and feeding to milking and maintenance and supervising two other staff members when Dave is away.

“My whole life, I’ve always been a follower, not a leader, so I’m still learning to be a leader,” she said.

“I have become more confident in myself; something I’ve never been before.”

Kerry is also keen on health and nutrition.

“I’m at the stage that I can look at a cow in the paddock and think she doesn’t look right and generally pinpoint what’s wrong.”

Her involvement in Aurora Dairies safety committee and women’s impact program also contributed to her award.

“I’m one of 10 women in the impact program, and it helps us with confidence and become emerging leaders,” she said.

Each participant is doing a project to help the company, with Kerry developing a project involving mental health in the workplace and looking at new ways to support people to reach out for help if they need it.

“I’ve battled mental health problems myself and it’s hard to put your hand up and say you need help, but it’s okay not to be okay,” she said.

“I want to build stronger relationships between managers and staff so they can be on the same wavelength about how they feel in the job.”

Kerry has featured on a banner promoting Aurora Dairies at field days in NZ and has been chosen as a Victorian learner ambassador for Adult Learning Australia.

“I enjoyed learning as an adult and found it easier than school,” she said.

She’s now happy in her job.

“I’d like to be a manager one day, but not yet,” she said.

“I’d also look at doing my diploma, but will take a break after the certificate.”