Writing her next chapter

But in this case, Liz is the subject of the story, not the writer, and the journey involves COVID-19 restrictions, twists and turns, self-discovery and ultimately a happy ending.

Despite having less than two years of experience working on a farm, Liz was pleasantly surprised and honoured to be named employee of the year, although she’s quick to say it’s really a team effort on her large corporate farm near Hawkesdale in south-west Victoria.

It’s a far cry from writing human interest stories and advancing into deputy news editor roles and even a stint on TV.

“I was always interested in writing and wanted to be a journalist when I was growing up,” Liz said.

Her parents were diplomats — including stints in Australia — and Liz had considered that career path, but ultimately journalism won out.

After completing a degree in English and philosophy and a diploma in journalism, she worked locally for the Swindon Advertiser before moving to Hull in Yorkshire.

“That was a bit of a culture shock,” Liz said.

“I had been brought up in a privileged part of the country but had moved to an area with one of the highest levels of poverty in the UK.

“For some reason, the community liked me even though I’ve got this horribly posh accent, and I developed some really good skills, particularly when it comes to human interest writing.”

After seven years in journalism, Liz started to ponder her next steps.

“I’m a good human interest writer with a good tabloid style but what’s the next step? If I went up the chain of command, I’d stop writing, which is what I’m good at and why I’m doing it.

“I went into journalism because I wanted to use my talents to support other people, to give people a voice. I wanted to live on the right side of the moral line, supporting people rather than just chasing a story.”

She’s had a connection to Australia through her father’s posting and later holidays, so decided to study for an extra year at the University of Queensland.

After a stint on a web-based news service at Berkshire, Liz decided to quit everything and take a holiday to Australia and then return to England and figure out what she wanted to do.

That was in February 2020.

With lockdowns looming, Liz moved to Melbourne to stay with a friend and a month later moved to Warrnambool.

As the lockdown continued, she started writing a book but her money was running out. She applied for many jobs before eventually landing a farm role in August 2020.

“I liked cows, but knew nothing about it but thought I’d see what it was like and try something different.”

Liz worked on the farm for a few months before landing a short-term journalism job with WIN TV in Gippsland, her first broadcast experience.

However, because journalism wasn’t recognised as a COVID working visa category and she didn’t have a sponsor, the position was short-lived.

“I was thinking of going home but really wanted to stay in Australia. I still want to drive to Perth,” she said.

She soon found a job on a new farm, Ballyduggen, owned by Aurora Dairies.

As one of 12 staff on a 1100-hectare farm with 1400 mostly Holstein cows using an 80-unit rotary dairy, Liz started as a casual farmhand, mostly milking cows. Because of her previous experience, she was soon doing rosters.

She says journalism is not only about writing and spelling, it’s also about personality, character and being willing to learn. The same could apply to being a dairy farmer.

“Farm manager Phil Weller is very good at spotting people’s potential,” Liz said.

“I started from scratch but he realised I enjoy being thrown in the deep end and pick things up pretty quickly.

“I’m mainly milking cows, have done a bit of calf rearing, have been in the telehandler once and I’m learning new things as we go along.

“I’m very pushy and very direct. I quickly got to grips with the computer system and got to do the rosters and to the point of telling Phil we’ve got cows that need to be dried off, cows that are ready to calve.

“If a cow was looking a bit different in her udder or in the way she’s standing, I’d realise there was something wrong. I’m learning about health problems and the causes and thinking about what we could do prevent them from happening.”

Phil said Liz had a hunger to learn.

“She wants to know everything right now,” he said.

“Her heart’s in it and she knows you can’t learn this from a book, you have to do it.”

The award judges had similar thoughts.

“With skills already numerous from past careers including that of a journalist, Liz has been able to leap into this role with great success,” they said.

“Her abilities to learn, process and apply new skills showed her innovation and problem-solving skills.”

Liz’s mother recently visited — and learnt how to milk a cow.

“Mum says ‘we spent thousands of pounds educating her and now she’s milking cows’. She’s a bit surprised but she’s delighted that I’m happy.”

Always ambitious, Liz now plans to stay in Australia, continue learning and has long-term hopes to own a dairy farm.

“I find it no more repetitive than putting a paper to bed every day,” she said.

“You get to know the cows and it’s in the details that it gets exciting. Plus, you don’t have to lay awake at night and worry about what you’ve written in the paper.”

Still on a COVID visa, Liz can begin an application for a visa sponsored by Aurora with a pathway to permanent residency in October.

“The job is simple on paper — you feed the cows, you milk the cows, you raise the calves — but you need grit and determination and to be observant,” she said.

“My passion for the animal is huge and it’s a multi-faceted job.

“I’m happy to be in such a team-focused workplace. You can’t achieve anything without other people, especially on a farm this size.”