Kate and I had a connection through a KRB parent who had struggled to find workers, due to Covid restrictions, and therefore offered us an opportunity for 3 months minimum work at their pub and Roadhouse. We both wanted to have a working gap year so this was a perfect job to get us started !
We worked in a small country town called Julia Creek, population of around 500, and a very social town with similar aged people. We worked at the local pub where we cleaned the motel rooms, bartended, worked as kitchen hands and were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be chefs of the pub for four nights. We also worked at the Roadhouse which involved cooking meals from breakfast right through to dinner, serving fuel, making coffees, cleaning and ordering stock. Between both these jobs we had a lot of responsibility which gave us great experience and skills in customer service, the hospitality industry, decision making and being part of a team.
We were given a four bedroom house right behind our workplace, which we shared with Issy Gerathy (2020) who joined us in April and another one of our friends from Temora.
Over the 8 months we were in Julia creek, we had the opportunity to go to many local campdrafts, rodeos and races; these were the highlights of our social life watching many of our friends compete, meeting lots of like-minded people and experiencing a different scene than what we were used to. We made connections with the lovely locals who took us mustering, cattle dipping, horse riding and allowed us to visit their cattle stations.
We were fortunate to not encounter any Covid restrictions, which was another reason we extended our stay in Julia Creek.
We worked 6 days a week, often long hours which from this we gained a better work ethic and appreciation for earning and saving our own money. We also had to learn how to manage living and working together in a small town which at times was challenging but we all helped each other overcome these challenges.
We have made friendships that will last a lifetime. We are both planning on going to university next year, Kate is studying nursing and I will be studying occupational therapy. “