Qld Grey Nomads John And Jean Seek Work

PWF has just received an email and a profile for John and Jean Mack, a retired couple who are full time nomads looking for rural based roles where they can make a good contribution and hopefully supplement their pension. They are ‘adaptable’ people with a ‘can do’ attitude, currently in central eastern Qld, though they can travel ‘pretty much anywhere’.

They would love to hear of any roles going and glad to check them out.

Police clearances and references can be obtained without a problem.

John contributes images and articles to several magazines including Caravan World and Caravan and Motorhome.

What John Has To Say About Himself And Jean

“We are both reasonably fit and healthy, non smokers and social drinkers and we are both computer literate.

Jean is pretty good managing the book keeping tasks having had to manage all the farm accounting jobs.

We have also both have completed Senior First Aid courses though we need a refresher and we have also both completed quad bike training courses.

We are self sufficient with our van but access to power and water would be an advantage.

We are looking for some rural based role, remote is OK when we can make a contribution and supplement our pension. We both love animals but Jean is a little nervous around horses.

John says Jean is a wife and mother, farmer and Ambulance Officer and all round smart lady. What else can I say – she can even bait her own fish hooks and take the fish off (if she has to!).”

Background

“I made my career as a Mineral Processing Engineer in the Diamond Mining & Production business internationally.

I have worked for three major diamond mining companies, Selection Trust in Sierra Leone, de Beers Mining in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia and finally 17 years with Rio Tinto who recruited me out of Africa to help them established the Argyle Diamond Mine in the Kimberley region of WA in early 1981. Here my primary role was as the Manager Production responsible for 170 staff and the entire production process from primary crushing of the ore to the final export of pure diamonds to our Perth facility.

I always planned on leaving the mining game at 55 and ‘doing my own thing’.

At age 50 we bought a 65 ha run down property in the irrigation area surrounding Kununurra. My wife held the reins during the early development years whilst I was still at Argyle Diamond. We took the property up to a fully developed commercial operation, initially with bananas and sugar cane and we also pioneered the growing of lemons in Kununurra where they can be produced out of the main southern growing seasons.

We built a high rise house on the property and in late 1999. Two years after leaving the mines and farming full time I sustained a bad fall from the roof of the house and put myself in hospital for three months.

After two years of recuperation we decided it was a wake-up call and there were more important things in life! We sold up, bought a serious off-road caravan and drove down to the Great Northern Highway at the end of our road – drank a bottle of champagne and then flipped a coin to see if we should head left or right.

We have now been travelling for 5.5 years and loved every minute of it. With my wife we took on the Caretaker/Managers role of two large adjoining ex-pastoral properties now owned by the Dept of Environment and Conservation in the northern Goldfield of WA.

The properties were located some 175 km north east of Wiluna in the Little Sandy Desert. The postman came by once a week and dropped off mail and supplies and we occasionally popped over to our nearest neighbours 75 k away for a coffee or supper.

After 14 months we felt the need to continue exploring the outback, but a year later we were back in the region giving our ex-nearest neighbours a hand with the mustering for 5 months.

I am a pretty adaptable person and with the farming background can turn my hand to most things, my key strengths are leadership, interpersonal skills and managing people. I believe in motivating and developing subordinates rather than ‘managing and controlling’ them.

My involvement in the community has taken several directions. I have facilitated groups in outdoor leadership development programs that have targeted middle and senior management personnel across a range of industries. The programmes usually ran over 10 days and were run in remote bush locations.

During my convalescence I managed an Employment Directions Centre in Kununurra for the Dept of Education and Training in WA. Located adjacent to the Telecentre my role was to assist anyone who needed help with any aspect of employment and training in terms of improving their future.

During this time I also managed the 2002 Shire of Wyndham – East Kimberley Shire Elections as the Returning Officer for the WA Electoral Commission.”

Good luck John and Jean – let us know how you go?