INDUSTRY NEWS
Familiar faces return to Robinvale for harvest
WHEN the Northern Outback Almond Harvest( NOAH) contracting team based near Robinvale wraps up work for the day, you’ ll find most of the team back at camp playing Bush Rummy. It’ s a game that can go into the early hours of the morning according to Julie Mills from Gympie, who is back for her ninth almond harvest. Julie and her husband Michael were in Darwin when a fellow traveller shared his experiences working the almond harvest.“ We’ d never done a harvest,” she said.“ I used to work at Woolworths and we just thought this is something different, why not give it a go and we love it." Julie enjoys driving the pick up but has also done a little bit of sweeping. Her lunchbox is usually packed with fruit, salads, lollies, chocolate and water.“ I tend to graze during the day,” she said. When the harvest work ends Julie will return to Gympie, for fishing, camping and volunteer work.“ We’ ll also mix with the other people that come here for the almond harvest,” she said. Julie already has her sights on harvest 2027, when she’ ll notch up her 10th year as part of the NOAH team. But Julie isn’ t the longest serving member of the NOAH team, that honour goes to Kim Cullen from Clare, South Australia who is back for his 12th harvest.“ I just enjoy the company of the people and that’ s why I keep coming back,” he said.“ You make great friendships.” Kim has towed his caravan to Robinvale, which will be his home away from home until the reshaking is finished. Kim has driven all the machinery but the sweeper is his favourite.
The Northern Outback Almond Harvesting team based in Robinvale includes Queenslanders, Tasmanians and South Australians, who return year after year to help with the almond harvest.
“ In the last few years I’ ve done a fairly extensive stint on the shakers as well, and that’ s a lot harder than sweepers I might add,” he said.“ Physically it’ s not hard, it’ s a mental thing more than anything.” The contracting team work six days a week, but there are often breaks because of the rain that provides an opportunity to do day trips and sightseeing. Kim will head north after harvest, stopping in to see his sons and their families in Broken Hill and Armidale on the way to Queensland. NOAH is run by Sholto Douglas and this year he’ s employed 30 people to harvest orchards near Robinvale and Waikerie.“ Ninety per cent of our workers are grey nomads, that is a massive relief because we don’ t have to retrain them, they keep coming year after year and they get along well,” he said.
Michael Clements inspects the almonds in his orchard at Langhorne Creek, South Australia.
Mario, Shrek and Finding Nemo. Assistant Farm Manager Melina says even the company that services the equipment puts the machinery names on their invoices. Episode 4 – Meet a professional firefighter who grows almonds in the Riverland. Chris Edmonds runs a 20-hectare orchard, while caring for three young children and juggling emergency service work that takes him hundreds of kilometres from home. Everyone you’ ll hear from in this podcast series has also contributed to Almond Anthems, the ABA’ s harvest playlist that’ s available on Spotify. This year there’ s almost four hours of music and the song nominations are diverse, with everything from country to pop, Aussie rock and even symphonic metal from Sweden. There’ s also a strong harvesting related theme and a request for‘ anything by Counting Crows’, recognising all the bird control work taking place at this time of the year.
The ABA has created a podcast for harvest called Shake, Rattle and Roll, to showcase some of the people who work in the industry.
industry. australianalmonds. com. au
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