You can’t be what you can’t see – a common turn of phrase, but one that rings true for kids growing up in regional communities.
With kids in regional Australia having less access to education resources than their metropolitan counterparts and being roughly 25% less likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree or above* – it’s important to show them alternative career pathways.
Recently, we welcomed 15 primary school boys to our Junee grains receival site in New South Wales, as part of the Boys to the Bush MENtoring program.
Boys to the Bush is a Not-for-Profit charity providing early intervention programs for disengaged and disadvantaged young males in regional NSW and Victoria.
GrainCorp’s Regional Operations Manager Warwick Smith worked with Junee Site Manager Sam Heffernan and Boys to the Bush Location Manager Ben Walsh to organise a site tour for the boys.
“We started the day with a quick introduction to GrainCorp and the role we play in the agriculture industry, before heading across to the sample stand to show the boys how we grade grain,” explains Sam.
“After letting them jump in the front seat of a loader, we took them across to the storage area where we explained how the bunkers and silos work,” Sam said.
In the spirit of confidence building and teamwork, Sam and Ben led the group to the top of the silos where the boys admired a new view and began to understand the scale of operations.
The tour wrapped up with a BBQ lunch and the boys quizzed our team on the different types of roles available to them through GrainCorp.
“Part of Boys to the Bush’s purpose is connecting young boys to their local communities to create a greater sense of belonging,” says Ben.
“With the agricultural industry a big part of our regional community, it’s amazing to have an organisation like GrainCorp offer their support in educating and providing experiences to the boys.”
“The boys enjoyed learning the processes and science behind the grains industry, and all agreed they met great role models that they will strive to be like in the future,” Ben says.
* Regional and remote higher education: a quick guide Ferguson 2022
