Jackeroos [Jackaroo]/Jillaroos are employed by cattle or sheep station owners to perform various activities associated with the day-to-day operations of a cattle station.

ANZSCO ID: 841511

Alternative names: Jackaroo, Farm Hand, Station Hand, Farm Worker, Station Worker,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

A Jackeroo/Jillaroo needs:

• to enjoy working outside in all kinds of weather

• good communication and organisational skills

• to be able to undertake manual, physical work

• to be comfortable working with animals and interested in their welfare

• a mechanical aptitude and able to make accurate observations

• to be able to handle living in isolation and limited social contact

• Able to deal confidently with people

• Able to cope with the physical demands of the job, undertaking manual and often heavy work

• Able to handle animals with confidence and patience.

 

Duties and Tasks

Tasks may include mustering on motorbike or horseback, caring for livestock, maintaining and repairing station equipment, using and  maintaining farming equipment, performing farm work associated with crops, as well as clerical and administrative tasks.

Jackaroos and jillaroos may perform the following tasks:

• Care for livestock and treat minor injuries and illness

• Muster on horseback or motorbike

• Maintain station equipment and inspect, repair or replace fences, gates and yards

• Use and maintain vehicles and heavy machinery

• Undertake farming work such as cultivation and haymaking

• Assist with light household duties

• Undertake clerical and administrative tasks.
  

Working conditions

A Jackeroo/Jillaroo largely works outside in all kinds of weather conditions and usually starts work early in the morning. They generally work long hours. They may be required to live in shared accommodation on a station property.

Tools and technologies

Jackeroos/Jillaroos may need to be proficient with a wide range of farming machinery and hand tools. It is also an advantage if they have the ability to maintain or repair farming machinery.

Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as a jackeroo/jillaroo without any formal qualifications and get training on the job. However, entry into this occupation may be improved by obtaining a qualification in agriculture or rural operations.

The Certificate II and Certificate III in Agriculture, and the Certificate II and Certificate III in Rural Operations are offered at State Training Providers and other registered training organisations.

You can also complete a traineeship. The assistant cattle farm hand, rural operations worker, cattle station hand and rural operations senior farmhand traineeships take 12 to 18 months to complete. The assistant cattle farm hand and rural operations worker traineeships are available as school-based traineeships.

Apprenticeships and traineeships

As an apprentice or trainee, you enter into a formal training contract with an employer. You spend most of your time working and learning practical skills on the job and you spend some time undertaking structured training with a registered training provider of your choice. They will assess your skills and when you are competent in all areas, you will be awarded a nationally recognised qualification.

If you are still at school you can access an apprenticeship through your school. You generally start your school based apprenticeship by attending school three days a week, spending one day at a registered training organisation and one day at work.

 

 

 

A "ringer," typically referring to a stock worker on an Australian cattle station, primarily performs tasks related to gathering, moving, and managing cattle herds, including: rounding up cattle, mustering, yarding, branding, drafting, and sometimes even assisting with horse care and general station maintenance; essentially, any activity that involves actively working with cattle on a large property.

 

Photo by Tsara Hoqno
(Source: Kent Saddlery)

ANZSCO ID: 841511

Alternative names: Stockperson, Stockman,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

• Physical fitness: The job demands considerable physical endurance due to long hours spent on horseback in challenging terrain.

• Horse riding skills: Proficiency in riding and handling horses is crucial for effective cattle work.

• Cattle handling knowledge: Understanding cattle behaviour and using appropriate techniques to move them safely.

• Weather resilience: Working in all weather conditions is often necessary on a cattle station.

Duties and Tasks

• Mustering: Riding horses to gather cattle from across the property, bringing them together into a manageable group.

• Yard work: Moving cattle into holding yards for sorting, branding, or treatment.

• Drafting: Separating cattle based on age, sex, or health condition within the yards.

• Branding: Applying identifying brands to cattle using hot irons.

• Stock handling: Using skilled horsemanship to control and manoeuvre cattle safely.

• Checking fences and infrastructure: Maintaining the property's fencing and other infrastructure necessary for cattle management.

• Maintaining horses: Caring for and riding the horses used for mustering.

Working conditions

 

Working as a ringer on an Australian cattle station is physically demanding and involves long days.

Long days, working from sun up to sun down

Working in the dry season, which can last from April to October

Physical demands - Being hot, dirty, and uncomfortable; Sweating a lot; Being pushed out of your comfort zone

Living conditions: Living in stock camp, where you spend most of the year with the same people;
Sharing breakfast, lunch, and dinner with your workmates; Waiting in line with your workmates for shower time

Social life: Working in a small community, where everyone has to try to get along; Meeting some incredible people; Having a life-changing experience

 

Tools and technologies

Usually you are expected to have your own Saddle(s), along with your own hat, gloves and boots.

   
Education and training/entrance requirements

 

To become a ringer, or stock worker on an Australian cattle station, you can learn skills like horsemanship, welding, and basic mechanics. You can also take part in a ringer training school.

Skills

Horsemanship: Learn how to safely get around horses
Welding: Learn how to weld end assemblies
Basic mechanics: Learn how to service motors and operate machinery
Truck license: Get a license to drive trucks
Shoeing: Learn how to shoe horses

Training

Ringer training school: Attend a training school, such as the one held at Charles Darwin University Campus near Katherine

Stock handling school: Take a low stress stock handling school
  
Horsemanship clinic: Attend a horsemanship clinic

 

So You Want to be a Ringer Taken directly from Central Station http://www.centralstation.net.au/so-you-want-to-be-a-ringer/ Being a ringer is not for the faint-hearted. The days are long, the work is physically demanding and the pay – when compared to the mining sector at least – is not great. You will be hot, dirty, uncomfortable, and at times find yourself doing things you really don’t want to do. One of the best things about the pastoral industry is that most employers are willing to give you a go, even if you don’t have all the necessary skills at the start. Skills can be taught, but it is essential to have the right attitude. Some of our best workers in recent times have been a lawyer, a classically trained trumpet player, and a fashion designer. Despite having little to no experience when they started, by the time they left they were driving trucks, welding end assemblies, servicing motors, and operating machinery. These are skills they will have forever and will stand them in good stead wherever they go in life. So what are the qualities that make a good ringer? Here are my top five tips: Take pride in a job well done It is inevitable that some days you will find yourself doing jobs you would really rather not be doing. That’s unfortunate, but the reality is those jobs are just as vital to the running of a successful cattle business as the actual cattle work. So, if you find yourself cleaning troughs, digging holes, or cementing posts the only thing to do is get on with it and do the best job possible. Chances are the job will be there years – or even decades – after you have moved on. Do it badly and the boss will offer a silent curse every time he drives past that crooked post, but do it well and it will be a lasting testament to your hard work and ability. Show initiative and be willing to learn No-one can predict every possible scenario that may occur. Being a ringer is about keeping your eyes open and your wits about you. If you see a potential problem, don’t just drive off and hope the next person to come along will fix it, see what you can do about it yourself. If you don’t know how to do something – ask! You’ll rarely get into trouble for asking questions, but going off half-cocked can end in disaster. And even if you have experience under your belt, appreciate that there are many ways to do a job. Be open to new ideas and, just as importantly, if you think you can see a better way of getting the job done, offer suggestions. However, it might be wise to pick your moment. Down at the yards, when the uninvited tourist has just turned up with a fluffy city dog, that has just latched on to an old scrub bull, that has just knocked out the newbie backpacker, on his way to taking out the portable panels, and therefore spilling the entire mob, is probably not the best time to discuss the finer points of yard design. Work hard It is important to understand that the only way the boss can afford to pay your wages is if you are out there making money every single day. This might sound a bit mercenary but it is a fact of life. Margins are tight in the cattle industry and if you’re not making the business money you are costing the business money, and nobody can afford that. Bludging, shirking, and doing a half-hearted job are sure-fire ways to find yourself at the top of the ‘do-not-employ’ list (and believe me, that list travels). Loyalty At the end of the day, wherever you find yourself, you have chosen to work on a particular cattle station. At the end of the fortnight, you also receive a healthy deposit in your bank account. For that reason alone your boss deserves your loyalty. Of course, if you’re truly unhappy working where you are you can always leave. Done the right way (with sufficient notice and not leaving the rest of the crew in the lurch), no-one will begrudge you moving on if it is just not working out. Bitching, moaning, and constantly complaining, however, is a whole different story. Among the camp it can lead to seriously eroded morale and you will probably end up with a reputation as a whinger. Done off-station, it marks you as the sort of person who would rather complain about a problem than fix it, a serious red flag to potential future employers. Maintain a sense of humour You’ll need it. Chances are you’ll find yourself far from home, living and working with a diverse bunch of people – some of whom you would probably not associate with normally. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Look at it as a way to increase your circle of friends or, at the very least, an opportunity to gain an insight into different ways of life. You’ll also need tolerance, patience (note to self), and the ability to move on from disputes without bearing a grudge. When everyone works together there can be great camaraderie within the camp, and that can make even the dirtiest jobs that much more enjoyable. In summary, if you’re a clock-watching, self-serving, blame-laying wannabe who thinks the boss is only there to provide you with a lifestyle, being a ringer is probably not for you. However, if you’re willing to give it a go, prepared to do the hard yards to get the rewards, and are keen learn the business from the ground up, it could be the start of a whole new adventure. And the pay-off is really rewarding. There is a real sense of freedom in the Australian bush. You get really comfortable in your own skin and a real sense of self. You might have to learn the hard way (most of us do), but by the end of the season you will have a really good idea as to what you really can achieve. Spectacular sunsets, glorious sunrises, and stars so big and clear you would swear you could almost touch them are there to be savoured. New skills, new abilities, and bragging rights over your ‘soft’ mates in the city are all there for the taking. And, of course, you will go to bed each night knowing what you did during the day really mattered. You’re feeding the world, and that’s something of which to be genuinely proud. Education The more skilled you are, the more likely you are to land a job – especially if you don’t have cattle experience. Learning to weld, understanding basic mechanical processes, and getting a truck license are a few things you can do to make yourself more attractive to potential employers. Even if you don’t end up working on a cattle station, these are skills that are transferable to a range of industries and will be useful for life. There is a whole suite of other courses you can do to improve your chances. If you have your heart set on working on a place that uses horses – learn to shoe. Attend a horsemanship clinic or book yourself in to a low stress stock handling school. While these may be less useful outside the cattle industry, they demonstrate to potential employers that you are serious about getting into the industry. However – and this is important – do not claim to be able to do something unless you really can. There is nothing worse than hiring someone for a specific skill only to get them all the way out to the station and discover they have no idea what they’re doing. It can also be dangerous. Claiming to be highly experienced with horse/bikes/cattle/whatever can end badly if your employer takes you at your word and you have over-exaggerated your abilities. This is an industry where you need to know you can rely on your mates to get the job done and avoid accidents. Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, particularly through inexperience. Just be honest about your capabilities – a good employer will take the time to train you properly but we do need to know your limits. The Dry Season The dry season is when all the action happens. The days are filled with never-ending jobs, whether it be checking bores, mustering, or working cattle through the yards. All the social events also tend to occur during the dry which makes it a very busy time of year. As a result every station develops a list of ‘wet season jobs’. These are jobs that need to be done but no-one ever seems to find time for during the year. The Wet Season Some of the wet season jobs on our list this year included putting a roof over the helicopter hanger, installing a new water tank at the homestead, and putting a fence around our house to keep the poddies at bay and protect our newly installed garden. Of course, there is also all the general maintenance that must be done before the year starts. Vehicles and machinery need to be serviced and repaired, fences fixed, and roads and tracks graded to allow for access. The wet season also brings its own challenges. At the first hint of storms either the internet or the telephone tend to go out – sometimes both at once. Getting a technician in to fix the problems can be interesting, particularly with 110 kilometres of wet, boggy road to negotiate. Getting around the property can also be problematic. Fortunately, bores no longer need to be checked and/or pumped every few days, but phosphorus needs to be fed out to our cattle. Our country is highly deficient in phosphorus, which is an important mineral for our cows. Phosphorus plays an integral role in milk production and is also critical for young, growing cattle, particularly last year’s weaners and heifers.

 

 

 

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Materials sourced from

Jobs & Skills WA [Jillaroo-Jackeroo;]
WebArchive Only - CareersOnline [Jackeroo; ];
Open Universities Australia
The Good Universities Guide [Jackaroo;]

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