Eli Moss Emmetts Staying Power

Eli Moss always assumed he would end up working on his grandfather’s and uncle’s sheep stud near Yongala. He spent countless hours riding tractors in the paddocks, where his interest in farming machinery was born.

But a frank discussion with his parents saw him pursue a trade.

The plan progressed after he enjoyed work experience in Year 10, dabbling with farm machinery at Pringles Crouch (now Emmetts) in Crystal Brook.

Less than five years later, he has been named as the MTA SA’s Apprentice of the Year.

“It was a fairly big shock but a good shock I guess,” said Eli, now 20, who also took out the Cleve Apprentice of the Year award.

“I wasn’t super confident going into it,” he said.

“I had been told I was one of three finalists, so I knew there was a chance.

“The group at Emmetts as a whole is tight knit so when we found out I was a finalist, a fair few people jumped at the opportunity to get some tickets.

“I think five or six other boys from my branch were graduating the same night so there was a fairly big group of us.”

While working on the farm now looks a long way off, those moments with his uncle, Stacey, have left a lasting impression.

“And my grandpa as well, he was a big driver behind getting me out there at a young age,” said Eli.

“That’s what fuelled my passion for this line of work.

“I always enjoyed farming and farm machinery and wanted to have a deeper understanding of how it works.”

Pathway

Eli returned to the Crystal Brook workshop for two weeks’ paid work at the end of Year 10 to determine if his interest in the business was genuine - and he was quickly offered an apprenticeship.

“It was school-based, one day a week.

“I wanted to do Year 12, probably more for the social side of things, so I did two days a week at work, three days at school and then worked the holidays.”

He has now worked full-time for three years and has a particular interest in the growing role that technology plays in farm machinery.

“In my opinion, the tech in them is pretty cool, it’s amazing what you can get them to do.

“I love ‘spinning spanners’ and doing all the rest of it but the tech is probably what drives me.”

In particular, he is drawn to the GPS devices, now standard on most farming equipment, and the possibilities they create.

“I find it fascinating how a tiny little box on top of a cab can talk to a satellite in the atmosphere and pinpoint a tractor down a line in a paddock within centimetres,” Eli said.

“That’s one thing I haven’t quite got my head around but it’s the thing I’m interested in most, the guidance side of things.

“I have a huge passion for what the future holds in regards to farm machinery.”

Eli travels 40 minutes from his Jamestown home every day to work people he describes as a “ripper bunch of people in the workshop”.

“Everybody there has had a positive impact on my apprenticeship.

“I owe a lot to previous leading hands, learning-wise.

“Both the branch manager Brock (Scott) and the service manager Phil (Durey) have done a lot for me over the years.

“Jeff Evers and Jason Cavanagh from the (MTA) trade school at Cleve too.”

The Future

Already, Eli is thinking about how he can repay the faith the business showed in him.

“I do love helping people and I love watching other people learn, so a workshop leading hand would be very rewarding watching people progress.

“I don’t mind the idea of going further within the business.”

Those plans are already well underway at Emmetts.

“He is my future leading hand and I already know that and my branch manager already knows that and that’s what we’re going to train him up to be,” Phil said.

“His customer service is outstanding, he just clicks with the customers.

“I’m always getting feedback about how impressed they are with his work ethic and how personable he is.

“I need a team with good morale and he’s a big part of that, he’s always happy, he’s never down and always willing to have a go.

“He’s just a really awesome, down-to-earth, nice, funny bloke.

“I wouldn’t put anyone in this company above him for Apprentice of the Year in 10 years of me being here.”