YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
JEFF WADE WADE CUSTOM FABRICATION TARA
Jeff Wade could never imagine himself commuting to work in a big city – well not when he can walk to work in Tara! After years of running fabrication workshops, Jeff started his own business in 2020 and hasn’t looked back. “To deliver quality builds for my customers gives me great satisfaction and being self-employed lets me create my own work-life balance.” he said.
What’s great about owning a business in Tara? The customers of course! “The community is very loyal and keen to support local business. There’s a lot of variety in my work. I do repairs, designs and custom fabrication work for farmers and various contractors that come to town. So far, I haven’t had to go out looking for work.” The weekends are for trail bike riding and of course Jeff has built his family a custom bike trailer with bed, shower and fridge for overnight stays. “You make your own fun out here,” he said. “And we are never bored!”
Dream
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COUNCIL TRAINEE NAME: Isabel White ROLE:
Natural Resource Management Project Support Officer Rural Services Team
Having grown up on the family cattle property near Jimbour, Isabel White dreamed of a career in a rural industry that would build on her existing knowledge. Western Downs Regional Council’s trainee program helped make her dream come true. To earn the title of “Project Support Officer” in Western Downs Regional Council’s Rural Services team, Isabel had to complete a Certificate III in Land Conservation Management (online through Axiom College) and a twelvemonth on-the-job traineeship. She learned about things like stock routes, weed control, water quality and pest management.
32 LIVE WESTERN DOWNS 2021
“I was lucky that the course content and job training built on the knowledge and experience that I already had, adding to my skills and experience base,” she said. “I found the course really interesting. At one stage I was collecting native seeds from around the region and propagating local plant varieties. “I also began a program of sampling and testing water quality in local creeks and dams. Council decided to keep this going and has instigated quarterly water sampling as part of my role.” Isabel says the best part about her job is working with a great team. “We get along really well and I enjoy going to work each day,” she said. As for the future, Isabel says she’d like to continue to study in the field and one day she’d like to own her own cattle property too.
Council is committed to providing local opportunities to kickstart careers in our region as part of its Early Career Program, equipping our region’s future generations with job-ready skills and qualifications. WDRC provides a number of new traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities across the region throughout the year with vacancies advertised on Council’s website and Facebook page
