AgriVets seeking veterans for work in agriculture

AgriVets is recruitment program placing former Australian Defence Force personnel in the agriculture industry, proving a successful skill-set snap – applying military skills and can-do attitude to a dire shortfall in rural labour

Discharged Australian veterans are being helped by the Agri Veterans programme to transition from military to civilian life, with meaningful and skills-appropriate work in agricultural jobs around the country.

More than 5000 Australian defence staff were discharged in the last year.

Agri Veterans is helping them get jobs where their skills – technical, mechanical and/or clerical – are transferable and much needed by the rural employers.

Veterans learn new skills, gain financial security and get back a sense of purpose and connection to the land, working in the peace and quiet of the countryside.

It’s a great fit for what the nation’s agricultural industry needs now and in the future.

Agri Veterans was started in 2015 by Goondiwindi-born Casey Brown, Managing Director of Agri Labour Australia, the top privately owned agricultural recruitment company, with specific emphasis on labour for agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture.

Casey Brown had seen similar programmes in the US successfully placing ex-servicemen and women from both infantry and clerical roles.

“We have a unique understanding of the challenges faced by military personnel when transitioning back into civilian life,’’ Casey said.

“It can be particularly difficult for those with injuries, especially when those wounds are on the inside.

“Agri Veterans presents an excellent opportunity for agricultural businesses to not only give quality jobs for quality people, but it can revitalise rural communities, provide a stronger, younger workforce and give something back to those who’ve made huge sacrifices for Australia.’’

Josh Donnelly, grain handler and Agri Veteran, discharged from Army in 2012 after suffering PTSD in Afghanistan deployment, said, “I want to be a normal, positive citizen again and I feel fully supported in this by Agri Veterans, who take a personal interest in you. They are not just trying to fill the (job) seats. They make the seats fit you’’.

Timothy Westera, former soldier, now grain handler at Roma, said, “AgriLabour has been very helpful with supplying me with work. They didn’t just throw me out there and leave me. They came out a few times to visit me and make sure I was going all right’’.

 

If you are a veteran seeking work in the agricultural sector, or an employee looking for hard-working, dedicated Australian workers, find more details at www.agrilabour.com.au/veterans/

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