‘I found a love for farming while working abroad in Oz’

More than 69,000 people left Ireland in the 12 months up to April 2024, according to the latest figures published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). That’s an increase of 7,000 on the year before and is the highest figure for those leaving the country since 2015.

A closer examination of the numbers reveals that an estimated 10,600 have moved to Australia, up from 4,700 last year accounting for a 126% increase, which is the highest level since 2013.

One of those people is primary school teacher Katie Helen who hails from a dairy farm in Co Wexford. Watching Home and Away and Bondi Rescue growing up, Katie always knew she wanted to visit Australia.

“I only thought it would be for a holiday. However, an opportunity presented itself and with encouragement from friends, I applied for a working holiday visa which was quickly granted. My teaching contract was one year and like many 26-year-olds in Ireland, most of my friends were living abroad in either Australia, Canada or America,” says Katie.

She arrived in Australia in September 2023, and travelled the east coast for a month living her Australian dream.

“I held a koala, fed a kangaroo, went snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef, did a skydive, camped on Fraser Island, went to Australia Zoo and (tried to) surf in Byron Bay. Once the travelling was finished and my bank account was suffering, I moved to Melbourne and settled there,” she explains.

The biggest life lesson Katie learned in Australia is that the grass isn’t always greener. “What people post on social media sells you a dream that life in Australia is amazing, and this is something I am even guilty of. What it doesn’t show is the struggle to find an apartment or a job and while wages are higher out here, so is the cost of living,” says Katie.

At peak times, during apartment viewings for rentals, you could be in the queue behind 50 other people.

“Don’t get me wrong, once you have these things sorted, and a good group of friends, life out here is pretty amazing and I do feel so grateful, but you have your ups and downs,” she adds.

The other difficult part about moving to the other side of the world is being so far away from home.

“This year has been tough for my family. My granny passed away in June and there have been other family health problems. In times like those, I missed the support and closeness of family and friends,” she says.

Finding a love for farming

Katie hails from Foulksmills, Co Wexford where Grandad Bob and Nana Ina bought a farm in 1964, after they relocated from west Cork – a big move at the time.

“Through hard work and determination, they built the farm up and milked 100 cows. In those days that was quite a big number,” she says.

The farm was handed over to her parents, Basil and Sharon. As the eldest daughter of two, it was all hands-on deck growing up.

“From an early age, I was introduced to the meaning of standing in a gap and not taking anything shouted at me to heart while bringing in or sorting cattle. A hard-working ethic was quickly instilled in me,” says Katie.

While she enjoyed the farm life, she didn’t see herself making a career out of it as her passion was always working with children. Katie qualified as a primary school teacher at St Patrick’s College, Dublin and spent two years teaching before she made the move to Australia.

Coming from a small dairy farm, I couldn’t get over the size of the herd, the land and the farms. They manage around 20 employees

“To apply for a second-year visa in Australia, you need to complete three months of regional work. So, in March, I left rainy Melbourne and moved to north Queensland and worked on a fifth-generation dairy farm,” she says.

‘Cheelonga Farming’ is owned by the Graham Family who share similar ideas and values to Katie’s family, making it a home away from home.

They milk 1,200 cows consisting of Brown Swiss, Holsteins, Jerseys and crossbreeds, managing 2,000ac across three different farms. The home farm is1,200ac and milking 600 cows. They also run a leased farm that runs the late lactation cows on 500ac. They have a 50-unit and a 44-unit rotary parlour and one 15-unit dual herringbone.

“Coming from a small dairy farm, I couldn’t get over the size of the herd, the land and the farms. They manage around 20 employees. Morning milking starts at 2am and finishes at around 7am and begins again at 1.45 pm, milking 365 days of the year,” says Katie.

Instead of completing her three months on the farm and leaving, Katie ended up staying an extra two months as she loved it so much.

“I worked five days a week with two days off, I was moved to the newly leased farm where I helped to manage a herd of 400 cows while rearing replacement heifers,” she says.

At home, Katie would have milked, fed calves and cattle, and helped to move animals around the farm on her days off if needed, but she was always under the close supervision and guidance of her dad.

“I was the lead milker on the farm here, I had a lot more responsibilities. I had to identify and treat mastitis cases, dry off cows, treat and inject those that were sick, tag and rear calves, calculate grain, identify those in heat for AI, and manage calving cows. I rose to the challenge and ended up loving my regional work,” she explains.

Christmas abroad

If you’re on the fence about moving abroad, Katie advises everyone to try it and give it a go.

“Daily flights are going home if it’s not for you but you will always regret not coming over. The busiest times are November to March/April and those are the hardest times to get jobs and accommodation.

Christmas for Katie at home is normally family-focused and spent driving around the country catching up with friends.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s now December and I’m sitting in my apartment with the aircon on in 30° heat. Having Christmas during the summer is a concept I’m still struggling to get my head around. This year I’m planning on going to my friends for Christmas Day,” she says.

Katie is hoping the weather stays warm and sunny so she can experience Christmas on the beach in Australia.

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