“I don’t think people realise how many women are in the industry and how supported we are!”
After launching her career in the performing arts industry, Celina was forced to recalibrate her career plan after a sporting accident. However, with a little bit of industry exploration and a lot of perseverance, she found her way into the dairy industry and hasn’t looked back since!
Our latest interview goes to show that a career setback in one industry isn’t the be-all-end-all. In fact, they can actually propel you towards your dream career! Join Celina to discover how non-linear career journeys can lead you to where you’re meant to be and learn how to make the most of difficult life transitions.
By tuning into this inspiring interview, you’ll hear all about:
- How Celina landed her dream job in dairy farming
- The education and award opportunities offered by her management team
- Her involvement in Dairy Australia’s ambassador program
- The Young Dairy Network and how incredible it is for new agriculture pros
- Celina’s insider advice for aspiring farmers
Find Out More
Is there any job more rewarding than farming? After all, farmers spend their workdays looking after livestock, feeding Aussie families, and working towards a more sustainable agriculture industry! Basically, what we’re trying to say is that the dairy industry is awesome, and no one is doing more to keep it that way than our incredible partners at Dairy Australia!
If you want to launch a meaningful career with boundless opportunities for advancement, on-site training, and a national network of passionate professionals (who want to help you become the best farmer you can be), you’ll want to check out opportunities with Dairy Australia. All you need to do is head to their dedicated employer page and reach out to one of their incredible reps!
What are you waiting for? Launch the career of your dreams today!
Interview Transcript
I don’t think people realise just how many females are actually in the industry and how supported we are.
Hi, I’m Celina Pellet, I’m from the Gloucester region of NSW and I’m a Dairy Australia Farmer Ambassador.
My journey was not structured around dairy or agriculture. I actually come from a performing arts background, more specifically dance. Unfortunately, I did end up having a sporting accident in New Zealand where I broke my back in three places and had a cerebral spinal fluid leak. So that kind of ended that journey there.
Once I’d got myself back up and going, everyone was like, no, you can’t do sports, you can’t do this. And I was like, no, I’m going to prove you wrong and ended up studying my certificate 3 in outdoor leadership.
However, COVID hit, so that was out the window. We’re all in lockdown, and therefore I just went into the local town and pretty much asked if anyone had a job going. The dairy came back and said, yeah, we have a position available within a couple of weeks. I was absolutely loving it.
I started at the very beginning in the milking parlour, so getting to learn the basics and how everything worked. Then the management team offered me to go away and study down at Tokyo College. I loved doing that.
From there, Tokyo College recognised all the hard work and nominated me for the NSW Training Award. I was eventually named the Hunter post-training of the Year and then from there the process to being named the NSW Woman in Trade for 2023.
From that, I’ve come on board as an educational pathways programme ambassador for the NSW Training Awards, to be able to go and talk to other high school students to explain my VET or vocational education and training pathway. There are different options to get into different industries.
Along with that, coming on board then with Dairy Australia as a farmer ambassador to help show the different areas in which you can get into dairy.
My best career highlights on the farm would be being able to rear the calves alongside our calf team and then see the calves grow up, gain their personalities, and then come back as mums. Off the farm, it would definitely be being part of the NSW Training Awards and gaining recognition in my field.
The industry is extremely open to helping out anyone who is willing to get involved and be enthusiastic about the industry—anyone willing to learn. I’ve been very fortunate in the fact that I came on board with the Young Dairy Network very early on and had the opportunities where you get together as a community.
So the Young Dairy Network has regional bases where they reach out and bring the community together. Recently we had the Young Dairy Network conference where we saw people all across NSW and some from Victoria come up to Wollongong, and it was a really fun three days. We heard from some amazing speakers, and just the passion for the industry was phenomenal.
Along with the Young Dairy Network and Dairy Australia, they also offer a whole bunch of workshops and seminars ranging from one to three days in length. That’s like rearing healthy calves, mastitis, milking management, and there’s a whole bunch more.
I don’t think people realise just how many females are actually in the industry and how supported we are. A lot of the time, you kind of hear, oh, you’re in a male-dominated industry. But whilst that is correct, females are very much involved.
I’ve been very lucky in the fact that I’ve come onto a farm where we also have females in our management team. So I’ve had people to look up to and learn from that are females.
The top three things I would say going into the dairy industry that would be beneficial would be your attitude, your enthusiasm, being willing to be hands-on and get dirty. But definitely a willingness to learn. No matter what age, if you’re wanting to get into dairy farming, it’s all about just giving it a go.
You can go and do some work experience on a farm. Farmers love showing anybody that’s willing to give it a go the ropes and share their experiences and their story.
So being able to just have a positive attitude and enthusiasm towards learning—not just doing a job—anyone’s willing to take you on board. So yeah, you just give it a go. You’ve got nothing to lose.
