After his second week of working at Fletcher International Exports, the company enrolled Jonnie Riley in a forklift course to equip him with a licence and prepare him for duties working in the freezer in the cold loadout section.

The Warren-born, Tamworth-raised 32-year-old, recently moved to Dubbo after securing a position at the meat processing plant and said it surprised him how easy the staff made it to settle in and get started.

“I’d come to Dubbo to apply for jobs and my cousin said if you want to get a look in at Fletchers the best thing to do is, turn up and fill out an application, which I did and the next day I got a call back for an interview and within a week, I had a job.”

The city’s new resident did bring many years of experience working in a beef abattoir in northern NSW where he’d learned to use knives and had also done work as a wool classer.

“Working in the freezer load out is a lot cleaner than working with the animals but I did think I’d be put on the knives or working with the wool because of my background, but they just needed me in loadout, so that’s where I am.

“I’m glad they booked me in for the forklift course, and they paid for it too, so I’ve learned a new skill now and I’ve got my ticket which is a really good thing,” Jonnie said.

“The forklift course is three days, prac and theory, two days practicing for the theory test, and you can only get two wrong, you can’t get any of the math wrong. It’s the theory that scares people, but after two days of them drilling it into your mind and you’ve got to study too, you’re well prepared.”

On a typical shift, he helps load about 1,000 pallets on a busy day, in a very cold environment which he said explains why he’s wearing three pairs of socks, a woollen beanie, heavy jacket and thick lined gloves.

“It gets cold in there.

“A robot packs and wraps the boxes of product ready to put on the pallets, then I forklift those off the machine onto the ground, and with a layer of cardboard between them, we stack about four palette loads on top, and they’re high so it was a bit scary to start with.”

For more information about available positions with Fletcher International Exports, please visit the company website at www.fletchint.com.au, email a resume to jobs@fletchint.com.au or drop into the gatehouse at Lot 11, Yarrandale Road, Dubbo, to fill out an application form.