Lillian Chen, 29, is a happy-go-lucky employee at Fletcher International Exports, and no wonder she’s happy after just returning from a holiday in Taiwan to see family for the first time in three years, thanks to Covid.

“They were very happy to see me, and of course we stay in touch on video calls and things like that, but it was so good to see them in person,” she told Dubbo Photo News.

Lillian has been an employee at Fletchers for five years and remembers when she first started in the meat processing plant, that it was a very difficult compared to the kind of employment she’d had in Taiwan.

On most days now, Lillian works as a slicer, trimming and preparing cuts of meat for export, with an occasional role in quality assurance.

“I first came to Australia on a working holiday because my sister had visited Australia before and worked with a different company. Working at Fletchers is very different to what I’m used to because in Taiwan I was a sales assistant, which is just an office job.

“So, this is my first time in a factory and in the beginning, I was always tired but now I’m stronger because I’ve got a bit of muscle,” she laughs, “primarily, I’m trimming the cuts or cutting according to a client’s order, which could be from many places in the world.

“I’m happy working at trims; before, it seemed dangerous and not many women do it, but the supervisor wanted to give me a try and I’m happy because I’ve been here for a long time so I’m happy to try something new.

“Plus, you can do that here, if you I ask your supervisor, they’ll consider it. So, before they train you in an area they’ll introduce you to it, to see if you like it, if you have enough muscle and they’re very to see you try a new role,” Lillian said.

Fletcher International Exports is a family-owned business based in Dubbo but is also one of Australia’s largest meat processing and export businesses, employing hundreds of people, and it surprised Lillian that she’d ever get to meet and talk to ‘the boss’, almost every day.

“I’ve met Roger Fletcher so many times, and he always says to me, ‘hey Little One, how are you?’ and so I call him grandpa,” she laughs, kindly.

“Everyone is very friendly, the supervisor, the people in the area where I work, all friendly. It might be Fletchers, or it might be Australia, but here you can feel closer to your managers or boss compared to Taiwan, that’s what I feel.”

Lillian plans to stay working in Australia for as long as she can, so its lucky her view of Dubbo has changed a lot since arriving.

“When I first came to Dubbo it was a little bit boring because I live in a city in Taiwan which isn’t too crowded, but it’s just 10 minutes from the central city where it is so crowded and the shops are always open.

“Now though, I like the quiet, because I don’t like places that are too crowded, so for me it’s very good,” Lillian said.

If you’re interested in asking about jobs at Fletcher International Exports, they offer casual or permanent employment, job security, above award wages, set hours and shift work for people who have no experience but who will be trained on the job in a 100 per cent Australian-owned company. Visit their website today for more details.