Jodie for Graziher Magazine
Jodie was interviewed for Graziher Magazine, Winter 2018 Edition while working at Munduney.
THE SCHOOL OF LIFE
The school that is life has given Jodie Jonas, aged 23, an immeasurable wealth of real life skills, work ethic and strength of character – undeniably more than any conventional school ever could have.
WORDS JAYNE CUDDIHY. PHOTOGRAPHY ALYSHA SPARKS
“I was riding a horse before I could even walk, and driving a Landcruiser ute before I could even reach the pedals.” Jodie states.
For the first 15 years of her life she followed her family, Dad – Paul, Mum – Tracy, and three sisters, Maddie, Stacey and Bridey, across three different states and onto various ‘S. Kidman & Co’ cattle stations where Paul took up the position of manager and the family lived and worked alongside each other.
The four girls would help their Mum cook and clean around the homestead and staff kitchen and then at the drop of a hat be out helping their Dad with mustering, branding and weaning. “My Mum and Dad taught us four girls everything we know and will do anything for us to this day.” Jodie lists her parents as her biggest inspirations in life.
“Dad has always had faith in his girls, he believes we can do anything we put our mind to.” Jodie says, “And Mum is the bravest and strongest person I know, she is amazing.” She refers to Tracy’s battle with breast cancer in 2012 and how awestruck she was,
to witness her Mum fight through a nightmare - all the while keeping herself together and staying strong for the family. She is now 6 years cancer free.
It is certainly telling, that her parents and the upbringing they provided her, affirmed a strong sense of capability in a young Jodie Jonas, and not only laid the foundation for her enthusiasm to ‘have a go’ but fostered her confidence as a young woman setting forth into the world.
After leaving school Jodie found work in an administrative role at a Ford Dealership, and completed her Certificate 3 in Business admin. She also worked as a waitress at a local pub and various other casual roles in town. But it wasn’t long until she was yearning to be back outside, working on the land.
Jodie soon found part-time work at ‘Munduney’, a mixed- enterprise property which is located between Spalding and Jamestown in South Australia. She started full time as a farm hand there in February 2017.
It’s currently hay season and Jodie has been busy loading trucks and carting hay back to the sheds. Never far behind her are Jodie’s three dogs, Dexter and Barney - the working team and her “little shadow” Riley, a miniature fox terrier x Chihuahua. Jodie works alongside her partner Branden, who is the cropping overseer at Munduney – and son of its owners Ian and Pam Sparks. They run
8,500 Merino ewes and have 6,500ha under crop – mostly canola, barley and wheat, with some vetch grown for fodder.
Jodie can turn her hand to any of the vast array of jobs that is required of a general farm hand. She’s competent at handling heavy machinery – from seeding, to carting hay, to driving the chaser bin come harvest time. During the quiet months there’s maintenance around the farm - weed control and fencing. And general stock work - crutching, shearing and weaning lambs.
“I believe that I am very capable at what I do, [being a female] you can often get underestimated, but that just pushes you to try harder and prove that you can do it.”
Jodie believes that growing up on the land has given her the
tools to become the best possible version of herself. From a
young age bush kids are learning and practicing to be responsible, kind, respectful and helpful. To work as part of a team and to understand that the world does not revolve around them – but that they are a part of something far bigger.
That’s not to say the life of a bush kid is all work and no play. Some of Jodie’s fondest memories include the fun and adventure of life on the stations, and the profound sense of freedom she gained because of it. “We used to build humpies in the sand hills out of sticks,” she remembers. Jodie and her sisters would then sneak into the store room and pinch a can of condensed milk to take back out to their humpies and devour. They would help to raise poddy calves and ride their ponies from dawn until dusk
out on stock camp with the rest of the station team. Horses have remained a large part of Jodie’s life to this day. One of her proudest moments and biggest achievements came in 2016 when Jodie
and her sister Stacey qualified for the barrel race at Equitana in Melbourne. A highlight for the girls was, “to say that we took our station bred mares, that we trained ourselves - to the big smoke, Melbourne!”
Jodie has a motto, which is go your hardest and don’t hold back! “I don’t like to be told I can’t do something, because I know I can do anything.” She states with a refreshing certainty. Jodie hopes to have a family in the years to come and be able to teach her kids to ride horses, and give them a similar start to life like she had. She believes in taking life as it comes and relishes the excitement and possibilities of what’s to come.