I was thinking the other day what a very unique way of life we lead up here on an outback cattle station. You see, back in 2001, when I first came up to work in the NT I used to think everyone would love this sort of lifestyle. Why on earth wouldn’t you want to live up here on a station, in the middle of nowhere, 5 hours from anywhere? Why? But it turns out it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Who’d have thought huh?!
I listen to a lot of Podcasts. Whenever I listen to interviews with successful entrepreneurs they always talk about how they they don’t “socialise” with their employees. They aren’t friends as such. Which is all well and good in the 9-5 business world but it just doesn’t work like that up here.
On a cattle station you live, eat, work and play with your co-workers. You do EVERYTHING together. The boss sometimes has to be a friend, a nurse or even a counsellor. Sometimes we have to do the unimaginable and help a grieving family organise a memorial. It is called life, and we all live in each others pockets really.
So put all of that together and then add in maybe a period of 4 weeks (often longer, maybe more like months) when you don’t even leave the station and you have our life.
We eat every meal together. We work together. We go to camp drafts together, we have bbq’s together, we have Christmas together, we celebrate Birthday’s together, so I am sorry but that whole – don’t be friends with your employees business just doesn’t work up here. Everyone needs to get along.
Of course when you throw 15 people together in the jungle on a station you are not going to be besties with every single one, but the important thing to remember is common courtesy.
Gosh it will get you a long way in life. You are definitely not going to like everyone, but it is so important to treat every single person with respect. Kindness is always the answer, you never know what is going on in someone else’s life or what road they have travelled. There is always a kind way to ask or tell someone what you expect.
The old “treat others as you wish to be treated” has a whole new meaning up here. Tensions can run high at times but we all have to live together so it is important we show each other respect.
So what have I come to realise after all these years? Perhaps this lifestyle isn’t for everyone. I was wrong, it turns out this isn’t the life for everyone and maybe we are made of something stronger – and maybe, just maybe I have a little more patience and tolerance than I give myself credit for. God knows you need it sometimes, if only for your children – who sometimes just need to get to town as much as the next person.
Do you live on a station? Have any little tricks that make outback living work for you? Or perhaps you have a 9-5 job where your personal life is completely separate from your work life, imagine that?!
Thank you for your lovely post. I agree that country folk are made of the right stuff. City folk are often far too selfish and nasty. I am a believer that you could replace all of the Ten Commandments with one – Respect! It encompasses everything. Thank God for people like you and your “family”.
Yes, you are right Maggie.
Just read your latest post,I have to agree with you that respecting other people and their points of view would go a long way to making the world a better place! You don’t necessarily have to agree with them.
I must also say thanks for your well written and a lot of times funny blogs, as you will see from the name I myself used to work up that way and your writings bring back a lot of good memories and faces to remind me of the good times up there.
Best wishes to you all. RT2
Absolutely Stretch. Just a bit of respect and understanding. Glad my posts remind you of the good times up here!
Dan I think that those ‘successful entrepeneurs’ are a little lacking in humanity! It’s certainly no way to build trust and loyalty with and amongst employees. You are in a unique situation where it’s not possible to compartmentalise the various domains of your life the way people in urban areas try to do. This is a good thing I think! Because yes, it’s all just ‘life’ isn’t it, and I wish more people would consider it this way. And how we show up in that life and across its various domains is the important thing.
So true Jo, so true!!!
Yes I know that I am 10 days behind everyone else but life got very busy here in Viva BrisVegas!
I try to keep my work and home as separate as possible, however this has not been the case since returning from Christmas holidays in January. As my partner was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma on 10 January and it was a horrible shock to the both of us. His surgery took place four weeks ago and we have just had our final appointment with the melanoma clinic at the PA Hospital – they are amazing!!! He is in the clear and now part of their monitoring program, which will entail regular CT scans and then follow up treatment if they find anything.
Consequently because of this my work and home lives have become extremely intertwined – both of our works had to know about the diagnosis and were both very understanding with regards to leave for doctors appointments, tests, etc. We both feel very blessed to have such understanding employers and the extra support that we received from family and friends just showed us how loved we are!
Never mind you being behind… I am behind too, with answering comments and blogging! Oh gosh Mish, that is terrible, I am glad he is in the clear now.
Me too Chards, it was the scariest situation!
Know this well ! On the station we used have the same as you’re talking about too, I always thought it was normal to enjoy the station lifestyle until we moved to where we are now, apparently it’s not what everyone wants sigh! I reckon they’re missing out big time
Ha ha ha ha, who’d have thought Kat…. I really did used to think everyone would want to live like this – ahhhh such a sheltered world I lived in back then. ha ha ha.