Harvest gives Naracoorte teen a reason to stay in school
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Some country kids use harvest as a time to earn some extra cash during their school holidays.
It can be a gruelling slog, with 12–18 hour days driving a header around, harvesting rows of crops in the summer heat.
But apart from lining their pockets, what does working a summer harvest teach young people about life?
The importance of a good education, apparently.
For Jack Harry Johnstone, a 15-year-old from Naracoorte, South Australia, working his first harvest has taught him the importance of staying in school.
"You need your schooling. I wasn't real keen on school before," he said.
But driving a 570 horse power, 50 tonne chaser bin filled to the brim with broad beans 12 hours a day changed that.
"You don't realise how important your schooling and that is until you actually come out here and experience what it's like," he said.
"It's a lot different to what I would have thought it would have been."
Jack has already bought a new motorbike with what he has earnt this harvest, and plans to buy a ute when the summer is over.
He said while the hours had been exceptionally long, it had been a rewarding summer job, compared with what some of his contemporaries may be up to.
"I don't know what they're doing — probably spending their parents' money and working at Maccas or something," Jack said.
Agriculture offers rewarding future
While harvest has been hard going, Jack said he was definitely keen on working in the field in some way.
"[I don't know] where I want to go with it, but definitely something with agriculture," he said.
"You're doing something different every day. This morning we were moving sheep, now I'll be sitting in the chaser bin for the next 12 hours."
But Jack is not sold on university.
"I wouldn't say go to university. Maybe an agriculture college or something like that," he said.
"I'll do Year 12 though."
Topics: crop-harvesting, mount-gambier-5290
