As harvest ramps up in Central Queensland, GrainCorp’s network springs into action – and so do our people.
Each year, employees from the southern part of our network pack their bags and head off to support operations at sites north of home.
We call them our harvest nomads – and few embody the spirit better than Victorian grain handlers Brady Alexander and Buster McCartney.
Between them, Brady and Buster have travelled the length of the east coast, taking on secondments that support busy harvest sites while building their own skills and connections across the network.
This year, they’re heading north from Nhill and Lillimur in Victoria to Mt McLaren, our northernmost site in Central Queensland.
Brady’s first secondment was in Thallon in 2020, and since then he’s worked harvests from Oaklands in NSW to Yamala in QLD, often alongside Buster.
“Every site is different,” Brady says. “You meet new people, learn new ways of working, and get a real appreciation for how the whole network fits together.”
Buster, who’s been with GrainCorp for 14 years, has taken part in so many secondments he’s lost count.
“I’m away for at least two or three months every year,” he says. “I’ve worked everywhere and back again.”
For Buster, secondments are about more than travel. They’re a chance to share knowledge, uphold standards and support new team members.
“You get to work with lots of different people, including casuals and backpackers, and help show them the ropes,” Buster says. “You don’t take shortcuts, and you help others see why that matters.”
Brady agrees: “You end up learning just as much as you teach – not to mention the perks of travelling to places you might not have visited otherwise and meeting people from all walks of life.”
Secondments are a key part of how GrainCorp flexes its workforce during harvest, providing opportunities for employees to grow, collaborate and contribute where they’re needed most.
It’s not just our northern sites that benefit from secondments, as harvest progresses and moves down the east coast there’s opportunities for our people to do the same.
As they get stuck into another Central Queensland harvest, Brady and Buster are looking forward to new faces, familiar challenges and a few more stories to add to their growing collection.
