Welcome to the KRC crew Ann Pedersen
Host: Charles Darwin University, Katherine Rural Campus
Written by Alison Haines
In 2018 CDU welcomed new staff member Ann Pedersen to the position of VET lecturer/workplace assessor beef cattle and horse production. Ann is joining the workplace assessment team going out to stations and delivering and assessing Certificate II, III and IV in Agriculture and also Cert II and III in Rural Operations.
Ann originally hails from the gulf country in QLD. Growing up on stations as a kid, they don’t get much tougher and more knowledgeable than Ann. With a childhood that involved breaking in your own brumby, bull catching and starting bores it was no surprise that after finishing school Ann decided to stay on the land and went and worked for various stations and contract mustering camps across the gulf and tablelands before heading to the NT for a year in 2007. After 12 months the gulf called Ann home and in 2008 she headed back over to return to contract mustering. After contract mustering for a few more years Ann decided to have a crack at running a camp, dedicating herself to improving the cattle and property in her care and the men that she was responsible for.
Finding this new role of head stockman challenging and rewarding Ann decided to go looking for a change of scenery and a new challenge. She left Dunbar station in the gulf and headed to take the reins of the commercial camp at Newcastle Waters Station on the Barkley tablelands, where she was responsible for processing around 50,000 head of cattle.
Ann had long been head-hunted by CDU and as fate would have it at the end of 2017 Ann broke her leg forcing her to consider that perhaps after 17 years of rigorous station work perhaps she could take a step back, give the body time to recover but still continue to contribute to the development of ringers on stations.
Ann enjoys spending time with students on station, being able to share her wealth of knowledge and giving out little tips to make station people’s jobs easier and safer. “I enjoy still being able to go out mustering and to the yards, helping staff out and watching them improve from visit to visit. So far it’s been a rewarding job. Not to mention I get to see a lot of different stations, ways of working and meet a lot of new people….however I’m still not a fan of big crowds.” This job is a challenge for me. I guess in a way I have always been involved in “training” staff in my camps, however this is quite different and there is also a LOT of paperwork involved which is an exciting new challenge.”
In her spare time Ann enjoys putting a few around at a campdraft, catching up with mates and fishing. Best of luck with this year Ann and welcome to CDU!
