COUNTRY PUB WORKSTAY
TESTIMONIALS
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The 6 weeks I spent living and working in a Workstay Outback pub were the absolute highlight of my travels so far Getting to grips with my first bar job was made much easier by the fantastic locals and a very much hands on training approach. The work itself was good, although the best piece of advice I got was certainly to remember that there is always work to do, even when the bar itself seems quiet. By keeping busy, working hard and maintaining a positive attitude the work was made much more fun for me too! By the time I finished I couldve given Tom Cruise a run for his money in the shooters department well nearly! Outside work, the wonderful locals went out of their way to make me feel welcome. As a result I was thrilled to be taken cray-fishing, horse-riding, motor-biking, snorkeling, midnight fishing (and impromptu rally driving!), sleeping in swags, swimming off idyllic beaches and much more besides (not to mention a few sore heads along the way!). The highlight for me had to be hand-feeding the baby Joey which was being hand-reared by a local an awesome experience I shall never forget. All in all, to sum up the Workstay experience, I would recommend it 110% to anyone who wants a taste of the real Australian culture and its amazing people. If youre willing to work hard and play much harder, Im certain youll have as unforgettable a time as I did Go for it !Lynn Falconer, 21, Scotland |
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Sharon Brand The Netherlands |
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I nearly didn't come to WA at all. What a different year that would have been. The experiences I have had here in the last six months will keep me going in amusing and inspiring anecdotes for years. Like many backpackers I've worked in my fair share of bars and hotels, but I can safely say none of them quite compare with my Workstay out in the Western Australian goldfields. Don said it would be interesting, very interesting and different from your usual country pub. Well, that sounded ominous for a start. So a trip on a dinky little Qantas jet later and I'm sitting looking out over an expanse of red dirt and bush with that familiar feeling of apprehension and anticipation. Still, you never get anything out of life if you're not prepared to be a little scared at times. A ten minute tour of the town revealed what I'd feared - there's not a lot here. Forget shopping, clubbing, txting and hanging out in flashy bars and coffee houses. Mine is a privately owned town run by a mining company and as such its like stepping into a bubble where the outside world seems a distant memory. As a town its functional; there's your basic amenities - a supermarket, post office etc, but the closest you'll get to buying the latest fashions is the second hand clothes truck that pulls up in a car park every week or so. On the other hand, the sports facilities are great - there's a gym, tennis and squash courts and a large swimming pool;. As for the food, it's backpacker heaven: three meals a day in the mess, you'll wonder how you ever survived before. Most of the miners are fly-in-fly-out and work 12 hour shifts - nights or day. So you've guessed it - they work hard, but when they hit the bar, god can they drink some beer. The six barmaids lived together in an old donga in SPQ (single person quarters) and worked between the Tavern, bistro, bottle shop and the Wet Mess. On shift change days, the bar could be packed and that seven hours could just fly by. On quieter days, you could be cleaning the fridge doors for the third time before the bar was busy enough to keep you occupied. The days were often long though, sometimes I worked 10-12 hours over a 16 hour day. By the end of it, however, we would sit back over a beer and relive the evening's events or raid the bakery for fresh pizzas and cakes. My least favorite shift was definitely early mornings at the wetty. If you're the kind of person who's not ready to face the world before 11 am, then the 6.30 - 9.30 am shift at the wetty is a must. There's nothing like serving beer and forced cheerfulness at a time when you should rightfully still be comatose in bed. You're not there just to stand around and look pretty though. If you want to fit in, then everybody appreciates a hard worker. A list of my skills would include barmaid, waitress, cleaner, office temp and part-time gossip. It was often a case of being willing to do whatever was asked of you and having the confidence to keep going without really knowing what you were supposed to be doing at all. One of the best things about working out in the bush is that you meet some great characters. Whether it be kicking back on a day off drinking beers with the boys; sitting out in the sun gassing to the other barmaids; or out playing tennis or at the gym with the kitchen crew, there were always people around. Admittedly, some of our customers were pretty feral, but they were good value. Because you're a backpacker you immediately have something to talk about and people are interested in hearing your stories. You've probably seen more of Australia than many of the Aussie's. Be prepared for the men to pursue you endlessly and the women to be a little hostile at first as they size up the competition. I think I've heard some of the best and worst chat-up lines while I've been working over here. You keep thinking they'll give up, but just accept the fact that you're going to hear the same quality lines for the duration of your stay. If you're a city girl like me, then living in a small community comes as a bit of a shock. Because its a small, closed town there's no such thing as your own business. Whatever you did and whenever you did it, someone always saw and even if it was completely innocent, it would be all round town by the next evening. It's easy to be sucked into the politics and gossip and the rumours, in fact, its probably part of the fun. But beware the inevitable small town syndrome. You spend a week hating the place and wondering whether you'll ever get through it and then you spend your last few days wishing you didn't have to go. At some point though you do have to burst the bubble and return to reality. So you think you know your mids from your supers, your EB from your VB and your glasses from your middies, schooners and pints? Excellent - well get out there and experience a bit of Aussie living. It's the kind of experience that builds character, but try and take a little with you from the start. You don't need to be the loudest, wildest girl in your dorm, but you do need to have the confidence and resilience to keep smiling and make the most of your time there. Looking back, while I certainly had my bad days, they're far outweighed by the good ones. I have so many memories that just make me laugh and I will still be laughing about them for years to come. Helen Myers, 26 U.K |
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Barmaid in Western Australia! So girl, what's your crime?"...I slowly and apprehensively looked up and my eyes met his - a cross between Popeye and Ned Kelly...and so began my first night as a Workstay barmaid, located in a wheat and sheep farming town 2 hours north-east of Perth. This strange looking character was my first meeting with a local. "My crime?" I tried my best to respond with a witty retort but could only manage a kind of half smile, half silly look on my shining new barmaid face..all the while begging help from a higher force and thinking what the hell am I doing here.. what to reply to this wild man who obviously has better things to spend his money on, other than shavers and haircuts. If you spun him around you would not be able to tell where the beginning or the end of his face was. From somewhere within the hair where his popeyes resided followed "yeah mate, ya know, wheredoyacumfrom..howdidyaendupiherethen?" Okay, that I sort of understood and was about to begin the whole speech but I didn't get far before he interrupted.."that's sweet darlin... giveusamiddyofEBwouldya"...? The rest of the locals who followed that night were soon to realize that I knew absolutely dada, nil, niente about beer nor how to pour the stuff... (with a perfect head etc). Its amazing how upset a person can get if he/she doesn't get the head they wants on their beer!! but no fear...you can go a long way with a smile and a giggle in a country pub. So in my learning process the sweet creatures did help me along by giving me the colour of the tap instead of the name of the beer.."a green and two red please sweetheart"...As my first night progressed Mr Wildmanpopeyekelly ended up on the floor on all fours looking like a mad (and pissed) bull attacking a friendly, helpless and confused dog. The friendly dog had its tail far up between its legs and seemed to look at me with eyes pleading "please help me call Amnesty and I'll be yours forever". I'm pleased to say that both the dog and me, and the floor survived my first night and the next many weeks to come. Living and working in the country, where rain, fertilizers, strong wool and T.A.B. tickets are some of the topics of conversation is quite a unique experience in itself but the people and their unique language and philosophies...well you just don't meet them anywhere else. You arrive all Miss Sweet and Fuzzy with absolutely no comprehension for things like; public burping or comments like "howsaboutshowinusyourtitsluv". but by the time you're leaving you know what each customer drinks, the lyrics of every AC/DC and Cold Chisel song, you know exactly what to say and how to say it when the testosterone in the air gets a bit too thick, you stop taking all the marriage proposals and desperate pick-up lines seriously, and when the music is playing and the Beams are many, you'll find yourself dancing on the bar together with the local party animals that made your stay in their country pub one of the most remarkable and memorable adventures you'll have. (And furthermore, you'll probably slip out a little burp on your way back to civilisation...) I had a ball.. My Workstay Country Pub Barmaid work experience was entertaining and diverse and to anyone else thinking of doing one, make sure you have plenty of blank pages in your diary because there's going to be a great deal to write about...bloody oath!! Mona Rasmussen, Denmark |
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WORKSTAY. Endless Thanks Workstay,Suzanne & Kelly, UK. |
Clodagh (Ireland) |
Workstay originated the Outbackpackers Country Pub Barmaids Program in 2000 but has been around since 1986.
Contact
us at: workstayperth@westnet.com.au |