A HIGH school agriculture teacher keen to share his passion for the sector has been announced the 2015 NSW Rural Ambassador.
Charles Mill, 28, Myall Creek via Delungra, has been teaching agriculture and primary industries to students in Years 8 to 12 at St Joseph’s High School, Aberdeen, for the past seven years.
While he hadn’t planned on a teaching career, Charles (pictured) completed an agricultural science degree at the University of New England, Armidale, in 2007 and followed that with a Diploma of Education in 2008 as “a bit of career insurance”.
After completing his studies, Charles returned home to work on the family’s mixed-farming property, “Kurrajong”, with his father, David, and mother, Lindy, who is also a primary school teacher.
After three months at home, Charles made what he thought would be a short foray into the world of teaching when a six-month maternity leave vacancy arose at St Joseph’s, where he’d spent time doing practical work while at uni.
By the end of the six month term Charles was asked to stay on and a permanent position was created along with an expanded agriculture and primary industries focus at the school.
At the time the full-time offer of teaching employment was made Charles hadn’t planned on continuing in education, instead had been considering property management.
“But I must enjoy teaching because I’m still here,” he said.
“I’m now firmly focused on a career as an agricultural educator encouraging and shaping young minds keen to learn about agriculture.
“While I’d eventually love to end up back on the land full time in the future, at present I’m happy doing what I’m doing as a member of an enthusiastic agriculture/science department and working with a small but dedicated team of educators.”
Charles said he wanted to show young people there were a range of careers available to them in the rural sector.
“I want people to realise they don’t have to be moving cows or growing crops to work in agriculture, that the job opportunities are endless – the world has to be fed,” he said.
St Joseph’s ag and primary industries program is designed to give students access to a range of industries, including beef and dairy cattle, sheep, fruit and veg plus flower production, pigs and poultry, pastures and hay making, but has a major focus on extracurricular activities, in particular beef cattle and hoof and hook competitions.
Charles said the school had a 2.8 hectare ag plot, but also leased a further 48ha to provide enough room for the ag program, which includes a small beef herd of mixed breeders to support its extra curricular activities.
The school also works with beef operators at Scone, Merriwa and Gresford, who support its show activities, and occasionally buy in steers through the local saleyards.
In the years Charles has spent at the school, St Joseph’s has regularly exhibited about 50 head of steers across Sydney Royal, Brisbane Ekka, Wingham Beef Week, Singleton Prime Stock Competition, and the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza at Scone.
“The school has always been involved in hoof and hook competitions but has increased it’s level of participation with the extra teacher support in the time I’ve been here,” Charles said.
“With this extra activity we’ve also seen an increase in the level of interest in agriculture as a subject at the school – the ag program is engaging and educating students, and having enthusiastic teachers helps to grow that level of engagement.”
Aside from his Rural Achiever duties at the Royal, this year Charles and his head teacher, Lisa Bright, brought a show team of 14 St Joseph’s students to Sydney with 10 steers, from which they exhibited the reserve champion trade carcase steer of the show with a Limousin/Hereford entry.
“The kids are dedicated and passionate about what they’re doing and as a teacher this encourages me,” Charles said.
Having grown up on the land, Charles said his passion for agriculture and the rural industry was in his blood.
“I find combining that passion with teaching to encourage a new generation is very rewarding,” he said.
“I spend a lot of time on the extra curricular activities at school and I’m happy to do that because the kids love being involved.
“If we stop encouraging such activities we risk losing those enthusiastic young people from the ag sector.”
When he’s got some free time, Charles loves to play a lot of sport, including rugby union, rugby league, touch footy, and mixed netball, as well as catching up with his mates socially, but loves to get home “any chance he can to help Dad”.
Charles also finds time for his role as secretary of the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza.
“I was invited along to a meeting six years ago and found myself nominated and accepted as
secretary,” he said.
“We have a small but dedicated team and the event has grown a lot in recent years – the competition today involves 300 steers, while more than 700 students from across the state take part – from Yass in the south to Inverell in the north and west to Condobolin.
“The competitions are designed to encourage students’ interest in agriculture, and involve steer challenges, paraders and junior judging, as well as interactive led-steer judging, and the staging of the national meat judging competition in conjunction with the Australian intercollegiate Meat Judging Association.”
Charles believes ag education is heading in the right direction “with a lot of passionate and active youth coming through”, such as the Rural Achievers, however, would love to see more emphasis placed on engaging urban students in the sector that feeds and helps to clothe them.
“I’d love to see a program created that could travel to metropolitan schools and introduce students to agriculture – to help them understand where their food and fibre comes from, and highlight the wide range of careers available to them,” he said.
“I remember a similar program when I was at school that showcased health and hygiene issues, and that has stuck with me.”
Charles will attend Launceston Royal Show in October 2016 to compete for the National Rural Ambassador title.
