On-Trac Ag technicians love life on the tools

Now, 20-plus years later she has been able to fulfil that dream through a service technician apprenticeship with On-Trac Ag in Bathurst.

"It's something I would have loved to have done when I was 16, leaving school and trying to get a job," she said.

But concerns about whether that career path would give her the flexibility to take time off to have a family meant she instead went down a more traditional route for females at the time - hairdressing.

Now that her children have grown up, Ms Reid has thrown herself into her new career.

"I grew up on a farm and just love all farm machinery," she said. "I also love the challenge of taking something that's broken and making it work again."

While Ms Reid was dissauded from her chosen career choice by a perceived barrier, she believes there's no longer hurdles for females wanting to enter the sector.

Someone who agrees with this sentiment is On-Trac Ag apprentice heavy diesel mechanic Claire Miller, 17, who works out of the Orange workshop, primarily on New Holland machinery.

"I wasn't loving school and growing up on a farm, I knew I wanted to go into the ag industry," she said.

"Through my research into what to do when I left school, I found mechanics. I ended up doing work experience at two different places and really loved my time there. I then did a work trial (with On-Trac Ag) to see if I was a good fit in the workshop."

Securing her apprenticeship has been a perfect fit for Ms Miller.

"I love the work, every day and every job is so different," she said. "Even if you're working on the same tractor, there's something different to do every day."

Ms Miller said it was great to see the contributions women make to agriculture celebrated through days like the International Day of Rural Women, which is on October 15 and this year has the theme "Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All", highlighting the essential role that rural women play in the food systems of the world.

"It's good to know that women are getting more recognition and it's more common to see women in workplaces like mine," she said.

Ms Reid encouraged any females considering a career in the machinery field to give it a go.

"For any young girls or any females starting out in this career, don't let setbacks hold you back," she said.

"If you don't get a job, try again. If you don't fit within a workshop, try a different one.

"If it's what you really want to do, don't let anything hold you back."