Kirk Downie

6.45 AM

Wake up time and if I don’t get my morning shower and coffee in, then I’ll be useless for the first few hours of the day.

7.30 PM

Start the brisk 30-minute walk into work (got to hit my 10,000 steps or my fit bit will be furious).

8.00 PM

Grant, one of the Agribusiness Relationship Managers, picks me up in his ute which has the Rural Bank trailer attached as we start the drive to Elmore for the Elmore Tillage Field day. We have been privileged to attend this as our community bank program has strong ties with the event.

8.50 PM

Arrive at the small country town of Elmore and head out to the show grounds where field day is held. We meet Matt (a Senior Agribusiness Relationship Manager) there and we set up the trailer and get all the show bags out that we filled yesterday with promotional bucket hats and stationery. We get a prime spot at the entrance to the paddock where the equipment will be trialed.

9.30 PM

All the farmers begin to slowly arrive for a 10 o’clock start and as they walk in, we say g’day and have a bit of a social chat before the first tractor starts and heads off on its run showing off the newest bit of tillage equipment. 

10.00 AM

Now it's time for us to get out and see what the new models can do as we kick the dust and hear why each product is better than the last and how they should be used for different ground types and purposes. This is a smaller field day with about 30 machines and about 100 people in attendance (including the people showcasing their equipment). This is a bit of a smaller field day as it is more for slightly newer models compared to any real new technology or methods. Farmers here are mainly looking for replacements or upgrades for the equipment they currently have.

Image 1: Myself (representing with the blue rural bank bucket hat) kicking the dirt with some farmers after a set of discs has made a run. Notice all the blue Rural Bank Bags!

2.00 PM

Give out the remaining rural bank bags to people on their way out and talk to anyone if they have any interest in finance for a new bit of equipment or just generally want a chat. After the crowd has gone home, we pack up the trailer and head back to the office.

3.00 PM

Put the trailer back in the shed and get back to the desk where I have just started my next graduate rotation in the internal property valuations department. Since I’ve just started in this section I’ll sit with a more experienced valuer as they talk me through the process.

We go through some property valuations which have been requested by the frontline staff members. During this time, we search the property titles and map them on our system. We then look at some sales of similar properties in the area so we can get an accurate valuation put forward for the client.

5.00 PM

Home time. The work wraps up and its time to begin the walk back to my house before making my way to footy training. A few members of the Bendigo & Adelaide Bank Group have ties with the club and since we share the same building, it's good to have those connections (and sitting next to the coach has some certain perks).