Tongan husband and wife, Teki and Tina Faletau, moved to Dubbo in 2021, originally with a plan to go fruit picking, but when the offer to work in Australia was for a job in the meat industry instead, they decided to give it a go anyway.
“We had our own little business going in Tonga, a little takeout, Mexican food, something different on our little island but by the time we got started Covid was just beginning, and we were barely getting any customers and a couple of weeks later it shut down,” Teki explained to Dubbo Photo News.
“So, the bills were piling up and we got talking about our options. The idea of having to work for someone else and getting paid minimum wage of $2.50 an hour wasn’t great and out of the blue we just thought, let’s go fruit picking.”
It took a couple of months before their application to work in Australia was processed but when they heard about their meat industry selection, they thought, ‘how hard can it be?’
“When we first came out here to Fletchers it was really hard and the culture shock was amazing,” Teki said.
“Tina is used to travelling back and forth regularly to see her mum and dad in the United States but coming out to Australia was the first time I’d left Tonga in 15 years so to see the world from what it was when I was a little kid, it was scary, but Tina walked me through it.”
Over time things have gotten easier.
“Luke Jenkins was pretty much my mentor from day one and he basically taught me everything and with every job I learned I just grew more and more attached to the point that I told Tina; I don’t think I want to go back home anymore,” Teki said.
Tina’s longing to visit her mum was initially strong but now she is invested in her study to get certification for her Fletchers role in Quality Assurance.
“There were so many times I thought ‘just go’, but more and more every day I get into the job that I’m doing and I feel the appreciation from Luke and Melissa and everyone here and that keeps on pushing me to do my best, and now, the same as Teki, I don’t want to leave anymore, we just love it here and we look at this company as a family, they’re family now, we feel really comfortable and we fit in,” Tina said.
The couple value the sense of family.
“I always say to the workers the one thing I want everyone to remember when they’re on the floor is, that it’s a family friendly environment because I want them to feel comfortable and treat each other with nothing but respect and love, because that’s exactly how I was treated when I first got here and that’s exactly what I want to portray to the rest of the workers when they come in, that when we go on the floor we’re nothing but family, everyone is just helping each other out; we clock in and we clock out, but at least we clock in happy and clock out wanting to come back,” he said.
Teki is in the process of becoming a training officer and Tina is working in and qualifying in Quality Assurance.
“This is the first time I’ve done work like this and I’m grateful for it. Before, I’d never seen myself doing this sort of job or having a certificate for it,” Tina said.
When Teki was pulled off the chain for an opportunity to become a training officer he committed to giving it a go and do the best he can.
“They’re saying when the opportunity arises for me to take the courses to become a certified training officer, they’re going to throw me in there. I’ve never worked for a company that’s said they’ll pay for me to be educated. I can never thank Fletchers enough for all the opportunities they gave us. It’s truly been a blessing working here, and I look forward to just spending more time here,” Teki said.
