I come from a family of blockies.
Blockies are people who own irrigated land and grow fruit.
My great-grandfather was a soldier settler at Red Cliffs, and he started growing wine grapes.
Now, I help Dad on the block.
I spray the vines, do the pruning, slashing, weeding and drive the bin trailer at harvest.
I know everything that’s needed for harvest time.
Normally we start harvest in January.
But because of the wild rain, we’ve harvested much later this year.
When we harvest, the grapes go in bins, then they get carted to the winery. From there, they get crushed, and turned into wine.
Our grapes are used in chardonnay, pinot noir, shiraz, cabernet and sauvignon blanc blends just to name a few.
When I’m not working on the block, you’ll find me working on my pride and joy, a 1982 HJ47 LandCruiser.
I taught myself how to restore it, and it’ll be ready for when I finally get my licence.
In the meantime, I’ve got my motorbike. I practice all the time and get plenty of tricks in.
Seeing a harvest through to the finish is such a great feeling.
Knowing we saw the crops through the wild weather, disease and pests. It makes me proud.
I know a lot about farming.
In fact, I probably know enough to start my own block!
It may not seem normal to everyone, but it’s everything to me.