Traineeships have always been a big part of Fox & Lillie Rural’s development program. Over the past twelve years, Fox & Lillie has employed over nine trainees, each moving diversely up through the company.
At the end of this month, Charlie White, who was employed as a Fox & Lillie Rural trainee in March last year, will be transitioning on from his role now as a full-time Show Floor Operations Coordinator to take on the role of a full-time Representative.
Charlie grew up on his family’s superfine wool and cattle farm in a town called ‘Guyra’ in the Northern Tablelands, and was always highly involved on his family’s property, recalling “the only days I would ever get off school was when the shearing was on.”
After working on a cattle station in the Northern Territory, Charlie went on to study a Bachelor of Agriculture in Farm Business Management at Marcus Oldham College.
But it was the time he spent on a sheep and cropping farm in Western Victoria and a college wool study tour to China where his appreciation for the agricultural industry was consolidated and his love for the wool industry grew.
Since beginning his traineeship in March 2016 and his transition to Show Floor Operations Coordinator, Charlie’s key responsibilities included such tasks as bulk classing, preparing all the lots for buyers to inspect before the weekly wool auctions and printing and preparing all the Fox & Lillie Rural catalogues before the sale.
His favourite role, and one that he initially a little hesitant on at first, was the role of an auctioneer at the weekly wool sales. Through this role, he says he was “able to gain a deeper understanding on the direct changes in the weekly market” which will be valuable to help him in his future roles.
It’s exciting times ahead for Charlie, as he transitions on as a Representative, with Fox & Lillie’s most recent trainee, Emily Shields welcomed to the team last month.
And where Charlie sees his career going? For now, he’s just looking forward to taking on this new challenge as a representative and gaining an “understanding on how to build and maintain relationships and client services. And seeing a bit more of the countryside won’t be too bad either.”