Farrier now Acland miner
Jack-of-all trades’ life on international rodeo circuit
BRETT Jackwitz is a jack of all trades in the mining pit but few know he’s also an accomplished farrier, who worked with Canadian Olympic horses and the North American rodeo circuit.
Not long after starting with New Acland Mine in 2003, Mr Jackwitz took a six-month backpacking trip across North America.
He had no idea what a chance meeting with a man in the rodeo industry would bring.
“My granddad taught me to shoe when I was growing up on our family property near Nanango so when this guy asked me to help out at the rodeo I thought it could be fun,” he said.
“That launched a five-year adventure as a farrier in North America and by the end of it I had my own business, an apprentice and had seen some pretty great things.
“I also rode and broke horses (so) I had a real advantage on farriers over there who traditionally don’t ride.
“This enabled me to help equestrian teams figure out how best to shoe horses to improve their performance.”
When he returned to Australia, Mr Jackwitz went back to work at New Acland Mine and settled with his wife Shannan and their two young boys.
They now live on a small farm in Groomsville.
“Now that I’m home and working at the mine, my favourite part of the job is being on New Acland’s Emergency Response Team,” Mr Jackwitz said.
“Not only does our training in first response help keep our work mates safe, our guys often provide the community with assistance in emergencies that we come across out of hours.
“Just a few months ago when I was on my way home after a night shift, I came across a two-vehicle collision where both drivers were in pretty bad shape, one of them critical.”
Mr Jackwitz and a
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My granddad taught me to shoe when I was growing up on our family property.
— Brett Jackwitz
colleague provided first response care to the drivers before Queensland Emergency Services and a RACQ LifeFlight helicopter arrived.
“Providing care in that short window immediately after an accident is so important. We call it the ‘Golden Hour’,” he said.
“But because some of our communities are more isolated, it can take emergency services a little while to reach people.
“Our New Acland Emergency Response Team is trained in providing that important and sometimes life-saving initial care.”