At Goldacres, we are all about delivering outstanding products to our customers and are dedicated to hiring the best and brightest to grow our talented teams, it’s in our DNA.   It’s the reason our people are energised and why our products are so good.  And let’s face it, we build really cool stuff!

You know you will fit right in at Goldacres if:

Making customers happy inspires you.

You enjoy working with like-minded, dedicated people.

Working together & supporting each other is your style.

You take pride in the work you do.

You make safety a priority every day.

Darroch (aka Jock)

Position: Leading hand – Booms

Term: 8 years

Describe work & life prior to Goldacres.

As you might have guessed from the name, Darroch hails from Scotland. He began his working life as a Chef which was how he met his future wife (a Ballarat local), who was traveling Scotland on a working holiday. Darroch followed her back to Australia and continued working as a chef at various locations, a successful career that spanned 13 years.

What prompted you to apply for a job at Goldacres?

At the time Darroch felt being a Chef was no longer rewarding as it demanded long hours, weekend work, high stress, not family-friendly, and he felt unappreciated. It was at this time he decided to change direction and completed an engineering course at BGT then began as an apprentice fitter and turner. Partway through his apprenticeship, he found himself out of work and attempting to find new employment to complete his trade. He applied for a job on the assembly line at Goldacres with the intention that it would only be temporary until he was able to secure a new role enabling him to complete his apprenticeship. But that was never to be…

List the various roles you have undertaken:

• Assembly trailer line (3 months)
• Self-propelled line, specialising in axles, utilising experience from fitting and turning (4 years)
• Self-propelled line, building engines (1 year)
• G4 line (short period)
• Core/small product line, co-ordinating necessary engineering drawings for production (1 year)
• Booms/Testing & Quality Control, promoted to Leading Hand (1 year). Then as business grew and roles needed to be split into two, decided to specialise as
• Booms Leading Hand (current)

In addition, Darroch was also the Health and Safety Representative for a 3-year period. This involved attending an external Worksafe course to gain further qualifications.

What do you like about working at Goldacres & motivates you to stay?

• “After 8 years, I feel like the good far outweighs any bad”.
• “Really love working Monday to Friday and not weekends”.
• “I feel valued and appreciated by being told ‘thank you’. Also feels the monthly lunch is a ‘thank you’ from Goldacres General Manager”.
• “Great managers who see workers as people, not robots”.
• “Safety is very important for all staff”.
• “Great co-workers and everyone is willing to help”.
• “Social club was great when it was able to run” (pre- covid restrictions).

What do you enjoy most in your free time?

Darroch has spent many hours renovating his family home as well as taking on some impressive landscaping projects. He DJ’s on occasion for fun and makes his own electronic music. He also enjoys spending time with his family.

What advice would you give to anyone considering applying for a job?

“Take pride in your work and your workspace. If you can do that, you will succeed”.

Josh

Position: Self-Propelled assembly

Term: 7 years

Work & life prior to Goldacres:

Whilst completing high school, Josh discovered how much he loved working with his hands, really enjoying metal work and VET automotive.

What prompted you to apply for a job at Goldacres?

After school he decided to search for a job which enabled him to continue working with his hands and grow his skills. Josh applied to a number of businesses in Ballarat, including Goldacres who were first to offer him an assembly role. He found his co-workers to be great people, and when approached by other companies offering jobs, he turned them down as he saw the value in working with a friendly crew.

What do you like about working at Goldacres & motivates you to stay?

• “The nice, friendly people I work with are great.”
• “It’s stress free, when I go home, I don’t have to think about work.”
• “Friday early finish.”
• “Overtime, it’s great to earn a bit extra when you want it.”

What do you enjoy most in your free time?

Josh is a guy who really has a wide variety of interests, including some that keep him working with his hands. Currently he is renovating a house, stripping back to bare bones and re-stumping. He is often fixing up cars, which has been enhanced by the skills acquired at Goldacres. When it comes time to relax, Josh really enjoys gaming and loves listening to metal and attending music festivals when he can.

What advice would you give to anyone considering applying for a job?

“Be positive and go for it”.

Update on Josh as at June 2023 – promoted to Leading Hand