ABC Landline – Grey Nomads working

Great video from ABC Landline – Why grey nomads are doing more than a big lap of Australia after retirement

Summary

Jeff and Val, a couple of grey nomads in their late 60s and early 70s from Western Australia, are working at an olive grove in a small Victorian town, where they pick olives from midday until midnight

They enjoy this type of work because it is stress-free, and they can leave after 8 weeks, which they have been doing for 9 years after learning about the job through word of mouth

Val has had various jobs, including being a telephonist in PNG, working in pharmacies, and delis, while Jeff has been a mechanic, farmer, truck driver, and jack of all trades, which has come in handy for the olive grove work

Ruth Sutherland, in charge of the olive grove, actively recruits grey nomads, who make up a significant part of the staff, along with backpackers, due to their reliability, experience, and gentle handling of the expensive machinery

The advantages of employing an older workforce include being gentle with the machinery and being reliable, but they do expect long hours, 12-hour days, 5 days a week, and being open to training and communication

The harvest season typically lasts 10 weeks, and the staff has support from mechanics, technical staff, and operation staff 24 hours a day

Jeff and Val believe that employers like them because they are consistent, look after the machines well, and don’t party every night, and they plan to hang up their nomadic lifestyle soon

They think that being a grey nomad is a great way to see the country while supplementing their pension with little overheads, as they usually have their accommodation sorted and only need to worry about fuel costs