WHEN Emma Holzwart stepped up to accept her sash as this year’s Emerald Show Society Miss Showgirl, she walked forward in her heels proudly.
But earlier that day she was wearing her farm boots, the night before her footy boots and the day before she was in her steelcaps on a mine site.
Emma, 20, is one of many country kids making a living at local mines – and she said without mining, many new first generation farmers would not be here.
“It’s really the only way to make out here viable at the moment - is to work in the mines,” she said.
“I don’t see how anyone can really buy a property unless they work in a mine or inherit it.
“If you’re a first generation farmer, it’s pretty hard to buy unless you’re making that incredible income. And getting half the year off work to do something with it (the property).”
Living on the family cattle property and helping out as much as she can is as much of a passion for Emma as her career as a maintenance administrator at Cook Colliery.
“I just help out when I can really. We have an annual bull sale every year so I help out around then, and then show time and Ag-Grow as well,” she said.
“But if we’re weaning or de-horning, or if the boys go to St George where we have another property, I’ll always go and help out if I can.”
The decision to enter to become Emerald’s Miss Showgirl was one Emma said really stemmed from her older sister, Bindi Nalder.
“I entered to keep my sister happy,” she joked.
“No, but seriously, Bindi did enter in 2011 and won, and the year after I went for the junior (showgirl) and got that.
“We became a lot more involved with the show after that, because she (Bindi) joined the committee and took on the stud cattle section.”
Despite being eligible to enter the senior section for a few years, Emma said she wanted more experience behind her before she attempted it.
“I sort of didn’t want to enter the senior straight away because I wanted to get a bit of stuff behind me,” she said.
“This year I felt like I had accomplished enough to have a bit of go about me.”
And accomplished she is. Emma is also studying an associates degree in mechanical engineering to assist her in her career.
“I work at the mine Monday to Friday, I leave here at about quarter to six and get home about 5.30pm,” Emma said.
“And then I get home and have half an hour to myself and then I’m putting on a pair of football boots and going to touch football on Monday and Wednesday and league training on Tuesday and Thursday. And then weekends I’m mostly gone with events or football.”
Emma said she is not sure if her future lays predominantly in mining or agriculture, but she said property life is definitely for her.
“It really depends on what happens with the mines,” she said.
“Obviously the mines are a bit up in the air at the moment, so it’s just sort of a waiting game.
“If it does go ahead, I’d like to keep going down the maintenance path and work up to be maintenance planner, maintenance planner type person.
“If it doesn’t, I probably will go back into the agricultural sector and I was thinking maybe in animal reproduction or something, but it’s just a waiting game at the moment.”
This year I felt like I had accomplished enough to have a bit of go about me.
- Emma Holzwart
