Believe in yourself and that you can achieve what you want to achieve.

Sharon Dundon provides technical consultancy advice and practical training to overseas stock handlers receiving Australia’s live sheep and cattle. She has always had a passion for animals, and after completing a Rural Science degree worked in various industry positions before developing a second love for long haul truck driving! While transporting sheep and cattle around the countryside, Sharon began to wonder how well the animals in the back were coping. With the support of a Meat & Livestock Australia scholarship she completed a Master of Rural Science degree, looking into the impact of long distance transportation on cattle welfare. Over the last five years Sharon has been travelling to the Middle East (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman & Egypt) and Indonesia, putting her ideas and experience into practice. She currently lives in Bahrain with her husband Peter and young son Thomas.

What gave you the motivation/inspiration to follow your dream?

I have always had a love of the land and strangely enough it was the truck driving that really got me following my passion for animal welfare - the rest is history. I love living overseas in Bahrain and working with the local people. I have made many wonderful lifelong friends. It has been a unique and enriching experience working with people from different backgrounds to my own while also socialising with their families. I feel privileged to have such first-hand experiences with countries so different from Australia and to be in a position to influence, exchange information and share cultural experiences. It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

At what point did you realise that your dream was actually possible, and what was it that made you think you could really do it?

The day I graduated with my Master’s degree, I remember thinking: ‘I have this now and have worked hard for it, so I’m going to put it to good use’. For the last two years I have been reviewing the practices, procedures and facilities of the feedlots, abattoirs, ports, ships and livestock transport operations that are handling Australian livestock in the Middle East. My ultimate goal is to improve animal welfare standards throughout the Gulf region and promote positive developments, as so much media attention has been on the negative aspects. There are many good procedures now in place and we need to hear about them.
 
One of the latest successful campaigns in December 2008 saw the Bahrain Livestock Company implement a new policy that ensures no Australian sheep leave the feedlot in car boots, as this has provided much negative publicity for the Australian livestock export industry in recent times. I have a blog where you can ‘meet’ some of the wonderful people I work with and get the real story on an industry that is working very hard to be the best at what they do. My blog is at www.liveexportcare.com.au/stockmansblog/sharon

When you were a child, what did you want to ‘be’ when you grew up?

This will give you a laugh - I wanted to be a nun and then definitely a hairdresser, until I was about eight. After that fad and when I became a teenager, my passion and love of animals grew stronger and stronger. I wanted to be a vet until I hit the senior years of school, when I decided to do a Rural Science degree at University of New England in Armidale. This is where my dream pathway began to take some shape … and the next best thing I ever did was get my road train licence.

How did your childhood influence you in later life?

I grew up on a property 80 km north-west of Coonamble. Being on the land has had the biggest impact on my life and it gave me a passion for agriculture. Ultimately one of these days I would love to go back on the land, though I do love what I am doing at the moment.

Who are your role models?

My parents have always been wonderful role models - I hope I can give my son the same upbringing as I had. I am also inspired by my son Thomas - while he is only three and a half, he is so placid and has such a wonderful outlook on life. My husband has also always been a good supporter of whatever I have done and I am very thankful for that.

What does success mean to you?

Because my job focuses on animal welfare and also because of where I live and work, implementing new management practices that improve the wellbeing of Australian animals in the Middle East is a very concrete goal and a measure of success for me.

What has been one of the biggest barriers you have had to face, what happened, and how did you overcome it?

Language is a barrier working in a foreign country. Communicating with labourers in the Middle East who don’t speak and understand English is an ongoing challenge. Often I have had to get down on the ground and actually pretend to be a sheep to get a point across!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? What is your vision for the future?

I wish I could look into the crystal ball and tell you! Some days I think about what the future holds … but for the time being I am very happy where I am despite the challenges. My immediate vision is to continue to improve animal welfare standards for our Australian sheep exported to the Middle East; this is such a valuable market not only for Australia but also for the Middle East and its people.

What would you like to say to other women who may be just starting out on a ‘Daring to Dream’ journey?

If you want to do it, JUST DO IT! Two of the most important things I believe are:

• Believe in yourself and that you can achieve what you want to achieve.
• Surround yourself with positive and supportive people.