AT THE start of November Flexitrans did not have a driver for one of its trucks and it was easier to find a school bus driver to fill in for Carmen Bairstow and for Carmen to apply for her multi-combination (MC) licence.
With the help of Louisa Dare and Trevor and Beverly Dawson, who covered the bus run, Carmen sat for her MC licence on the Tuesday and delivered her first load of grain at 4pm that afternoon.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to drive a truck this harvest,” she said.
“It has been great to work alongside my husband Darran and I have seen parts of this region that I have never seen before.
As with any family business and especially with young children it is not as easy to just decide to go to work when plans change or times get a little tough.
Carmen's mother was called upon to help out with the children and arrived from the Gold Coast for the harvest period.
"We only bought a one way ticket for mum, unsure of how long harvest will be,” Carmen said.
She said she and her mother didn’t think they would still be harvesting eight weeks later.
“But she stuck it out looking after three young children and will be returning home this coming weekend for a much rewarded rest," Carmen said.
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