A country dream come true
SHE grew up living the fast-paced life.
From the hustle and bustle of working in retail she has now swapped to the peace and quiet of a rural property.
At just 21 years old, Helen Boyes is living her dream working with thoroughbred horses on Canning Downs.
She's traded the city lights for the stars in the wide open night sky and will never look back.
"Ever since I was little I have wanted to move from the city to the country," Helen said.
"I had a friend whose parents owned property out here and we would visit and I never wanted to go home.
"There has always been something about the fresh country air."
Surrounded by mountains and rolling paddocks, Helen said she was right at home.
"Warwick is such a beautiful place, I love it," she said.
All dreams must begin somewhere and Helen' started at Warwick's Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE.
"While I was waiting for the horse breeding course to begin I enrolled in the Jackeroo and Jillaroo course," she said.
"It was such a fantastic course, extremely hands on and I felt confident after completing it to be out on a working property.
"I was surprised that such a small town offered such a great facility with a huge range of options available that was all relevant to what I wanted to do. We spent a lot of time working out on properties with different animals that all had different temperaments and I learnt to adapt to different management plans."
Even though working on a property is a very male-dominated job, many women are out there getting their hands dirty.
"Working on a property and with horses is certainly hard work," Helen said.
"There is a lot of hard working, strong women in the industry.
"It's a great challenge and there is no way I will ever give up."
A day in the life of Helen is never dull. Canning Downs is always abuzz with excitement.
"There is never a day the same out here," Helen said.
"From feeding the horses, to treating them, hand walking them to maintenance of the property and even horses foaling there is never a dull moment."
Life on the land is exactly the way Helen imagined it.
In the country there are long days and hard work but most of all the work is rewarding.
One of Helen' most sought-after dreams is to travel.
"I would love to get the opportunity to travel overseas and work," she said.
"I want to be at the top of my game, nothing I do is half hearted.
"I think I've really got my foot in the door working at Canning Downs and I will work hard to get where I want to be."
Women of vision
DO you know a rural woman who is making a difference in agriculture or to her community?
Nominate her for the 2013 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation rural woman's award.
The awards offer financial assistance, mentoring, resources and support to successful candidates who are involved in primary industries or natural resource management.
State and territory winners will receive a $10,000 financial bursary to implement their vision.
Applications close on October 15. For more details check out rirdc.gov.au or contact Margot Andrae on 02 6271 4100.
