Women In Trades Wednesday- Ginevra Wohlstadt
31 year-old Ginevra Wohlstadt is a co-owner and machine operator at Atlas Earthworks, based in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty but she is originally from Adelaide, South Australia. “I have been in the New Zealand landscaping and construction industry since I moved here 5 years ago. I previously spent 10 years in the Australian Mining industry as a Blast Hole Driller and other Geotech roles.”
What exactly does her current job entail? Ginevra explains: “We do landscaping and concrete prep and we have been up and running in Tauranga for almost 3 years. We run a T590 Bobcat Skid-steer and two trucks (6-wheeler & 4-wheeler) and hire various sized diggers (1.7t to 30 tonne) depending on what the job calls for.”
On how she first got into the mining and drilling side of things, the thought of large student debt and low job prospects upon graduation in her preferred areas of agriculture and natural resource management, due to a long period of drought “seemed ridiculous, and also a bit boring!”
Ginevra ended up choosing something a little different from her original preference- “A 6-month Geoscience course at TAFE (Polytech) which only cost around $1500 and had all the fun stuff - geology, mapping, mineralogy, 4 Wheel driving courses, basic motor mechanics just to name a few things.” The day after her course ended, Ginevra started a new job as a geologist assistant for a fledging uranium exploration company in South Australia- “I spent the next few years travelling around drilling sites in SA, NT & WA working as a Fly In-Fly Out Geologist's assistant.
I then moved more into the operating side of the drilling industry, starting on my first drilling rig, an Atlas Copco L7 at the age of 19. All of my drilling training was done on site from two of my mentors (Doug and Les) and I also had to keep doing my daily job as a Pit Technician, so training was a slow process until a job position opened up on their roster. From then on, I worked as a production driller for a family owned drilling sub-contractor and then an earthmoving company in many different mines; nickel, manganese, gold and iron ore. I finished the last few years of my drilling career as a driller and a trainer for these companies, teaching new drillers the ropes, developing their skills and drilling styles.”
Since moving to NZ 5 years ago, Ginevra’s career demands have changed pace somewhat- “These days, my daily routine is a lot less hectic and less demanding- I don’t have to catch a plane to site for two weeks on an isolated mine site (one week of those being night shift) No 4.30am starts or pushing casing pipe knee deep in muddy water in 45 degree heat, day in and day out. Don’t get me wrong- I loved this work and it gave me most of the knowledge and experience I have now, but I did put my young body through a lot of hard work- for 10 years straight. Nowadays, we get to organise our work week to suit our lifestyle and days off, we can be working only half an hour from home and we have greater day to day satisfaction operating our own machines.”
So, what does an earthworks company like Atlas Earthworks do, and how is she involved in the operations? Ginevra explains: “We will have a mix of jobs lined up for the week, usually 3-5 house sites- depending on the size, mostly new builds that are nearly complete and are needing a big clean up and cut out for their landscape and concrete design.
Horton (co-owner and operator) and I swap out most days between the machine and trucks; we have similar operating experience so it makes it easy to tap out and have a break so not one person is loaded with a task only they can do. Mostly it’ll be clearing cleanfill and building site rubbish, digging garden beds, flattening areas for lawn and installing topsoil, laying base course for patios and driveway concrete, all whilst following the set plan and budget. This involves a mix of bobcat work, shovelling and raking by hand, and carting materials in and out with our trucks.
After we’ve been through the building site, it starts to look more like a home, so our before and after photos look awesome! Other private jobs we will have quoted a few weeks prior and usually get out of town into more rural areas and stretch our legs a bit with large scale garden and lawn redevelopment; installing rock walls, dig outs for pools, replacing old driveways ready for new concrete and removing large overgrown vegetation. This type of work is the most satisfying as we get to travel around a bit more to beautiful settings in the Bay of Plenty and have more face time with our clients.”
On what inspired Ginevra to pursue her lines of work, she notes that coming from a farming background in regional South Australia, working outdoors has always been a part of her life- it was a natural choice for her to be sculpting earth and mucking around on machinery. It also didn’t matter to her about getting muddy, dirty or greasy!
“When I started in 2006, the drilling industry was only around 4% female, so it made me more motivated to be successful in my role. Also around this time, mining companies and supervisors were just beginning to realise that female operators were more attentive to their machines, took less risks and reported hazards more frequently than their male counterparts; so then the cogs started to turn on the disparity between gender and job opportunities- the light was starting to shine through the cracks in my chosen pathway. I knew that this was a career I wanted to be a part of for the long term and I saw it as every hurdle that I had to tackle would be one less for the female following in my footsteps.”
One of the biggest challenges Ginevra has faced was transitioning from a very well-established mining career to starting from scratch in a new pathway here in NZ. “Many FIFO workers and especially their families will know first hand the impact of working fly in-fly out can have, so whilst I knew I had made the right decision about my future, it was hard not feeling guilty about putting aside a very-well paying and solid career for a healthier and simpler lifestyle. I know it was certainly the right decision for me mentally and physically; even though there are more overhead things to worry about, (taxes, bills, invoicing etc.) my day to day mental health is a lot better being free from the constraints that mining and especially FIFO had on my daily life. Not to mention the incredible landscapes, scenery and activities NZ has to offer!”
On what she loves the most in her current role, Ginevra explains: “For me personally, I need to see the actual work I have done for the day, as opposed to writing reports or having long meetings discussing work, so with the type of work we do I can see results within a few hours which is very satisfying for me on a daily basis. That also translates to our clients, who may not be able to imagine or picture the “3D” finished product, so when we have completed a job, the look of joy on a client's face to see their plans finally mapped out or their ideas turn into reality is really pleasing for me. Also, it's a lot more creative than most people think, so as a creative type it's a great way to keep that side of my brain active!”
Ginevra counts purchasing their first truck and Bobcat as a massive career highlight- “It has been a dream of mine since I was about 20, because I knew that owning the actual machinery was the best way to get ahead and become a business owner. I am also lucky enough that my partner Horton shared the same dream and had a similar skill set so we were able to work out how to do it together.”
Where would Ginevra like to see her future take her? She would love to be able to give young students, especially females, the opportunity to jump on a machine and give it a go! “Machine operating has a bit of a knack to it and some people are naturally gifted, but if you don’t have the chance to try you may never find out that operating is for you. So being able to run hands-on training days with students would be something I would love to invest in and give back to my industry.”
On how her career choices have impacted her life, Ginevra believes that building relationships with those you work with and for has been a positive point- “The mining industry portion of my life was awesome as it helped finance my love of travel but more importantly helped me create a global network of friends and industry affiliates that I still have to this day. The network of people in your life is your strongest asset and the more you invest in those people and relationships, the more successful the other aspects of your life will be whether it’s achieving personal goals or launching a business.”
Ginevra’s skills learned through both her careers have also been transferable to one of her other passions- “I volunteer at Tauranga Musical Theatre, and also perform or direct shows from time to time, so I am able to bring my particular skill set to our non-for-profit society. Whether it’s set building with my bag of tools or bringing the truck around for a working bee, you never know how your set of skills can be appreciated by others. I always encourage people to volunteer in something that is also their hobby or passion because non-for-profit organisations thrive off a variety of talented people - especially tradies!”
Advice she would give someone looking to get into her line of work is: “Always be willing to work your way up- you will gain more experience and knowledge by doing all tasks, not just the things you fancy. No one just applies to be a baker or a chef, you have to try and learn as many ingredients and recipes as you can first!”