It’s a name to keep an eye on — say hello to third-year apprentice and winner of our 2022 Apprentice of the Year, Jackson Humphries. Kicking off his career with Ramsey Bros Murray Bridge has been a game-changer for the 19-year-old, and his exceptional standards and working ethic made Jackson a clear choice for the senior mentors who nominated him for the award.
“I grew up on a property with my mum just out of Strathalbyn and would get over to help my dad who does mixed-farming just out of Cleve whenever I could. That’s what sparked my interest in farming, and doing my senior years at Urrbrae sealed it. Their ag program is great and helped me to gain the knowledge to know it’s the industry for me, and I love spending time fixing things, so I knew this was the path for me,” Jackson explains.
While not too far away, Jackson hadn’t spent much time at Murray Bridge before starting his apprenticeship, but the team has helped him find his feet while being based there each week. And the Ramsey Bros Apprentice Exchange Program, which runs four times throughout the year, has meant expanding his network and friendships across Riverton, Cleve, Wudinna and Cummins also.
“It’s probably the thing I love the most — working with different people from different branches. Everyone thinks differently, and it helps heaps to learn from different mentors. I get a lot out of that and also chatting to farmers, learning how they do things and seeing how we can get them going as quickly as possible,” Jackson says.
On taking out the top gong among an impressive line-up of apprentices, Jackson is proud but humble. “I wasn’t expecting it but it was really good when they told me — it was an honour.”
So, what’s on the cards for the future? “I’ve got one more year to go and in years to come, I hope I’m still working with Ramsey Bros. Finding a place where you all get along is pretty special, and this is the best crew I’ve ever worked with. It’s not competitive — we all help each other out when someone is stuck and some of the guys have become really good friends.”
When he’s not busy in the Murray Bridge workshop or on the exchange program, you’ll find Jackson playing footy for the Langhorne Creek Hawks, fishing, camping, four-wheel driving or doing motor cross with mates.
“One of the best trips I’ve done was over to Coffins and Port Lincoln national parks with mates. We went camping at Point Sir Issac to catch whiting and flathead. It was great weather, there was no one else around and nothing to worry about except just hanging out with good mates,” Jackson says. Sounds pretty perfect to us!
There’s no doubt Jackson will continue to build on an already impressive start with the Ramsey Bros team, and we can’t wait for all that’s ahead with him on our side.
