My Career – The Age, Saturday 22nd September
DR IAN GAWLER
This doctor might have
battled cancer but he wasn’t
able to stomach lunchtimes at
the abattoir.
MY FIRST JOB was as a “boba-
job” cub aged about 10. I
loved knocking on people’s
doors and being surprised.
There was car washing, digging
in the garden, cleaning up
rubbish, Mostly genuine
kindness, occasional gruffness
but overall a great opportunity
to meet my local
neighbourhood, have fun and
raise some money.
MY WORST JOB was at the
end of first-year veterinary
science studies. I was very
keen on anatomy and thought
if I worked in an abattoir over
the holidays, I could learn more
about it. The fellow I signed on
with had a knife in his left sock
“for protection”. At lunchtime
there was a stampede to the
killing pens so people could eat
their lunch and grab a prime
spot from which to watch the
killing. I was assigned to the
end of a conveyor belt to pack
cans of dog food . I lasted three
days and went to work as a
brickie’s labourer.
EFFIE MANN
Ian Gawler is the founder of
The Gawler Foundation.
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