Angela Pezet has a big job in a small town.
As a Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) stock inspector, Miss Pezet oversees 21,825 square kilometres of land from the small Queensland outback town of Alpha.
Her main role as a stock inspector or ‘stockie’ is border security of the state’s tick line — an invisible border which separates tick-infected land and tick-free land.
The 23-year-old works alone, inspecting and clearing all types of livestock that pass through her patch, usually by roadtrain, to ensure no ticks cross the line.
Alpha, a town of about 400 people lies between Jericho and Emerald in Central Western Queensland.
Remoteness doesn’t worry her but Miss Pezet occasionally strikes a cranky stockowner when she has to quarantine their stock.
“If I find ticks I have to hold the animals and they can’t cross the tick-line which can be very inconvenient for the owners if they are attending an event,” Miss Pezet said.
“It can get a bit unpleasant, especially if the owners, are not carrying the correct waybills or permits and I have to prosecute them for breaches of the Stock Act.”
Miss Pezet checks property registrations and fits electronic ear tags under the new National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) —Australia’s scheme for identifying and tracing livestock.
“As a ‘stockie’, I am the locally-based eyes and hands for the government vets.”
She also checks fire brand identification, records seasonal changes for drought monitoring and investigates animal diseases including the collection of samples from cattle to verify Queensland is free of Mad Cow disease.
“We collect the brain samples from that show clinical symptoms of nervous disorders and test for Mad Cow disease."
To date, Australian beef has been Mad Cow free and the DPI&F veterinary laboratory at Toowoomba analyses these samples to prove Australian meat reaches international quality standards.
“A number of other common conditions including some plant poisonings and metabolic disorders can cause similar symptoms to Mad Cow disease so accurate diagnosis is essential.”
Miss Pezet studied a Bachelor of Applied Science at UQ, specialising in Veterinary Technology and Management with the School of Veterinary Science.
She said UQ prepared her to work on her own with discipline and motivation, particularly on disease investigation and animal health.
Miss Pezet said the land she was responsible for 60 kilometres either side of Alpha and north towards Clermont, was small compared to other stock inspectors in Queensland.
She started her job in March this year and loves it because her duties vary each day.
“It’s a pretty flexible job, so long as we do our set hours per day we can do it between anytime of six and six.
“I love the laid back lifestyle and it’s what you make of it.
“It’s a lovely town and everyone is very friendly. There’s a few people my age and I’ve got relatives in Emerald.”
Media: Miss Pezet (0402 111 921, 4985 1195, angela.pezet@dpi.qld.gov.au) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (07 3365 2619)
