ROAD reconstruction work has been a welcome alternative to kangaroo shooting for one Blackall harvester concerned about income levels and fluctuating demand.
Brett Hayman (pictured) had been shooting for 17 years when he decided the work was so erratic and returns too low to cover expenses that he needed to find some other way to pay his bills and rear his young family.
"The last two years were really bad," he said.
"There was no constant cash flow. I might get a text in the morning saying to go out that night and the money was nowhere near where it should be.
"I was getting the same money, 60 cents a kilo, 10 years ago.
"Nowadays the cost of fuel, tyres and so on has risen and you can't cover your costs on 60 cents."
Brett also pointed to the costs of accreditation undertaken to improve industry standards a few years ago.
"We were all prepared to improve for the sake of hygiene, but we wonder when we get paid for all that," he said.
He believed 90c-$1/kg was a realistic wage and said he would go back into the industry for that price.
"The thing with shooting is, there's no guarantee of good weather and a full load, and nowadays you can't be sure you can go out every night," he said.
"The companies are on a tight quota. One week they might have an order for 800, the next for 650. We need more of a flow of demand."
At the end of 2011 Brett tallied up the number of days he'd worked and discovered it only amounted to 150, which is when he started searching for an alternative.
He now works as a water truck driver for PT Backhoe Hire, which is undertaking flood reconstruction roadwork in the Blackall-Tambo region.
He likes knowing what his wage will be each week, and is getting training in operating a grader and other machinery as well.
Despite this, he likes to think that kangaroo harvesting will be financially rewarding enough in the future that he can return to the industry.
"I hate asking for time off to do personal things," he said. "A lot don't like the lifestyle but I didn't mind it.
"I could spend a few hours with my wife and kids in the morning before I went to sleep."
He also remembers when towns like Blackall were "on fire" with up to 60 kangaroo shooters working most nights.
Today there are only 15 full-time operators in Blackall and most have taken other jobs or are supplementing their incomes to make ends meet.
"The service stations would be feeling it - we all used to fill up every couple of days and the money we earned flowed through the whole community. It would be good to see that happening again."
