‘There’s a role for everyone’: Disability ambassador lives out a dream as ringer on remote cattle station

As Marcus Dadd makes his way around a mob of cattle, the sounds of the outback ring in his ears.

The deep call of the cattle booms through the shrub; 4WD buggy engines rev; helicopter rotors whirr above; and the crackle of two-way radios compete for his attention.

It’s a challenging cacophony of noise for a man who was born profoundly deaf and now uses cochlear implants to hear.

But as a cloud of dust billows out behind the herd of cattle trudging steadily to the yards, he is part of the scattered, yet well-coordinated team of ringers at Delamere Station in the remote Northern Territory confidently bringing them in to muster.

Mr Dadd, an ambassador for this year’s International Day of People with Disability, is wrangling the stragglers up the back.

“When there’s background noise it certainly makes things a little bit more challenging on the hearing front, but I didn’t let that stop me from getting involved … I just made do and used my other skills…eyesight and having an awareness of what’s going on around you,” he said.

“To be able to live out a dream of working in the north on a large cattle station, that’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a number of years.

“It was the most incredible experience.”

Judging a book by its cover

Originally from Mudgee, in NSW, Mr Dadd moved to Canberra for university.

He studied a Bachelor of Environment and Sustainability with Advanced Honors at the Australian National University, before taking up a job in the Australian Agricultural Company‘s graduate program.

As part of the program, Mr Dadd worked as a ringer in the stock camp at Delamere, doing everything from mustering to fencing and yard work.

But Mr Dadd said people were often surprised when they found out his job, due to his disability.

“I’ve got a rare neurological condition called Waardenburg syndrome type four, which affects the mobility in my legs, so I use, as a result, a combination of crutches and a wheelchair to get around,” he said.

“I was also born profoundly deaf, so I received cochlear implants when I was just a few years of age.

“Everyone probably judges a book by it’s cover … when people are surprised, I sort of let it brush over me a little bit and don’t really look into it too much.

“It’s just normal for me to do these things and live these adventures and live my life the way I want to. So I don’t really know any difference.”

‘There’s a role for everyone’

Delamere Station is about 2,500 square kilometres in size, and located about 150km south-west of Katherine.

Like many stations across the north, it uses motorised buggies, which Mr Dadd drove while mustering the herd.

“I was able to get around and cover large distances in that and then use the crutches for small distances,” he said.

This International Day of People with Disability, Mr Dadd wants others to know if they’ve got a disability, there’s still a place for them in the beef industry.

“From what I’ve seen on cattle stations in the in the north, I think there’s a real diversity of roles,” he said.

“Nowadays in agriculture … you need all sorts of different roles and capacities, so there’s a role for everyone to be involved.

“From my experience at Delamere, the crew were incredible and included me in all the activities.

“If you go in there with the right attitude, the positive attitude, and want to have a go at everything, then they’re quite receptive to that.”

A bright future

Mr Dadd is now working at Australian Agricultural Company’s (AACo) Queensland office for his next rotation in the graduate program.

“I’m looking forward to seeing where this current rotation and future rotations take me and looking forward to hopefully a long and rewarding career at AACo, where I can contribute further to the beef industry,” he said.

“In my role as an ambassador, I hope I can inspire people to really chase their dreams and live the life that they want to, regardless of whether they have a disability or they don’t.”