A move to more – Moree reinvigorates Rob’s career, and lifestyle

Wearied from a long and bustling Sydney-based career, Rob De Gruchy dared to dream beyond the well-worn city corporate path, with a tree-change reinvigorating both his career, and lifestyle.

While Rob laughs that his decision was not quite a mid-life crisis, a move to Moree in North West NSW later in life was slightly bolder than your typical tree-change.

“I’d all but accepted the role as a Senior Rural Manager in the Moree Rabobank branch when my partner Vic and I said we’d actually better go and check this place out,” Rob smiles.

“It was miles from anywhere, and when we arrived at 7pm on a Saturday night it was still 40 degrees and it didn’t get much cooler overnight, yet we had a meal at the pub and we were struck by the amount of young people, and their vibrancy and friendliness – it seemed like a fun town, and that was all the reassurance we needed.”

Six years later and Rob and Vic are well and truly engrained in the community, Vic a teacher at the local high school and Rob supporting farming clients across the north west.

And having entered banking over 35 years ago in regional Victoria, it marks a career that has come full circle.

Melbourne born and bred, Rob reflects that it was holidays and weekends spent on the farms of friends and family that inspired his pathway into agriculture.

An ag science degree from The University of Melbourne set his course, yet Rob knew quickly that he didn’t want a career in research.

“It was 1988 and banking and insurance specialising in agriculture were new vocations, one particular bank launched its inaugural ag specific grad program, which I was successful in joining.”

An ag science degree program requirement was 12 weeks of farming prac, which Rob spent on a number of farms – from dairy operations in Victoria to a stint in the Douglas Daly in the Northern Territory. Some of those families became his life-long friends.

“Being on the ground on these farms gave me a whole new insight into the role of a good bank manager, I realised quickly that getting the finance piece correct was crucial – the correct strategy and finance could unlock a world of opportunity and growth for these farm businesses.”

“The seed was sown, and I could see what a valuable contribution a good banker is to a farmer.”

Rob’s first regional placement was in Sale, Victoria – yet he laughs that it was not quite what he was expecting.

“I got my geography a bit wrong, on the map it looked close to the beach and the snow fields – I thought I could have it all, yet I realised when I arrived that it was a long drive to the snow!”

What Sale lacked in ski access, it made up for in community, and Rob was instantly at ease in the regions.

“For the next three years I worked in branches across the Latrobe Valley, and I really enjoyed being part of the local footy team and making friends, it was a terrific place to start my career and learn the practicalities of ag banking,” he explains. “A follow up move to the Loddon Valley expanded my experience.”

A move back to Melbourne saw Rob dabble briefly in commercial banking, yet the pull of agriculture proved too great, and he made the move to Rabobank in 1995.

He then spent the next two decades working in Rabobank’s Sydney head office in a number of roles, including a specialist role supporting clients operating beyond the farm gate. 

“It was a role that provided me with really valuable insights beyond the farm gate, like crop input supply, winery and meat processing clients, and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with rural managers from branches across rural and regional Australia.”

And it wouldn’t be long before he too found himself in rural Australia.
 

Vic and Rob at a Moree RaboTruck event.

“Our kids were now young adults and in March 2020 Covid was just starting to impact, we thought it was now or never – Vic had always wanted to do rural and remote teaching, and I was excited by the prospect of being on the ground in a rural area, when we heard there was a job going in Moree, it made sense.”

Working in the agricultural heartland of Moree, Rob smiles that he has become one of the experts in the field that he always admired whilst working in head office in Sydney.

“The move has been extremely re-energising, and confidence building.”

“The agriculture in this region is well-developed and technically advanced, we have a terrific client base with farmers who really know their stuff, and with an enterprise mix that’s mainly large scale dryland and irrigated farming, the systems are fairly comprehensive to learn, and the productivity on the black soil plains is so exciting.”

Working at the local high school, he said Vic has advanced in her career to head a department, and was especially rewarded by the bond built with her students.
 

Rob and Felicity Taylor compete in the Moree on a Plate Food and Wine Festival BBQ Cook Off.

The fact that his commute is only four minutes is also a bonus he’s grateful for.

“It gives us back precious time in the morning and evening – time often spent chatting about our day – and it makes me realise what a chore it was getting to and from work in Sydney!”

Between trivia nights, cycling, golf, and being part of a new community, Rob describes having a tree change relatively later in life as “reinvigorating”.

“I’m so pleased to be in a role where I can remain challenged and gain insights into what makes a farm business work well, I’m a detail focussed kind of guy, it interests me to know how farms work, to benchmark them against others, and to understand family dynamics for a truly successful operation – working as a rural manager ticks all these boxes.”

Supported by a large Moree team of ten – the majority locally born and bred, including Area Manager Felicity Taylor – there’s never a lack of local knowledge and expertise.

“The fact that Rabobank is totally agriculturally focussed also ensures we have a strong support network behind the scenes, from credit analysts to RaboResearch analysts – plus a genuine understanding of farm businesses, and the complex landscapes in which they operate.”

With his four adult daughters spread across Sydney and the Sunshine Coast, Rob is able to enjoy regular city perks – although admits the drive back to Moree somehow always seems to feel longer than the trip away – yet he and Vic are thrilled to have this opportunity to embrace the best of city and country living.

“I don’t think it was a surprise to anyone when we said we were moving to Moree, our kids just questioned ‘where’s that?’,” Rob laughs. “Yet the life and careers we’ve built here have certainly been well beyond what I could have expected, and I recommend anyone considering a tree change at any point in their career to go for it.”

A jack of all trades at the Moree Christmas RaboTruck event.