Meet Pursehouse Rural Coonabarabran Branch Manager Tim Evans.
Tim began his journey with Pursehouse Rural over 13 years ago and his dedication has helped shape the branch into the strong, expanded team it is today.
Tim Evans is a local Coonabarabran boy, born and bred. When Tim left high school, he worked locally in the area for some time. In 1997, Tim spent twelve months living in Darwin. He then returned to New South Wales and took a position with GrainCorp before the harvest season. Within this role, Tim moved around New South Wales with the company. He gained valuable experience and knowledge along the way. For five years, Tim worked around Gulaghunbah, Coonamble, and Spring Ridge. Later, he moved to Newcastle to manage silos and harvest requirements.
Towards the end of 2003, Tim returned to Coonabarabran to take over the lease of the Imperial Hotel. His mother’s family had previously owned and managed the hotel. Tim became the fifth-generation publican at the Imperial Hotel, working and managing the pub. After almost four years at the hotel, the partnership was dissolved, and the pub was sold.
Having always had a passion for agriculture and the rural lifestyle of Coonabarabran, Tim had no intentions of moving towns and was happily married to his wife, Lucy. Tim had been working casually around the area before receiving a phone call from the Pursehouse Rural Branch Manager, John Redden. After being offered a position in the Coonabarabran branch, Tim had decided that working in the agricultural industry would be a rewarding career.
When Tim began work with Pursehouse Rural Coonabarabran almost 17 years ago, he started as a Customer Service Representative serving customers and stocking shelves. Pursehouse Rural Coonabarabran was a much smaller branch at the time, which included one agronomist, one merchandise manager, one branch manager, and two spray rig drivers. Over 13 years ago, Tim became the Branch Manager of Pursehouse Rural, and since then, the branch has grown significantly with eleven team members, and the showroom has doubled in size.
Over the years, Tim has gained significant experience within the industry, having held various roles at Pursehouse Rural and other positions in agriculture. When we asked Tim what he enjoys most about his role, he replied, “The people. Both team and customers.” Tim also appreciates the diversity of spending time in front of a computer or spending time in the paddock speaking with producers/farmers, to then loading deliveries on the forklift. “There is plenty of diversity and options, no two days are the same”, says Tim. Tim also shares that it is great to interact with like-minded people, including the Pursehouse Rural team, but also growers or farmers that we deal with every day. “I like to see the results of farmers doing well”, says Tim. Being involved in a rural community is rewarding to see the farmers doing well, “everything we can do to help them makes it better”, says Tim.
For Tim, agriculture is an interesting and ever-evolving industry. Collaborating with agronomists to continually discover new developments in the paddocks is something Tim regularly does. Tim also shares that agriculture is a rewarding yet challenging industry. Trends, weather, transport, and freight all have a significant impact on the branch and its daily operations. “The business challenges are everywhere. But the enjoyment you get out of it definitely outweighs the challenge”, says Tim.
"it keeps the small towns and rural communities going when the farmers are going good, so everything we can do to help them makes it better"
Tim Evans