Sarah Brauman joined ANTG’s cultivation team in May 2025. Originally based in Tweed Heads, she moved to Armidale about a year ago after a spontaneous 24-hour visit. What drew her here was simple: she missed rural living – the mountains, the rivers, and the slower rhythm of regional life. Here, Sarah talks to REGGIE about her role as a horticulturist with ANTG, what her typical day looks like and her favourite local haunts.
Sarah, what’s your typical day look like?
The mornings begin with a short five to 10-minute catch-up meeting before heading into the Propagation rooms. There, the team checks over the mother plants to make sure they’re upright and healthy. We check the nutrient reservoirs and critical assessments. From there, plants are transferred from the propagation rooms into the plant bays to be set up for flowering. That is an extraordinarily physical day: transplant day. I am still getting my head around the cycles. I joined when the 100th crop was in place and to see the results in a few months has been amazing. Just fascinating really. Everyone works very hard. It’s very physical.
Tell us about the culture…
The workplace culture is one of the best I have ever experienced: supportive, uplifting, positive. You never feel like you are on your own out here. Someone always says hello. It can be monotonous, relentless work, so it’s great to see that cycle weaved in with good uplifting moments in the workplace.
How do you explain the job to people?
I try to say the same thing across the board: they (ANTG) produce medicinal cannabis and grow that in Armidale. Sometimes you might get the response, ‘Ohhh… oh I see,’ and others might be excited and ask questions like, ‘Is that from the leaves?’. Some still find it really taboo, so it’s nice to break the ice by talking about the impact it’s having on the community. It is surprising the stigma that’s still out there, but I guess with more and more people talking about it in the community, it helps. It’s important work.
What’s the best thing about the job?
Never having to own a gym membership again! The people I work with make my day. Seeing the work come through from these tiny little clones and asking every cycle “are we going to get there? Will we get there?” … and then the relief on everyone’s face when it goes through to harvest is awesome.
And the biggest challenge?
The admin side and learning the systems to keep everything onboard with the regulations – making sure I have my head around that. You learn on the fly. There is a lot going on.
Do you have any local favourite hangouts?
I love the occasional pool game with colleagues at the pub. My favourite spot for coffee is a gorgeous little cafe called Black Kat Espresso, a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop in town. They make the most incredible Portuguese tarts – they are magnificent and piping hot! They fly out the door! I make sure I get there early on a Sunday morning to get one.
And finally, what’s your favourite quote?
I love this quote from The Wind in the Willows as my pocket wisdom: “All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.” My favourite place to sit is by the river – this is my mantra, to live is to see, and to see is to wonder. The rats and the river. It’s on my wall at home.
