Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Coalmine truckie, speedway enthusiast and oral health therapist, Samantha Barbeler, is in the fast lane improving dental health in regional communities.
“My first job was as a casual employee at Kingaroy Dental Clinic in rural Queensland. My mum had been a dental assistant but pushed me to get into the mining sector to follow in the footsteps of my dad, a machine operator. So, I went up to the mines and ended up working there for about six and a half years, mainly at Lake Vermont Mine in Dysart.
“I was driving huge dump trucks and at the same time, started studying a Bachelor of Oral Health at CQ University. I’d be driving the dump trucks and listening to my lectures on the radio. Then, while I was under the diggers being loaded, I’d have my textbooks open.
“I graduated in 2019 and started working in oral health in 2020. I now live in Chinchilla, working for the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service doing mobile school dental runs in regional and rural towns. I’ve got a wonderful assistant, and we travel long distances in the dental van to remote towns. The kids we visit are the number one reason I love my work.
“The other passion in my life is speedway. It’s a family affair. My dad has been into racing, my grandma had a racing car at one stage, then my mother got into it and then her brothers followed. I started racing when I was about 12 and my sister, Chantelle, and brother, Nathan, both race. It’s Commodores and Falcons and cars like that. Nathan is ranked number two in Queensland in the street stock-car class. Chantelle’s two sons started racing last year and my cousins’ children are also involved—they start young in this sport!
“I love racing because it’s one of those high-adrenaline, high-stakes sports. There are big races, big crashes, but also big wins. You have to put a lot into racing, but you get a lot out of it. It’s the smell of the petrol burning, it’s the dust and the mud. And I like to win, too—it’s always better being up the front, rather than down the back.
“Our family is well known in Queensland racing circles. We’re quite competitive, and I like that aspect of racing, but the big thing is that we’re part of a community. If you break your car, or if something happens in a race, when you pull into the pits everyone will come over and help you fix your car and get it ready for the next race.
“Even though I’m now in Chinchilla, I still get to race in Kingaroy in what’s called the Queens Royal race, so all the girls get to race together. Oddly enough, even with my speedway background, I’ve never trusted myself to drive the dental van when we go out bush. My assistant does the driving. If you’ve ever been out on these rough country roads, you’d know why. They’re pretty wild.”
