range of people and hopefully learn a lot from them. I also hope that I can continue to contribute positively and do the youth of the beef industry proud when I represent them on the world stage at the International Beef Alliance Conference. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INVOLVED IN THE CATTLE INDUSTRY? I actually really love working in the natural environment. I have always been fascinated by different species of grass, trees, birds and animals. My dad is a bit of an old bushie and takes note of what’s happening around him and my mum has always encouraged us to delve deeper into why things happen, so I think that’s given me a good grounding into doing something like farming. I love being the same with my kids, except I’m really glad now that we have Google and social media where I can ask questions of so many people! Growing up on a cattle station near Charters Towers, it made sense to raise beef as it’s the perfect way to combine the things I love; it helps my husband also loves cattle! We both enjoy pushing the conventional boundaries with our farming methods and thinking outside the box because we both get bored with routine! We’re not happy to do things a certain way just because they’ve always been done that way, which is why we’ve introduced pasture raised eggs into our operation at ‘Clancella Downs’, a first for our region! I think farming keeps my mind active as there’s always so much to learn and no two days are the same. We’re so proud of our little farm. We’ve really looked outside the “We’ve really looked outside the box and have this little place punching well above its weight in terms of production, but we’ve also been very mindful about natural resource management.” box and have this place punching well above its weight in terms of production, but we’ve also been very mindful about natural resource management. Our diversity of species in plants and animals has absolutely boomed here since we bought the place five years ago, despite being in severe drought for that time. WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE SOME OF THE KEY FOCUS AREAS FOR THE CATTLE INDUSTRY IN FUTURE? My personal opinion is that the two biggest issues we are facing is leadership within our industry (such as peak industry body effectiveness, policy decisions and collaboration) and public relations (between farmerconsumer, industry body-farmer and government-constituents). I think if we focus on those two issues that a lot of the others will fall into place or be easier to deal with. WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT VALUES TO DEMONSTRATE AS A LEADER? I feel being open and fair minded is probably a big one. You need to be able to not just listen, but take on board what people are saying (and especially hear what they’re not saying). I think 32 THE LINK AUT/WIN 18 you need to be willing to stick your neck out yourself - you’re not always going to be popular, but someone needs to take the first step. You need to be able to encourage and support those around you because you’re only as strong as the people you lead. Some of the best leaders I know invest a lot of time and effort
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