AUTUMN
Goondiwindi FEATURE
Tenterfield’s Garden Masterpiece IVY LEAF CHAPEL
Murray Hartin Moree’s Celebrated Poet
Burrangong, Harden and Inverell Picnic Races
Showcasing the best of rural and regional New South Wales & Southern Queensland
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Bathurst | Cootamundra | Forbes | Wauchope | Young
CENTRAL WEST LIFESTYLE PTY LTD Trading as Regional Lifestyle Magazine ABN 151 6322 9418
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ADDRESS PO BOX 1050 DUBBO NSW 2830 PHONE 0429 441 086 WEBSITE www.lifestylemagazine.net.au FACEBOOK @RegionalLifestyleMagazine INSTAGRAM @RegionalLifestyleMagazine PUBLISHERS, ACCOUNTS & ADVERTISING Elizabeth & Alex Tickle info@lifestylemagazine.net.au EDITOR Elizabeth Tickle editor@lifestylemagazine.net.au CHIEF WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER Jake Lindsay roderick.lindsay2@outlook.com ART DIRECTOR Zora Regulic artdirector@lifestylemagazine.net.au
DISTRIBUTION Regional Lifestyle Magazine is published quarterly (available at the beginning of each season) and distributed to selected newsagents and retail outlets in Southern Queensland, Northern Victoria and within the Central West and in the surrounding regions of the Far West, New England & North West, Riverina & Southern Slopes, the Monaro, Southern Highlands, Canberra, Northern and Eastern suburbs of Sydney, in addition to a selection of other rural and coastal areas of New South Wales. Subscriptions and back issues are also available to read online, on desktop and mobile devices. Unsold magazines are distributed to cafes, health waiting rooms, quality hotels/motels, bed and breakfast establishments, hair and beauty salons and tourist outlets.
Regional Lifestyle showcases authentic content from across rural and regional New South Wales, Southern Queensland and Northern Victoria. The heart of the magazine is in the Central West of New South Wales, but a great story knows no boundaries. We are continually amazed by the innovation, inspiration and spirit that we find time and time again in communities both within the Central West and further afield. It is our passion and privilege to bring these stories to you.
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE To order a subscription or back issue (mailed or online), visit www.lifestylemagazine.net.au © Central West Lifestyle Pty Ltd 2024 All Rights Reserved No part of this magazine may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the publisher. While every care is taken in the publication of Regional Lifestyle Magazine, the publishers will not be held responsible for omissions, errors or their subsequent effects.
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JACK’S CREEK STEAK VOTED WORLD’S BEST!
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CONTENTS ISSUE 44 AUTUMN 2024
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EHIND THE BRAND: Meet the humble B man who helped make Goondiwindi Cotton a household name. 44 THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Goondiwindi sculptor Angus Wilson likes to think big ... really big! 58 FLYING IN STYLE: The sky’s the limit for high-flying Goondiwindi businesswoman Yolande Woods. 130 POETIC JUSTICE: Moree’s Murray Hartin has spent the best part of a lifetime scratching out a living from words. 144 COWBOY RIDES AGAIN: The World’s Oldest Cowboy, Cootamundra’s Bob Holder, is still in the saddle at 93.
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AUTUMN
Goondiwindi FEATURE
Murray Hartin Moree’s Celebrated Poet
GARDEN
166 T HE GREATEST HEALER: Creating a leafy garden sanctuary has been part of the healing journey for Kim Massie.
WEDDINGS
198 N UPTIALS: Take a peep at our beautiful brides who were married in Dubbo, Mudgee and Condobolin.
THE LAST WORD
208 T ALKS OVER PORK: RLM’s Jake Lindsay was an invited guest to Pork Chop Tuesday and lived to tell the tale.
Tenterfield’s Garden Masterpiece IVY LEAF CHAPEL
Burrangong, Harden and Inverell Picnic Races
$15.00 inc GST AUTUMN 2024 VOLUME 44
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COUNTRY CHARACTERS
160 S TRIKING FOR THE TOP: The Armidale School’s Lily Neilson represents Australia playing hockey for the Jillaroos. 194 PICNIC RACES: Read all about the fun, fashion, fillies and friends having a day on the punt at Inverell Picnic Races.
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I N THE SPOTLIGHT: Goondiwindi Regional Council Mayor Lawrence Springborg AM loves his job.
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Showcasing the best of rural and regional New South Wales & Southern Queensland
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GOONDIWINDI TOWN FEATURE
ON THE COVER
Cotton is one of the key agricultural commodities produced in the Goondiwindi region. Image: Destination NSW
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A U T U M N story name
FROM THE PUBLISHERS
The season of change It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change. – The late Queen Elizabeth II
What a glorious season we are about to experience, with its rich tapestry of colours and subtle, welcome changes in the weather.
Summer 2023 feature
We have experienced tremendous support for this feature on Inverell starting with a well-attended local launch and pleasing sales of the magazine in the New England and across the state. Many copies were despatched through Australia Post to all states of Australia with past residents feeling the call and wishing to share the journey of their friends in a much-loved town and area. Even though we featured Inverell in Summer 2021, there was plenty left to highlight and celebrate the second time around. We found the collaboration with Inverell Shire Council to be a very authentic and genuine one, with their sincere appreciation expressed for our team’s efforts to shine the light on the vast array of assets in the area.
Celebrating Goondiwindi
What a wonderful surprise package this area is! The Goondiwindi council area, including Yelarbon, Inglewood and Texas certainly impressed us. Rich agricultural treasures as well as extreme entrepreneurship and valuing of art and culture are hallmarks of this feature. I’m sure you will love reading about what makes this area so desired, as a home as well as a popular tourist destination. A big thanks to the Goondiwindi Regional Council and all the business owners who recognised the opportunity to support Regional Lifestyle’s foray into Southern Queensland.
There’s more to come
FROM TOP: RLM publishers Elizabeth and Alex Tickle; the iconic Yelarbon silos are a major tourist drawcard; Alex and Elizabeth enjoyed spending time with inspirational Inverell couple Desie Kearsey OAM JP and Peter Kearsey, 2021 Inverell Citizen of the Year, at the Inverell launch.
Winter 2024 will see a 120-page feature on beautiful Stanthorpe, followed by a showcase on Warwick in Spring 2024. We’re so excited about what we will be able to share with you.
Family news
In August 2023, Miles Campbell Conn was born to our daughter Anna and husband Jason Conn of Wellington. Hugo now has a little brother to spoil. We now have five gorgeous grandsons. Special family times are absolute treasures in life, and we are truly fortunate.
Subscriptions
Thank you to the many readers who purchased subscriptions to Regional Lifestyle as Christmas gifts. As a gift from the team at Lifestyle to the subscribers, we included a complimentary copy of the Collector’s Edition Volume 2. This edition is still proving to be popular and greatly valued. For any further orders for subscriptions, back copies and the Collector’s Edition Volume 2, visit our website www.lifestylemagazine.net.au
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RLM team thank you
We have been blessed with a strong, passionate and talented team at Regional Lifestyle. Without them, 44 editions could not have been created across 11 years. We wish to thank each and every one of our team members once again for their dedication and commitment to the publication which showcases the best in rural and regional New South Wales and Southern Queensland. We trust that 2024 is all you hope for, and that it brings you contentment, family joy and good health.
Warm regards, Elizabeth and Alex
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A U T U M N from story the name boundary fence
A sparkling welcome to Gundy
Hello, Queensland! Thanks for the warm welcome, Goondiwindi. You’re a town that truly sparkles – particularly from 3000 feet above the ground. What you don’t see from those heights is the sweat of the 10,000 or so hardy souls who proudly call this place home – an army of workers, innovative farmers and young families doing their best, day after day. My pilot on this occasion, Yolande Woods loves nothing more than soaring in the skies. By the time we’d landed I couldn’t wait to hear more of her fascinating story. This high flyer is made of strong stuff, much like the Gundy folk, renowned for their resourcefulness and resilience. Many are born and bred here, while others have returned or been enticed by the lifestyle and endless opportunities to forge ahead. No visit is complete without the obligatory photo in front of the Goondiwindi Grey statue, the mighty horse that put the town on the map. Nearby the fully renovated Customs House Museum is a must-see if you want to delve into some fascinating history. You’ll be captivated by the magic of Texas Rabbit Works and how it was indelibly linked to Australia’s premier hat manufacturer, Akubra. The well-known company, owned by the Keir family since 1918, was recently purchased by one of the country’s wealthiest couples, Andrew and former wife Nicola Forrest. Learn how tobacco was once Inglewood’s major industry with a visit to the museum. Goondiwindi is well serviced with four local hotels that have become the mainstay of social activity. From Queensland’s first
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pub, the QL and O’Shea’s Royal down to the magnificent Victoria Hotel and the Railway, each has its own history and charm. Read about the Gundy Young Guns who are bursting at the seams with energy and ideas. Every September all roads lead to Texas for the country music festival, while Goondiwindi’s Plucked Duck B&S Ball draws young fun-lovers from near and far. Sport and racing are particularly popular in this border town with all manner of activities keeping locals fit and healthy including the gruelling Hell of the West triathlon, which attracts world-class athletes. You’ll have to wait until the very Last Page to find out what really goes down at Pork Chop Tuesday. You’ll laugh along with these loveable larrikins. Did you know Inglewood boasts a female butcher? And the locals just love her! What about former mayor and bookmaker Graeme Scheu? This colourful character will give you the inside scoop on the racing game and life in Gundy. You will be inspired by courageous author Benita Bensch who shares with us her challenging journey to motherhood. Then there’s bubbly Citizen of the Year Lois Phillips, who you will just adore. There are some real movers and shakers in this town, none more so than Goondiwindi Cotton boss Sam Coulton. Then there are big thinkers like Julia Spicer, the innovative team at B&W Rural and the go-ahead couple who run Texas Newsagency. Creativity abounds with stories on artist Sophie Jarrold and Farmer’s Friend
photographer, Alisha Reading. I find nothing more refreshing than seeing someone pick up a camera to discover their own natural talent. The sculptures lining Angus and Sandie Wilson’s boundary fence are true traffic stoppers. Their beautifully renovated old Queenslander must be seen to be believed. It’s one of the most jaw-dropping homes I’ve ever set foot in and the reception I received was as good as any five-star resort! Right next door to the Wilsons I met Neil and Jeannette Grant, truly salt-of-theearth people and a joy to interview. These energetic octogenarians were among the first harvesting contractors in New South Wales and now live life to the full in Gundy. I was fortunate to share a great afternoon talking livestock with Lucy and her dad Shane Morrissey, from Morrissey & Friends. You can’t cover Gundy without getting your boots dirty. It was a real highlight visiting broadacre farmers Dave and Alice Woods and their young family on the remote property they call home. I’m thrilled to finally bring you my yarn on my old mate Murray “Muz” Hartin, the gifted rhyme runner and all-round good guy gifted with the knack of writing very funny – and occasionally serious – bush poetry. So, sit back and enjoy reading about our first feature on a Queensland town. I loved my time there and I’m sure you will too!
Roderick “Jake” Lindsay
ABOVE: Unlike many places, the border town of Goondiwindi offers up a beautiful sunset every evening. making it an ideal place to visit, but an even greater place to live and enjoy life.
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AUTUMN 2024 CONTRIBUTORS
meet your team
ELIZABETH TICKLE
ALEX TICKLE
Publisher, Editor, Advertising
Publisher, Distribution, Advertising
JENNIFER HARDEN
KATE BOSHAMMER
JAKE LINDSAY
ZORA REGULIC
Chief Writer & Photographer
Art Director
ANNA ROSE
Sub-editor, Proofreader & Writer
Writer, Photographer, Social Media
Website Developer, Advertising Designer, Writer
Advertising Designer
SALLY MARCEAU
MELISSA DUNKERLEY Advertising Designer
Strategy and Distribution
JANE SANDERSON
LIZ TICKNER
LORRAINE HILLS
ZENIO LAPKA
ANNA CONN
ELISABETH EDWARDS
LYNNE WALKER
SUE MEIKLE
SUE CURLEY
LARA FLANAGAN
REBECCA COVER
ASSOC PROFESSOR SOL QURASHI
NICOLE BONFIELD
JOHN BONTAKS
JOHN CURLEY
Wedding Writer
Writer
Photographer
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Writer
Garden writer
Health and Wellness Writer
Writer
Photographer
Travel Writer
Photographer
Writer
Travel Photographer
HELEN TICKLE
Writer
Photographer
RLM Accountant
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your letters We are delighted to have been part of another feature from Regional Lifestyle Magazine. The team were wonderful to deal with and they have truly caught the essence of Inverell – its stories, its characters and its beautiful lifestyle. We are proud to have not only showcased Inverell, but some of our villages and look forward to doing so again with our other villages in the future. I would like to thank Elizabeth, Alex and the team for the professional feature they have delivered for us, in a publication that I am sure will remain in homes for some time to come. I am also sure that this publication will again prove an incredible boost to our tourism industry and an exceptional invitation to attract new residents for the benefit of Inverell. Mayor Paul Harmon Inverell Shire Council
I would like to convey my thanks to Elizabeth, Alex and the RLM team for the professional quality of our recent Inverell feature. When we completed our first feature two years ago, we were blown away by the incredible coverage and popularity it produced. It was the highest selling edition for RLM and I believe that record still stands. Once again, the team has excelled and produced a feature equally as impressive as the last. RLM is amazing to work with and sources stories and characters that shine a spotlight on all that is positive about the community. I look forward to working with the team in the future. Peter Caddey Administrative and Marketing Services Manager Inverell Shire Council
Your Regional Lifestyle quarterly magazine, published for the past 11 years, is more than just an excellent read. It fuses us all together in a connection of friendship, knowledge, discovery, and love. It allows us to learn and enjoy stories and advertisements of our towns and places we’ve never been and people we’ve never met which we come to know through your magazine.
We learn to live the stories of the fascinating characters within the pages – ordinary folks with an extraordinary story to tell, beautifully and genuinely written from the heart, by Jake Lindsay and other writers from your highly skilled and professional staff. The photography and quality of presentation is second to none, and the pictures within, take one’s breath away with their beauty. Congratulations to you all! Keep writing the stories, for they make up the very best of our Australian heritage, and our future! Desie Kearsey OAM JP Inverell, NSW
Congratulations on the Summer 2023 edition featuring Inverell. It’s another stellar issue. We are so grateful to the RLM team for their commitment to excellence in rural reporting, producing a world class magazine for us to enjoy from cover to cover. Mary Hollingworth, Glen Innes, NSW
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T O W N F E AT U R E Goondiwindi
Goondiwindi T O W N F E AT U R E
GOONDIWINDI TOWN FE ATUR E
GOONDIWINDI T OW N F E AT U R E
In the spotlight from the Mayor of Goondiwindi As Mayor of the Goondiwindi region, I am honoured on behalf of our proud community, to introduce you to this district, also fondly regarded as “Regional Australia at its Best”. There is something for everyone in Goondiwindi and the community is rightly proud of the town’s appearance with its immaculate, attractive, tree-lined streets, public parks and beautiful gardens. Council’s outdoors team does an amazing job of keeping our towns looking attractive and clean across the region. It’s always one of the first things tourists comment on when visiting. As you mingle with the locals you will find many businesses are family owned and operated, and you will be greeted and impressed by friendly locals wherever you go. The Goondiwindi region offers many beautiful and interesting attractions to both tourists and locals, and numerous must-do calendar events over the year, much of which you’ll read about in this edition of Regional Lifestyle. The region is situated in the broader Darling Downs area in Queensland and boasts a thriving community of more than 10,000 residents spread across its 19,300sq km local government area. Its largest urban locale is the namesake town of Goondiwindi. Smaller townships like Inglewood, Texas, Yelarbon, Bungunya, Talwood, and Toobeah all contribute to its community, cultural and commercial character. The entire region is one of the most productive agricultural areas in Australia, known for its large-scale cereal and broadacre crops, cotton, as well as cattle, sheep, and various other national and international exports. The self-mulching heavy grey cracking soil contributes to the region’s agricultural success, setting it apart from other areas. An important factor in the region’s prosperity is its strategic location at the crossroads of five major highways, providing transportation from production areas to coastal ports and regional centres. This transportation network influences the local employment landscape, with industries including diversified agriculture, services to agriculture, road freight transport, health and wellbeing, retail, accommodation, and food services catering to locals and stopover visitors.
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The region is situated in the broader Darling Downs area in Queensland and boasts a thriving community of more than 10,000 residents spread across its 19,300sq km local government area. The region’s subtropical climate, with more than 300 days of sunlight annually, supports a packed calendar of sporting and social events. Community participation and volunteering play a major role in these. The Hell of the West triathlon caters to more than 700 participants, while the Texas Country Music Festival attracted more than 1000 locals and visitors from around the nation this year. Our community organisations and volunteer networks are the backbone of our towns as they work hard to assist these fantastic events and other activities throughout the year. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in ag-tech. The ground-breaking integration of green hydrogen at one of our wastewater plants positions the Goondiwindi region as a pioneer in this field. The Goondiwindi region has gained the reputation of being an ideal location to live and work due to its country culture and productivity. It truly is “Regional Australia at its Best”. We look forward to welcoming you and showing you around. Cr Lawrence Springborg AM Mayor, Goondiwindi Regional Council
Goondiwindi T O W N F E AT U R E
Regional Australia AT ITS BEST The Goondiwindi region is a tourist’s dream with its diverse cultural experiences and wealth of interesting events on offer.
These rural communities including Goondiwindi, Inglewood, Talwood, Texas, Toobeah and Yelarbon are home to some of Queensland’s finest and most iconic events and attractions. The creative gene runs deep across the entire region. Heading into Yelarbon, it is hard to miss the distinctive Yelarbon GrainCorp silo art, When the Rain Comes. It spans across eight silos and is roughly the size of a football field, making it one of the largest pieces of art in Australia and a popular rest site. As you then drive into Goondiwindi on the Cunningham Highway, several giant sculptures have become a beacon for travellers who stop at all hours to marvel through their eyes and cameras. This leads art lovers onto the Goondiwindi Art Trail which winds its way around the town with painted buildings, toilets and laneways. Annual events like the Lanescape Festival and Greenup Showcase are a great opportunity to celebrate the region’s art and culture. Pub fare is famous at the many quality country hotels standing tall throughout the region. The Queensland Hotel in the main street of Goondiwindi recently opened its new beer garden, an inviting space that gets you in the mood for a beverage or something delicious to eat.
You also can’t miss spotting the iconic Victoria Hotel which is just as much a tourist attraction as it is a popular eating spot. Back into Goondiwindi and down the main street there are plenty of local cafes to choose from, giving locals and tourists a taste of sophistication, but with the same adored country hospitality. Running alongside is the retail scene, with the arrival of new clothing and homewares boutiques, adding to the streetscape in recent times. If you prefer an event that’s more fitness than food, the Hell of the West weekend, held annually in March, serves up tough in spades. The event draws thousands of people to the region to try the triathlon that boasts “hellish” conditions ... if that’s what floats your boat! Perhaps chillaxing is more your style, so why not try a full weekend of entertainment and camping at the Texas (Queensland) Country Music Festival hosted each September, featuring a great cross-section of Australian artists. There is plenty of homage to the region’s historic roots. As a border town, Goondiwindi was once the border customs point for goods coming in and out of Queensland before Federation. The restored Customs House is now a museum featuring stories and relics of yesteryear. In Inglewood, tourists can learn about the history of the region’s tobacco
boom which ultimately put the town on the map, at the Inglewood Heritage Centre and Australian Tobacco Museum. Over in Texas, the last remaining rabbit processing works in Australia provides a unique visitor experience. The site was once the heart and soul of the town, processing 6000 rabbits a day between 1930 and 1960. The building went through a major restoration and is now a must-see tourist attraction showcasing the history of the national and local rabbit industry. While winding through the region, it’s hard to miss the area’s vast agricultural industry. It’s one of the key sectors of the area, so it’s little wonder a unique tourism experience for visitors has grown out of it. The Goondiwindi Cotton Tour gives tourists a chance to visit a working cotton farm, or you can stop in at Leven K Lavender or Coolmunda Organic Olives to explore, learn and indulge the senses. There is something for everyone, and we’d love to show you around. RLM Images: Goondiwindi Regional Council
ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: These roadside sculptures are real traffic stoppers; feast your eyes on one of the country’s largest pieces of art; Talwood has one of the region’s historic pubs.
For more information visit: grc.qld.gov.au
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Glorious Goondiwindi Sample the delights of this charming Darling Downs township
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days gone by GOONDIWINDI
Images supplied by Goondiwindi and District Family History Society.
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Goondiwindi T O W N F E AT U R E
Capturing the magic People in the bush know Salvation Jane or the “farmer’s friend” as a noxious weed or pest – but a photographer with that unlikely moniker is considered the polar opposite in the rural world.
Photographer Alisha Reading fell into her dream job quite by accident, coming up with The Farmer’s Friend as an easily remembered name on social media. “I wanted a name that had a ring to it and now it seems I’m stuck with it! In the early days I wasn’t confident enough to put my name to my images,” admits the fun-loving country girl making quite a splash with her heartfelt images. “My apparent success still surprises me every day. I like my shots but when I hear others compliment my work, it’s good for the ego but I still suffer from self-doubt. I’m very lucky the farm always come first – it gives me the advantage of being picky which jobs I commit to.” Alisha is still on a high following her wedding to farmer Matt Campbell. Having met as teenagers in Gunnedah,
they exchanged vows at a small, intimate ceremony on Matt’s family farm, “Boongargil”, Toobeah, in mid-2023. “Matt was living up here and I was studying Commerce/Law at UNE Armidale. We caught up again in Gunnedah about 20 years ago.” The past few years have been a crazy ride. By early 2015, after more than seven years of working for an accounting firm in Gunnedah and Tamworth, Alisha made the big move interstate, to a boutique financial planning firm in Toowoomba. After 12 months she reconnected with Matt on Tinder. >
RIGHT: Photographer Alisha Reading loves capturing the spirit of the bush. Image: Jake Lindsay. ABOVE: An evocative image at sunset.
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T O W N F E AT U R E Goondiwindi
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Goondiwindi T O W N F E AT U R E
Alisha’s newfound photography career began by accident during the big drought that gripped the nation.
“He was the only one I ‘swiped right’ on and it was an immediate match. The next morning, I received a message from him and that was that!” Their true-life romance will soon be featured in a book about love in the bush. For the first 12 months their relationship was long distance until Alisha moved to the farm to join Matt and his daughters Ava, 14, and Grace, 10. Seven years later, they manage three broadacre irrigation farms, growing cotton and wheat, in conjunction with Matt’s Toowoomba-based parents, Garry and Lurlene Campbell. Together they have established a breeding herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle – a huge leap for the couple, who’d only previously had three sausage dogs, Humphrey, Winifred and Ernest, Great Dane-cross Diesel, horse Tremble and a motley crew of chickens. Alisha’s newfound photography career began by accident during the big drought that gripped the nation. “Everything was dead and a scene of dust. Each week I forced myself to find a little bit of beauty in the barren, colourless landscape, as much for my own mental wellbeing as anything else,” she recalls. Alisha’s grandparents were farmers, and her dad grew up in that environment. “Myself and two younger sisters, Linsey and Hannah, were raised on a few acres in a rural town. My 96-year-old Nanna always reminds me that when I was a toddler, I screamed and carried on until Pa took me out to the farm.” Goondiwindi, she says, is a town of overachievers. “The women in this town are doing amazing things. Everyone seems to have multiple careers and businesses going at once and are always supportive of each other.” She acknowledges there are several gifted photographers in town. “We all direct work to each other. I don’t shoot weddings but am quick to recommend others.” >
GOONDIWINDI RLM 25