As a child, Jimmy McGlynn’s mother said he had “a lot of character”, but his aunt said he needed a flogging. He wasn’t a naughty kid though, just full of energy that couldn’t be contained within a classroom. So, even though he excelled at school, at the end of year 10 he headed up north […]
Welcome back to another “Station Stickybeak” episode. This series was created to share an insight into why pastoralists do what they do, given their circumstances – whether it be location, country type, rainfall zone, infrastructure, ownership model, market, or any of the many other factors influencing management decisions. In each Station Stickybeak episode I’ll chat […]
“When I grow up, I want to be a veterinarian”, said almost every kid, ever. Campbell ‘Cozy’ Costello didn’t think he had what it took to get into veterinary medicine, but life has a funny way of working out. In just over a decade, Cozy has built a career which sees him treating animals across […]
Warning: This episode discusses suicide and may be triggering for some people, so it may be best to listen in the company of support. Veterinarian’s are one of the most loved professionals in Australia – they’re the superhumans who keep our best mates and fur babies healthy, and step up to save them if the unbearable […]
Dr Campbell Costello, aka ‘Cozy’, is a jet-setting veterinarian who has practiced not only throughout Australia, but all over the world. In this episode, Cozy reflects on the time he spent 9 months in Kazakhstan, managing a cattle ranch that was being built from scratch. From language barriers and cultural differences, to finding workers drunk […]
We all have that one friend who is a total larrikin – and for the people of Central Australia, that friend is Ben Hayes. Ben is the fifth generation of the Hayes family on ‘Undoolya Station’, the oldest pastoral lease in the Northern Territory. And while being a steward of the land and active member of […]
Traveling vast distances to access services is second nature for Raine Holcombe – it’s part and parcel with living in the Northern Territory. Raised on a crocodile farm in the Victoria River district, Raine developed a love for life on the land which eventually saw her running a contracting business with that took her and […]
Undoolya Station was the first cattle station in the Northern Territory, and in 2022 it celebrates its 150th birthday. In this episode we sit down with Ben Hayes, who’s family have been at the helm for most of that time. Ben shares insights into life at Undoolya throughout the decades, which the family have learnt […]
Tanya Heaslip’s childhood on an outback cattle station in Central Australia was full of adventures and extremes, so it’s no surprise that her first job as a lawyer was the same. The job? Junior Instructing Solicitor for the Crown on the Lindy Chamberlain Inquiry – the inquiry which ultimately saw all convictions against Lindy Chamberlain quashed. […]
One moment can change your entire life. Ashley Dowden learnt that lesson at age 11, when he survived an accident that claimed his mothers life and left his father with one arm. Ashley’s childhood was cut short as he stepped up to support his father in running the family sheep station. In the 4 decades […]
Graduating high-school is possibly the greatest pressure faced by young Australians. It’s an un-challenged belief that without achieving this milestone you’ll be stuck in a dead-end job with no career prospects. But, did you know that the education system hasn’t undergone significant changes since before the industrial revolution? We know that everyone learns differently, and […]
Of all the jobs Libby Finlayson imagined herself doing, “Divorce coach” was not on the list. Growing up on a sheep station in the isolated Goldfields region of Western Australia, Libby developed an affinity for horses, livestock, and all things to do with the bush. It’s no surprise that she ended up running a farming […]
Welcome back to another “Station Stickybeak” episode. This series was created to share an insight into why pastoralists do what they do, given their circumstances – whether it be location, country type, rainfall zone, infrastructure, ownership model, market, or any of the many other factors influencing management decisions. In each Station Stickybeak episode I’ll chat […]
In episode 138 we heard the story of the catastrophic flood that saw Bidgemia Station engulfed by floodwater for the first time in it’s history. In this episode we are again joined by Hamish & Jodie McTaggart as they share insights into the 1.4 million acre pastoral property which has been in the family for […]
In last week’s episode Debbie Dowden shared the story of how she found herself living a life she’d never planned on, but at the same time it seemed like everything in her life had been leading her there. That life was centred around her new husband’s family sheep station in Outback WA. A vast property […]
When the term ‘Serendipity’ was coined way back in 1754, it was described as “the accident of finding something good without looking”. Debbie Dowden’s life has been shaped by a series serendipitous moments. The fixed-wing pilot was working as a flight theory instructor when her future husband enrolled in her class. In what can only […]
Welcome to the Cattle Station Classroom Podcast. In today’s lesson we are going to be learning about what’s involved in buying and selling a pastoral lease in WA – and it’s definitely a little more complicated than buying or selling a house in town! To do this I am joined by Karel Eringa who is […]
Welcome to the Cattle Station Classroom Podcast. In today’s lesson we are going to be learning about diversification permits for pastoral leases in WA – what they are, why they exist, who needs them and how to apply for one. To do this I am joined by Karel Eringa who is the pastoral manager at […]
Welcome to the Cattle Station Classroom Podcast. In today’s lesson we are going to be learning about the legal requirements of managing a pastoral Western Australia. We’ll cover topics such as what a pastoral lease can be used for, what activities are required to be compliant, what makes a good tenant, and even the renewals […]
Welcome to the Cattle Station Classroom Podcast. In today’s lesson we are going to be learning about the different types of land tenure in Western Australia – in particular, crown land and pastoral leases. To do this I am joined by Alison Gibson from the WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage. Alison is the […]
