About Me

I’m a wife, a sister, a daughter, a helicopter pilot, a station overseer, and a country lady. I love spending time with my husband, my dogs, and my horses. When we get the chance, we go hunting, camping and fishing—mostly barra fishing, to be exact. I only got hooked on barra fishing a few years ago with my hubby. Before that, I bloody hated fishing because all I ever caught were catfish or snags. But turns out, with the right person, anything is possible.

I’m the youngest of four girls—yep, Dad wanted a boy to help run the farm, but that wasn’t in the cards. Instead, he raised four tough-as-nails daughters who learned to turn their hands to anything. “Can’t” wasn’t in Dad’s vocabulary, and it sure as hell wasn’t allowed in ours either. We grew up outside, riding horses, working cattle, and getting covered in dust and mud.

Born in Rockhampton, QLD—the beef capital of Australia—I spent my early years at a service station in Yaamba while my parents managed it. My grandparents had a property north of Marlborough, which my parents eventually purchased when Grandma returned to NSW. When the new house was built on the property we relocated back to Marlborough. My older sisters lived in Grandparent's old tin shed, and to this day, they reckon I was the spoilt one because I got to grow up in the new house.

I went to Marlborough State School before heading off to boarding school at St Ursula’s in Yeppoon. To be honest, school wasn’t my thing—I’d much rather have been at home working horses or out mustering with Dad. I tried to fake sick a few times just to watch Dad break in horses. I got away with it once… until Mum caught me riding and dragged me straight to school.

When I wasn’t in class (or pretending to be sick), I was competing in pony club, gymkhanas, and campdrafts. Dad had a habit of throwing me on fresh-broken horses at the start of every season, so I spent more time hitting the dirt than winning ribbons. My age group even took bets on how many times I’d fall off at each event. Eventually, I put my foot down and demanded a horse that wouldn’t dump me at every turn. That year, I finally racked up enough points to compete in the state finals.

After high school, I thought about becoming a vet, but after a bit of work experience at a clinic, I realized how much study was involved. Stuff that. Nursing seemed like a better fit, so I pestered the local vet for a job until he gave in. I worked there for four years before bouncing around contract mustering and working on cattle studs. Somewhere along the way, I met my now-husband, moved back to the Rockhampton area, and started building my own little mob of cattle.

Life took us all over—from The Caves to Banana to the NT, where my husband got into trapping wild dogs, and I ran the main yards, weaners, and sale cattle. That’s also where I got hooked on fishing (and landed my biggest barra—89cm!). But what really stuck with me was watching the mustering pilots work. I’d always wanted to fly but figured no one would give me a job in such a male-dominated industry. Then I thought, “Well, fuck it. If these blokes can do it, why can’t I?”

So, I went and got my helicopter license.

It took a while to land a gig, but eventually, I found a job mustering in the Richmond district. That meant two years of living apart from my husband, but I fell in love with the place. Richmond has some of the best people I’ve ever met—good, honest country folk. During that time, we tied the knot, and after two years of bouncing around, we finally found a job that suited us both. Now, we’re station overseers back in Richmond, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Life hasn’t been without its hard times. The toughest was losing my dad three years ago. He was only 68, and while he liked a drink, that wasn’t completely what took him. Losing him hit me harder than anything. He was the one who shaped me, pushed me, pissed me off, and made me who I am. If I could pick up the phone and call him for advice, I would in a heartbeat. But life’s a bitch, and you don’t get second chances. So, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s not to take time for granted.

Now, my husband and I are on a new journey—trying to start a family. It’s been over two years with no luck, so we’re about to take the next step with IVF. It’s scary as hell, but we’re ready to take it on, just like we have everything else.

So yeah, that’s me. A country girl through and through, living and working on the land, flying choppers, running cattle, and chasing the dream—sunrise to sunset.