Tell us a little about yourself:

Steve and I are beef, hay and peanut producers at Coalstoun Lakes in the North Burnett region.

As part of the Southern Queensland Rabo Client Council, we join members from all different areas and backgrounds – from beef producers, to cotton growers, to farmers growing cane, lychees and macadamias.
 

Why did you join the Rabo Client Council?

I was involved in hosting one of the Rabo Client Council initiatives at Coalstoun Lakes the day before Covid hit and I thought what a great opportunity to be involved for some personal growth and development, and as a way of giving back to Rabobank that have been so good to us – as clients for 29 years. It doesn’t matter how little the project is, or how big it gets, it is all about supporting people in rural areas for more vibrant, healthier, rural communities.
 

What are some of the key initiatives your Rabo Client Council has been involved in:

Some of the very exciting things we have done locally and something Steve and I first brought to the table is the Business Transition and Succession Planning workshop. Having gone through this personally with our son, we found ourselves asking – where do you even start? A unanimous decision by all our members to roll out the succession planning workshop, it has now become a national Rabo Client Council initiative, so that is something we feel has been really successful in our time.

One of my little ones that we’ve followed through with is the Yum Yum Where Does It Come From? Book by Cathie Colless and Emily Colless. Written to help educate children about where their fresh food comes from, I used to read it to my granddaughter and thought – we need to get this into our kindergartens and schools. So last year we purchased 200 books, and each Rabo Client Council member got around 20 to give out to local schools in their district. Because if we don’t start reaching children in their early years, when are they going to start their connection with food and where it comes from?
 

What initiatives have had the most impact?

Getting the Beer & Bangers evening off the ground for mental health over two years ago has been successful in our Coalstoun Lakes community, and something we’ll keep doing going forward.

It’s all about getting everyone together in the community. We don’t supply the beer; they bring their own drinks, and it’s just a sit around BBQ with a sausage on bread to talk. While some farmers don’t want to get out, if you get them out, they are so talkative and chatty and enjoy themselves. And it is a way of getting their mind off droughts, floods, getting the hay wet, or missing a crop. And it brings all the young ones in with their children as well. Held once a month here at the Coalstoun Lakes fire shed or hall, there are now plans to start it up at Childers.