CIRCUMSTANCE led Ailsa Goldring into a specialist career in information technology.

A lingering desire to live and work on the land led her to purchasing farmland in South East Queensland.

Could she continue her successful career in IT and achieve both success and satisfaction from her lifestyle choice?

The answer is ‘yes’.

Until her retirement 18 months ago, Ailsa Goldring’s career trajectory didn’t falter despite her move from Sydney to rural property living first at Hatton Vale, then at Glamorgan Vale and finally after a move to a 42 hectare (104 acre) property at Lower Mt Walker with her partner, Bruce Richards, almost 15 years ago.

While larger grazing holdings use financial returns as a measure of success, Ailsa and Bruce Richards are two of a growing number of smaller landholders who use a different measure.

Initially, it was about work-life balance now it is about lifestyle and well-being.

“We have a small herd of Belted Galloways and Galloways,” Ailsa explained.

The quality of life and the health of the herd is linked to their own.

“We bring the herd up as a family.”

It may sound quirky but to know Ailsa, is to know that her approach to becoming a grazier was well thought out and fully researched.

AILSA’S pathway to country life was unusual.

She grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, as did her father. It was primarily through her mother’s family that she learned about the joy of country life.

“My main exposure to living on the land when I was growing up was on a 7,000 acre [2,800ha] sheep, cattle and wheat property in north western New South Wales.

“I loved it. They always had a horse saddled and ready for me to ride when I arrived.”

Her career in information technology also didn’t follow the normal pathway.

“I had secretarial training and in the early days of my career, I worked in a computer company that sold both hardware and software.

“One of the software engineers where I worked identified me as having an aptitude for software technology.

“My bosses gave me the opportunity to learn about our products. As I progressed, I was given the job of teaching our commercial customers and our customers in all levels of government, how to use our software and implement it.

“It was my job to train them and get their systems operational.”

She advanced to management level and then became a specialist consultant.

Her work led to Ailsa being based at various times in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Queensland. Travelling overseas to support international clients also became a normal part of her working life.

“I was among the first females involved in IT,” she recalled.

“It was a wonderful opportunity to be involved in the industry in its early days and all the travel gave me a chance to learn where I wanted to live and where I didn’t want to live.”

Late in her career, when her work brought her to Brisbane, she purchased “a few acres at Hatton Vale and initially bred German Shepherds”.

“This was followed by the purchase of an 8ha [20 acre] property at Glamorgan Vale. At Glamorgan Vale she became known as “that sheila on the hill with those Alsatians”.

“I ran a few horses and cattle and when I travelled for work, local pensioners would earn some pay looking after the place and the animals for me.”

Ailsa first came across Belted Galloways when she was working in the ACT.

“When I was travelling in Australia, I didn’t want to stay in hotels for weeks or months on end so they’d rent an empty farmhouse for me.

“Galloways and Belted Galloways are more common down south as it’s cooler – you’d see both black and white and brown and white herds.

“I really liked them right from the start, they’re a quiet breed and smaller, which suited me as I’m short.”

AILSA’S decision to settle in Queensland and buy some farmland wasn’t made on a whim.

She ensured she was well equipped for living on the land.

“I did a lot of short courses and reading, particularly in the sphere of soil management and soil biodiversity. I learned about how to improve soil structure and how to naturally manage weeds.”

However, happenstance was the main factor in the timing of her move into breeding Galloways and Belted Galloways.

“A friend wanted to dispose of his herd. He had one bull and five cows and some of them were purebreds.”

It was around this time that she joined the Rosewood Lions Club and some months after joining, she met Bruce.

They became friends and years later, they became life partners.

When they purchased their Lower Mt Walker property, the Galloways and Belted Galloways came too.

THE poor quality of the soil on their new property came as a surprise.

But it gave Ailsa ample opportunity to use and adapt the knowledge gained through her studies.

“I found by improving the soil, the quality of grass coming through was much better. “In drought, the grass was sustained by the soil for much longer and it came back quicker.”

Much of her work on the property targeted ways to build soil carbon.

“Increasing the carbon in the soil, improved the soil,” she said. “I remember during the droughts people would ask me why our paddocks were still green long after properties around the district were bare.”

One of the methods she used to distribute Biodynamics’ soil activator around the property was by making a large ‘tea bag’ out of shade cloth, filling it with the activator and placing it under the stream of water that filled the water trough. The cattle would drink the water and through urine and manure, spread it across the property.

Her approach to ‘re-energising’ the soil of the property’s old race track was a challenge.

“The old race track was highly compacted so I hand applied the biodynamics. The improvement was gradual but it happened.”

AILSA described the 2019 drought as an “eye opener” to the real cost of carrying stock.

“We had to bring in the big round bales from out west to feed our herd of 20 cattle. “It was supposed to be grassy hay but it wasn’t good quality and we were paying in excess of $250 per bale. The cattle were getting through five to eight bales every week.”

It was the drought that brought them to an easy accord on how they would view their herd into the future.

It would be part of their lifestyle. Financial expectations would not be a major factor.

“We still sell a few now and then to keep the numbers down,” Ailsa said.

“My first priority is the quality of life of the livestock.”

Hers may not be normal practise but it is one that works well in the small herd situation.

“We don’t separate the calves until the mothers decide to wean them, we just top up the cow’s feed while the calf is suckling.

“It places less stress on the herd when both mother and calf are content.

“We treat the herd like a family unit and allow them to mill together.

“We’ve occasionally lost a cow during calving and we’ve found the other cows with calves will feed the orphan.”

The cattle are rotated through paddocks, letting each paddock recover before the cattle are turned out onto it again.

Some of the cows in the family unit are quite old.

“We don’t breed them after they reach 15 years,” Ailsa said.

“They are the watch cows, the teachers to the younger cattle.

“And they have a calming influence on the herd.”

Nor do they breed from the cows every year.

“We let them get their health back and make sure they are ready for a new calf.”

All these practices figure into raising the herd as a family unit to the satisfaction of the owners.

Ailsa sums it up: “The property and the health of the herd represents the best life balance for us.”