Company

In a bit over a week, in May 2024, Sarah Wheeler and her horses - Shifty and Sally - will set out on The Outback Long Ride, a 5,500km journey through Outback NSW and QLD honouring the lives of her late parents and raising funds and awareness for upper GI cancers through the Pancare Foundation and for her own charity, A Daughter's Way which will support families and individuals suffering tragic loss and grief. Sarah is one of four girls in the Wheeler family who've suffered through incredible heartache and grief after losing both their parents. Their mother Terri died from biliary cancer and their father Gavin died in 2010 suddenly and unexpectedly from an enlarged heart. Sarah says feeling broken and lost in the wake of losing two parents in such a short time and so young that, she just knew she wanted to do 'something meaningful and something that would help her to find focus and healing' while helping and inspiring others to do the same. For her, The Outback Long Ride is the answer to that soul searching and will spread awareness far and wide for her future endeavours of her own charity 'A Daughter's Way'; where she aims to create all expenses paid weekend to 7 day retreats, group camps or group expeditions run by trained mental health professionals, and developed by clinical psychologists and so much more for rural and regional families experiencing grief and loss in Australia. Sarah's looking forward to hopefully meeting lots of people along the way over the next 9-12 months as well as documenting her travels through photography that she's aiming to turn into a coffee table book, an exhibition and maybe even a documentary. You can Donate to The Long Outback Ride's page at the Pancare Foundation here. You can follow The Outback Long Ride at @_beneaththebrim on Instagram Or here on Facebook The Outback Long Ride; YouTube To support low survival Upper GI Cancers go to pancare.org.au

I first met Cara Spreadborough when we started talking about a sponsorship for our newsletter Company on Sunday’s. (So full disclosure, Cara’s label Sorority Clothing has been paying for a sponsorship of our newsletter for the last six weeks. ) I knew not much about Cara’s high end fashion boutique Inky and Moss in Roma QLD and nothing about her second online label Sorority Clothing. So we got chatting and I learned that most of the shirts in Sorority Clothing are made from Liberty Prints - big tick, huge tick for me.  We started exchanging Liberty stories …… and then she told me the story of how the business came to be. She’s lost her identical twin sister years ago - and this was Cara’s Ode to her sister - and is a venture in which she feels a strong sense of spiritual guidance and good luck And then she started telling me about all the one-on-one attention and conversations she has with the people of Liberty in London.  This is what this podcast is all about. A new clothing label born in Roma Queensland with a direct line to the people in charge of Liberty in London and with shirts manufactured at Lake Como in Italy.  It happens, but not just in the cities. And we’re here to celebrate it. Thankyou to Rabobank Australia for its support of this series of Company. You can sign up to our free weekly newsletter here.

Jodie Goldsworthy is a co-founder and director of Beechworth Honey based in Beechworth, Vic. When Jodie and her husband Steven decided - out of the blue* - to take on a beekeeping venture of their own they had not a bee hive to thier name. It was starting from scratch. What they did have was four generations of heritage of family knowledge on how to manage bees and produce honey. Beechworth Honey is a first generation business with a fourth generation heritage.  30 years on their business is the second largest brand in the Australian Honey market - and the biggest family owned Honey company in Australia.  Their ascent to this lofty high is built on hard work and a determined integrity to treat all aspects and people within the business how they would like to be treated themselves. Simple mantra. Big results. *There was never any encouragement nor plan for Jodie to follow in her family's beekeeping footsteps. For all she knew she was set to be a teacher. Thank you to Rabobank Australia for its support of this Series of the Company podcast.

When you go to a stadium in Australia or even just a local footy match - singing, chanting and war cries are not uncommon. We’ve all been there - and experienced the power, that feeling, of people coming together and singing.  In Britain is also the case for live orchestra events. But in Australia, this is unheard of.  Enter Bourby Webster a pom from rural UK, who trained in classical live music at Oxford University and is now determined to change the zeitgeist around live orchestral performances in rural and regional Australia.  When Bourby moved to Perth - it was for love. There was no thought, nor ambition to change the culture of music in Australia.  But when her relationship failed…She looked around her and noticed a huge gaping hole in the culture of Australian orchestra.  Her idea was to try and recreate the British model of touring a symphony orchestra to regional communities and so she created the Perth Symphony Orchestra; music for everyone, anywhere.  People laughed. Asked if she was joking? ‘This is impossible, people won’t travel to come to an event like this’ They don’t need it, they don’t want it. There’s no doubt she’s been up against it. There’s a huge cultural ‘cringe’ to overcome. To add - Western Australia already had a symphony orchestra, WASO which is longstanding, respected and well known.  This is a Manson Podcast Network production in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

From Ayr to Mt Isa to Melbourne to New York; entreprenuer Kim McDonnell's social enterprise, Thankful is an example of how to successfully outgrow your boots, and roots, in regional Australia. Years ago Kim and her partner sold *everything* chasing a feeling of fulfilment in the creation of her social enterprise Thankful. When no-one in Australia would invest nor take her seriously, she uprooted her family - and a very comfortable life in Melbourne - and took them to a lesser life in New York. We talk about 'ambition' and 'innovation' on this podcast and Kim is a shining example of what can be achieved if you are courageous enough to go for it, and keep going and going and going. Cliched I know. But Kim's persistence has seen her glean support and recognition from the United Nations, members of the Rockerfeller family and the Ford Motor Group family. SafeFul App: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/saveful/id6460647948 Thankful Podcast Thankful4Soil Film Thankful4Farmers initiative

Sleep, Eat, Work, Rest, Play, Mess about, Sing, Read, Eat, Bath, Read, Sleep - Rinse and Repeat. This is the life of Channel 7’s Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew and also of you, and me and anyone with children.  When it comes to Edwina, sure there are a few extra’s thrown in there like a nanny and invitations to fancy shows and opening nights - but ultimately she’s a mother, who’s very successful in her high profile job, but who also spends hours scrolling interiors on Instagram and naps during the days. When I watch Edwina on Sunrise. I just wonder how she does it all? Like really, 3am alarms and two young children and a high profile and extra business ventures: it’s a lot. But I also really admire the path that she has carved for herself as a self proclaimed ‘devotee’ to country life.  And we need people like Edwina in our corner - someone who’s happy to champion our causes, projects, challenges, the special people. Today we talk about her TV presenter life, her daily routine and we get excited about her latest venture Saltash Farm at Carcoar near Orange in central west NSW. This podcast is produced by Manson Podcasting Network in partnership with Rabobank Australia.

Bec Bignell is a West Australian film maker on the road to big things, her biggest project to-date, her film HOMESPUN was picked up by streaming giant STAN last year after being acquired by ABC Commercial.  Bec’s main mission in her film making is to challenge stereotypes everywhere. She’s pushing boundaries in her narratives, her characters and in the way she produces film. In many ways this film is based on a lifetime of observation and for that Rural Australia is lucky to have her - because her perspective as someone who grew up in WA’s wheatbelt runs deep, drawing on her experiences and observations of childhood, community, stereotypes, expectations, hard times, good times - its endless.  HOMESPUN was was financed in large part by Bec personally. It was shot in just two-weeks with locals - who had no acting experience - featured as many of the main characters. I’ve watched it a few times now and there are so many relatable moments, that hit deep in parts and just make you laugh in others. It’s refreshing to see how humorous and engaging these kind of characters can be on screen - because really, we’ve never seen rural Australia depicted in this way before. You have to make time to see this film.  Here's the trailer - https://youtu.be/IGBMaGS3G_s And here's the film on Stan - https://www.stan.com.au/watch/homespun-2021 Thank you to Rabobank for sponsoring this season of Company. To fully immerse yourself in what we do, sign up to our free weekly newsletter at mansonpodcasting.com

Annabelle Hickson talks about the idea of feeling ideas running through her blood like some ind of addict. But when it comes to her print magazine and modern media business Galah  Press - she IS an addict, a women possessed, to flip the narrative on life in rural Australia. As an original outsider to rural Australia (she grew up in Sydney’s north shore) the mirror that she holds up to people and projects in the bush - is flattering -  and it reverberates light deep into the corners of our communities - into the lives of people that sometimes even we ignore - musicians, artists, creatives, artisans - painting a full, diverse and awesome picture of where we live;  Don't be deterred if you think you have heard Annabelle's story before, today we discuss the behind the scenes business mentality of her venture. How does Annabelle single-handedly manage and grow this business with no large scale advertisers, a 160,000 dollar printing bill three times a year and contract staff that need to be paid.  Galah Press consists of a thrice annually print magazine, two newsletters, multiple events, a new hard cover book - and more things to come, like a podcast and a writers course.   Explore it all at digital.galahpress.com Company is Manson Podcasting Network’s flagship show alongside, Daily Routines, Women Behind Wool and Garden.  We’re online at mansonpodcasting.com if you want to catch-up or share any of these shows.   To fully embed yourself in our community use the website to sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter - it lands on Sunday mornings - and I like to think of it the weekend magazine but in digital format, and curated especially for people like you and me!  substack.companyonsundays.com This Season of Company is sponsored by Rabobank. We've been talking about its Client Councils and Community Fund today - if you have a community initiative that will help your community thrive the Rabobank team would love to know about it. rabobank.com.au

Growing up as one of four children on a sheep farm in southern New South Wales, I think I always knew that it would not be me that was coming home to work as the 'farmer'. This was never implicity suggested, it was just a feeling. For females who've grown up on a farm, I'll bet many of you had the same feeling. Today's guest Jess Howard certainly did. She grew up on a farm in western Queensland and a career or life in agriculture didn't quite feel 'right' to her - but with such a strong attachment to the land and place where she grew up, this has always been an uncomfortable feeling. As she carved her path in jobs and vocations internationally, there was always a yearning to return home, to be able to 'contribute' to agriculture and her family's long held love of life on the land. Is this a feeling you've ever had? I most certainly had. Here are my musings on this - Just because you don't want to be a 'farmer' does not mean you don't want to be a part of the life on the land, to help build up the industry at large, the communities that live there and do something with your talents that honour your family's values and business direction. Up until now, it's been hard for families to recognise, support and celebrate the multitude of skills that could be put to good use in an agricultural operation. Don't get me wrong - this is definitely changing now, but it's a quandary that's been felt by women all over, and at a very deep level. If you're not a 'farmer' then your not really involved. I'm not sure if this is making sense, so I'll let you listen on this conversation with Jess Howard, editor of Bush Journal and one of the women of the Bush Collective - an instagram platform celebrating the beauty of bush life through incredible photography, seriously there's nothing second grade about this account. You can pre-order the Beauty in the Bush Collective's hard cover book - Bush Life here.

There's no deny-ing it today's guest is infatuated with routines, systems and being organised. Bridget Johns lives on a broad-acre cropping, sheep and goat farm on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia with her husband and two children She's a mother, organisational expert and a grants writer and founder of Be Simply Free. Bridget teaches women to go from being time poor to time rich by decluttering their homes, phones, calendars and minds. What I have found fascinating is that Bridget is also driven by data and as you will hear in this interview, many of the things she does in her life are formulated with reference to data - the time she get's up for example of 4.44am. But please don't let this turn you off. It's true, I don't think I have ever met anyone so organised but I am very glad Bridget Johns has come into my life and I most certainly am taking heed from her approach to managing her farm household. You can find Bridget and her courses at besimplyfree.com.au or @be.simplyfree on Instagram.

Today’s guest Sophie Weeding is rural girl born and bred making her make as a mark as super talent bed and breakfast creator in Tasmania. Born of late nights scrolling on Pinterest while breastfeeding her babies – Soph realised she could channel her skills in design and branding in a venture recreating old homes near her farm in Tasmania. To-date she has three super gorgeous accommodation options under her belt, The Bruny Boathouse, Raffah House and a new addition - a beach shack on the east coast of Tasmania Sophie is a full time mum, secretary of the local Agricultural Show and her love project is the renovation and management of these three Bed and Breakfasts. Sophie lives in Oatlands in Tasmania with her husband Nick and her two children Willie and Archie Soph actually great up in the lush landscape of Western Victoria, so I wondered how on earth she ended up in Tassie in the first place. Instagram @raffahhouse @brunyboathouse @mansonpodcasting Or sign up to our newsletter at companyonsundays.substack.com

Today we head to north, and then West, to the main street of Tambo in Queensland. To meet the current co-owner of Tambo Teddies – a beautiful bush business born of adversity – as in when the price for wool was taking a pounding in 1992, over 40 years ago now. “A brain storming session during a workshop developed the idea that Tambo could assist the wool industry, encourage tourists and create employment by making unique teddy bears from wool pelts and stuff them with wool.” 40 years later, Tambo Teddies remains. Its current owners are Tammy Johnson and Alison Shaw who I speak with today.

The first is The Suite Set, a business making and manufacturing hospital packing bags, and the second is Sally Branson Consulting, a crisis management advisory business. She is a mum to two young kiddos aged four and five. I feel a tad embarrassed to say I’ve never come across Sally before, but I should have as she’s a bit of a big deal, having previously been the State Director of the National Party, Senior Advisor to Federal Minster for Small Business and Press Sec to Prime Minister Tony Abbott.   You can find out about the minute of Sally’s day-to-day routine on our Daily Routines podcast too.   The best way for you to stay across the growing swag of podcasts coming from the Manson Podcasting Network is to sign up to our newsletter companyonsundays.substack.com Or via @mansonpodcasting on Instagram and mansonpodcasting.com. It’s a total bargain $49/year of $4.99 a month. Thanks for tuning in – I’ll be back next week when we speak with wonderful bush business Tambo Teddies.

Rosie is a photographer, videographer, and creative director based in Esperance on the south coast of Western Australia. Having spent her childhood in the bush and the beach, Rosie works as a freelancer specialising in these areas - shooting everything from farmers and machinery, to ocean-side fashion and lifestyle campaigns. With a background in journalism and a passion for creativity and storytelling, Rosie does everything from shooting photo and video, to styling, production and creative direction, and writing. Every day is different. When she isn’t shooting and creating, she’s often out exploring her backyard with her trusty side-kick Nelson (of the red Kelpie kind) by her side, ever in search of adventures and inspiration. Her passions are rural and regional Australia, storytelling, mental health, psychology, creativity, design, regional development, swimming, skating, adventuring and exploring. Thank you to Bec Bignell who suggested I interview Rosie for Company! You can hear the interview we did with Bec for Graziher's Life on the Land' here.

The older I get, the more I fall in love with England and its gardens and landscapes. And today’s guest speaks to that and another of my loves, magazines and publishing. Skye O’Neill is an Aussie now living in the UK. Last year she and a friend started Fieldfare Press a print journal about landscape, gardens and most of all place. I forever interested in how these project blossom from an idea to the real deal, and this publication in particular is interesting as it’s run across three continents. Australia, the UK and the USA.

My guest today really is living the life I would love to live as a rural content maker. Kimberley Furness is the editor and founder of Oak Magazine in Victoria and the A Friend of Mine Podcast. This year she was the Victorian winner of the Agrifutures Rural Women’s Award, which will see her creating an audio version of her popular magazine and I learnt she’s just bought a van that she’s fitting out so she can travel to rural areas and record more stories. To me THAT is the dream. I love magazines, like really I cannot get enough of them and its beyond exciting to see so many of them flourishing in regional Australia – Oak is no exception and it was a delight for me to steal and hour with Kimberley to record this conversation. Manson's Daily Routines podcast is weeks away from launching. If you want to know more, you can find the trailer episode at mansonposting.com or wherever you find your podcasts OR the easiest and funnest way is to subscribe to our newsletter which you can do via the shownotes, our website or via @mansonpodcasting on Instagram. Sign up to our newsletter here.

Today’s guest is Dimity Brassil from A Lasting Tale a professional interview service for people with a lifetime of stories to share. Family History especially in the spoken word has the ability to deeply touch those who consume it – can you imagine listening to your loved ones speak, years after they have left this earth? What a treasured gift, heirloom and a legacy that could be. Well, this is the work of Dimity Brassil and her business A Lasting Tale. Dimity spends her time interviewing and record personal oral histories of people all over Australia. She lives in Albury and most of her work is centered about this location, but not all of it and one day Dimity hopes A Lasting Tale will have people working and recording in communities all over Australia.

I think today guest has one of the coolest jobs. Melinda O’Donohue makes wedding dresses, not from a swanky studio in city but from her farm near Gurley in north west NSW. Isn’t that just so fabulous?! Melinda’s Instagram profile reads, 'Soon to be retired bespoke wedding dress maker doing up an 1860/1900 Australian homestead in North West NSW with her clever husband, Des.' I think she’s trying to retire, but the brides keep coming and coming and coming.

Today’s guest Louise FitzRoy is a good friend, and a total wonder woman – she lives her life between her family farm at Guyra in the NSW New England and the Cayman Islands. She’s successfully infiltrating schools all over Australia with her paddock to plate curriculum, she’s a published author, owns and runs an online yoga platform and to boot, she’s won a Walkley. Total overachiever – but sweet as pie at the same time and good fun too.

Bec Fing from House Paddock Consulting, is a master of routines. She is a professional get things done person, get systems in place, your shop in order, life organised – the whole bit. Bec lives on the outskirts of Goondowindi with her husband, and three children and has built her business from nothing to something that consults all over Australia, almost daily. To add she has a side business Bec Fing Designs. House Paddock Consulting started as a consultancy in the Work Health and Safety space and has evolved to become one, that’s focused on helping women, mostly in rural areas, better manage all the balls, and juggle all the things. I think you’re going to find this chat really helpful. You will actually learn some tips to help you manage your time better because Bec is so generous with what she does so get your pens ready. It’s like a mini house paddock consulting session.