HARD work has long been a foundation of cattle farmer Simon Murray’s life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He’s also the mayor of Armidale Regional Council – both jobs he describes as a labour of love.
Growing up on a cattle farm in far north Queensland, Mr Murray runs shorthorns at his property in Aberfoyle, called Bambi.
“There’s an old saying, you can take the boy from the bush but you can’t take the bush from the boy,” Mr Murray said.
“It’s that thing, if you’ve been raised with a farming background – some people love it and I do.
Waking up sometimes before the sun to mark calves, Mr Murray said his new job on Council has changed the way he works.
“It really depends whether you want to do it in a hurry or you want to do it steadily,” he said.
“I’m getting older so I’m looking at the steady approach.”
Time-consuming jobs like fencing and planting crops he now has to contract out.
But, he’s found some of the skills he learned on the farm come in handy on Council.
“You’ve got to work by yourself a lot so it teaches you a bit of self-resilience,” Mr Murray said.
“You’ve got to be multi-skilled, there’s a lot of odd jobs you have to learn to do.
With 220 odd beasts on his property, it’s not clear which herd is easier to steer – Council or the shorthorns.
But, he loves both jobs all the same.