From growing up on a station in the Cape, carting drum fuel and cattle across the country, racing as an amateur jockey in bush races, and selling mobs at the Mareeba saleyards; Jacko Shephard has done it all.
The respected stock agent and former truckie has hung up his hat to slow down and return to his passions; working good horses, being out bush and an honest day's work.
The North Queensland Register spoke with Jacko to discuss his incredible and varied career and what he planned to do next.
"One thing I can say is that I have lived a full life," he said.
Jacko grew up on Lilyvale Station in Cape York, which shaped his value of hard work from an early age.
"It was unreal, we had so much freedom," he said.
"You gained the two most important things in life - your work ethics and your values."
Jacko went on to complete his primary schooling at Coen and Julatten before graduating high school at St Augustine's College in Cairns.
As is the tradition with many bush youngsters, ringing life drew him to work on properties across the north before accepting a job at King Ranch in Tully.
"I did a stint at King Ranch for something a bit easier for a while," he said.
"And that's where I met the love of my life Denise."
In 1977 Jacko began working with the Mareeba meatworks also known as the Mareeba Bacon Factory where he learnt the foundations of animal processing and all the cuts of meat.
However, the pair returned home to Lilyvale in 1978 to be with his mother Ruth and siblings after the passing of his father Fred Shephard.
"I moved back home to Lilyvale to help with the cattle work and we had a body truck there that we used to cart a bit of drum fuel to Musgrave Roadhouse," Jacko said.
"So, I started driving the body truck."
Alas; Lilyvale Trucking Company was born.
"We bought our first Volvo prime mover and semi trailer and created the business in 1979," he said.
"That same year in November Denise and I got married."
The pair would go on to operate the trucking business for the next two decades and also welcomed two children to their family; Tammy and Damien.
"When I first got a semi with a crate on it, people were getting me to bring cattle down and take drum fuel back and I was eventually bringing more cattle down than taking drum fuel back," Jacko said.
"I never set out to be a truck driver, but that's the way it went."
The business continued to grow as Jacko trucked cattle across the country and expanded his fleet of movers.
"I took cattle through to Darwin, to the live export depot in Karumba, out to Longreach and even down into the Brisbane valley," he said.
"I took cattle all over Queensland and into the Northern Territory.
"Dad always told us as kids, never let an opportunity slip you by because you might not know when that opportunity will come your way again."
In late March 1999 the family sold the trucking company to Bradley Hawkins of Hawkins Transport in Normanton and the next adventure ensued.
In April of that next month Jacko was approached to join Wesfarmers as a livestock buyer.
"I had no intentions of becoming an agent," he said.
"I didn't know what I wanted to do after the trucking business; we were planning on going back bush, but as it worked out we had already established ourselves as a family in Mareeba.
"I thought about it for a few days and went back and said, I'll give it a go on two conditions; I lie to nobody and I'll say it how it is."
Jacko's livestock career began and saw him gain a decade's worth of experience in the industry before becoming a foundation member of Queensland Rural Livestock and Property agency in 2009.
When quizzed about his career highlights Jacko said his clients were always front of mind.
"Every good result was a highlight for me," he said.
"I grew up on the land, I knew how to process beef because I worked at the meatworks, I carted people's cattle for years and I just knew how to talk to a cattle bloke.
"Getting a good result for the vendor was the most satisfying aspect all the way through."
After a 13 year run with Queensland Rural and the tragic passing of his much-loved wife Denise in July 2020 after a battle with cancer, Jacko officially called it a day last month.
As for what's next? Jacko said he was shifting into a new direction.
A great lover of horses, he competed as an amateur jockey in bush races across the state from 1975 to 1997 amongst his work before pivoting into campdrafting.
The Shephard family also bought a 180 acre cattle fattening block in East Palmerston in 2004 and run 120 head of bullocks.
Jacko said he would now have the opportunity to get back to his horses and maintenance jobs on his property.
"I like making smart horses and I haven't had the opportunity to do that while I was in trucks and working as an agent," he said.
"I intend to do more casual and contract work day mustering, but also spend more time campdrafting.
"I'd just like to do as much as I can before I get too old."
Zoe Thomas
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
Northern based journalist at North Queensland Register and Queensland Country Life.
