A group of young industry leaders from properties across the Northern Territory have been chosen to participate in the 2024 Georgina Pastoral Future NTCA Program.
NT Cattlemen's Association's future leaders program was first established in 2014 to inspire, empower and support the next generation of leaders within the Northern Territory Pastoral Industry.
"This initiative plays a vital role in allowing the future of the NT Pastoral Industry to develop strong networks, build on their skills in the areas of leadership and communication and develop a broad understanding of agriculture in the Northern Territory," an NTCA spokesperson said.
Now approaching its eleventh year, the program provides participants with the opportunity to network with current industry leaders, stakeholders and representatives from Territory and Federal Governments, allowing participants to establish relationships that will positively influence individual career aspirations and guarantees the continuing growth and prosperity of the Pastoral Industry.
The new future leaders are
- Mitchell Tutill - Amungee Mungee Station - Bilba Group
- Courtney Martin - Lake Nash Station - Georgina Pastoral Company
- Jak Whalen - Riverin & Inverway Stations - Hughes Pastoral Company
- Samuel Foster - Dungowan Station - Consolidated Pastoral Company
- Toby Coulthard - Brunette Downs Station - Australian Agricultural Company
- Ben Smith - Murray Downs Station - Australian Green Properties
- Caitlin Bury - Bunda Station - Consolidated Pastoral Company
Toby Coulthard
Age: 25
Position: Head Stockman, Bullock Camp
Property: Brunette Downs (AACo)
Originally from Queensland, Toby started his pastoral career with AACo in 2017 as a Station Hand at Canobie Station in far north QLD.
After two years in the camp at Canobie, Toby was approached at the end of the 2018 season to return the following year as Leading Hand.
Toby's work ethic soon saw him promoted to Head Stockman at Canobie in 2020. In 2021 he continued to tick goals off the list, movie to Manbulloo Station near Katherine as Head Stockman and assisting with the destocking and demobilising off assets in preparation for the station's sale to AAM Investment Group. Between the destocking, and subsequent restocking of the station post sale,
Toby also found time to complete his fixed-wing RPL. In 2022, he decided to try his hand in a different side of the industry and moved to Roma to work as a Stock and Real Estate Agent for Ray White Rural. After a year of learning new skills in Roma, from drafting different lines, to auctioneering, Toby felt the Territory pulling him back.
In 2023 Toby returned to both AACo and the NT, as Head Stockman of the Bullock Camp at Brunette Downs. Toby is continuing in this role this year and said he was looking forward to furthering his development during this program as he looks to progress his career toward a Station Manager role in the future.
Jak Whalen
Age: 26
Position: Head Stockman
Property: Inverway and Riveren Stations (Hughes Pastoral)
Jak commenced his career in agriculture in his home state of NSW as a Station Hand with Irarra Pastoral Co in Fords Bridge in 2019, after completing his Cert III in Wall and Ceiling (Dry Plastering/Gyprock) apprenticeship.
Chasing adventure, 2020 saw him arrive in the Northern Territory at Inverway and Riveren as a Station Hand. Jack continued in this position for the 2021 season before being promoted to Head Stockman for the 2022 season.
2024 sees Jak in his third season as Head Stockman at Inverway and Riverin. He is fiercely passionate about maintaining the traditional culture of the NT Stockman and can be found around a fire tending the camp oven when he gets a spare minute. He is also passionate about the pastoral heritage of the NT and will talk anyone's ear off about the history of Inverway and Riverin.
He said he was looking forward to learning more about managing people, effective communication, and business management as he continues his pathway toward becoming a Station Manager.
Courtney Martin
Age: 26
Position: Head Stockman
Property: Inverway and Riveren Stations (Hughes Pastoral)
Courtney originates from the South Island of NZ and started her career in agriculture in mixed sheep and beef enterprises as many Kiwis do. After completing a season shearing in the southern states when Courtney first arrived in Australia, she went to on a harvest season in QLD before taking up a position with Georgina Pastoral at Lake Nash Station so she has definitely had a great overview of the broad ag industry we have here in Australia.
Soon after commencement at Lake Nash, Courtney was offered the role of Head Stockman and she is now in her third season in the position there. The Lake Nash aggregation encompasses over four million acres and includes the pastoral leases of Georgina Downs and Argadargada so Courtney's job is not a small one.
Courtney said she was looking forward to increasing her overall knowledge of the industry and supply chains in the NT, building strong networks within the industry and increasing her leadership and communication skills during the program this year.
Caitlin Bury
Age: 28
Position: Head Stockman
Property: Bunda Station (CPC)
A South Australian, Caitlin kicked off her career at Hamilton Station in South Australia ten years ago, working as a Station Hand for a couple of years before trying her hand at some mixed sheep and cattle work with Hardwicks during 2016.
The pull of the north was strong, and Caitlin spent the next five years between Newcastle Waters Station and Carlton Hill Station with CPC, starting as Station Hand and working her way up to a leading hand position.
She also spent her 2019-2020 wet season doing some pen riding at Jindalee. Last year saw another promotion for Caitlin when she moved to Bunda Station to take up the position of Head Stockman.
She is also currently working through her Cert IV in Agriculture through Charles Darwin University.
Caitlin has a list of areas she wants to improve in during the program this year, including conflict resolution, engaging her team during long hard days and exploring different career pathways in the NT Pastoral sector.
Mitchell Tutill
Age: 25
Position: Leading Hand
Property: Amungee Mungee Station (Bilba Group)
Hailing from Sydney, Mitchell's pathway to agriculture was a bit different to most of the 2024 program participants.
Mitchell started his career as an Electrician, completing his apprenticeship and continuing to work as a tradesman until early 2022 when he decided it was time for a sea change.
After seeing stories of other people who had headed north in search of an adventure, Mitchell contacted the only person he knew who had anything to do with agriculture and sought some advice about how to get into the industry.
Before long he had arrived at Amungee Mungee Station on the Carpentaria Highway. Proving his worth quickly, and just as quickly falling in love with the pastoral industry, Mitch is still at Amungee Mungee and is now the Leading Hand.
Passionate about the industry and new technology, Mitch said he was here for the long haul and his ultimate goal is to forge a strong career in the NT pastoral industry as a Station Manager, although the nutrition side of the Bilba Group's operation has also piqued his interest.
Samuel Foster
Age: 24
Position: Head Stockman
Property: Dungowan Station (CPC)
Originally from Queensland, Sam started his career in 2018 as a fencer and farm hand in Goondiwindi.
Catching the Ag bug through stories and experiences from his grandfather, Sam was soon headed north to Gregory Downs as a Bore Runner and then Station hand for Paraway Pastoral.
2021 saw Sam make a move to beautiful Central Australia to the Ambalindum Aggregation where he started as a Bore Man before moving to the stock camp in the 2022 season and finishing out the year as Leading Hand.
After a brief stint back in QLD in early 2023 at Brook Station, getting a taste of how cattle and carbon can work together, Sam returned to the territory to take a position as Head Stockman at Dungowan Station.
Conrtinuting in this position this year, Sam is looking to learn more about managing different personality and communication styles to assist him to continue to build a more cohesive team.
Sam's ultimate goal is to manage a station himself one day but sees his next few years as time to continue to learn from different people, broaden his knowledge of the industry and different models of both people and cattle management.
Ben Smith
Age: 25
Position: Head Stockman
Property: Murray Downs Station (Australian Green Properties)
A NSW native, Ben kicked off his career in property management and maintenance at Jerrymarra Estate where he was in charge of keeping the property in top shape.
In early 2019, Ben made his move to agriculture when he started as a Dairy Hand for Willow Bank Holstiens in NSW and learnt about the dairy industry, intensive operations and pasture management.
The move to the Northern Territory came in 2020 when Ben made the move to Murray Downs Station which is where he remains today, now proudly as Head Stockman.
Ben is enthusiastic about the pastoral industry in the NT and does his best to get involved with everything he can. When Ben isn't busy leading his team on the station he can be found lending a hand on local rodeo committees or attending NTCA Branch Meetings to stay informed.
He said he was looking forward to learning more about different supply chains that exist in the NT pastoral industry as well as exploring new technologies that are emerging and how they can assist producers to be more efficient in their operations.
