Succession planning is one of the biggest challenges facing any farming family. Nikki Mahony (nee Joyce) and her three siblings grew up on Gyranda, a 9,500-hectare cattle property in central Queensland and a foundation stud for the Santa Gertrudis breed of cattle in Australia.
Nikki says it was a wonderful life working stock, learning about the environment and indigenous ways. But her parents Burnett and Louise, made it clear not all the children could come back to Gyranda. Instead, they encouraged the children to study and experience life away from the farm before deciding what they wanted to do with their lives.
Encouraged by Nikki and her husband Peter, the Joyce family started succession planning early.
It took 15 years of facilitated meetings, long discussions and plenty of tough conversations to develop a plan that all the family accepted.
Nikki recalls fondly one of her sisters thanking her for pushing the issue allowing their father’s last days to be a time to reflect and celebrate his life rather than worry about the future.
