Meet Mike Cobb,
Mike was born and raised at Tamworth northern NSW. He finishing his senior schooling at Shore in Sydney and like a lot of young men in the early 1950’s he decided to persue a life in Agriculture.
He landed a job with Australia’s Oldest Pastoral Company the Australian Agricultural Company AACO. This would be a career that would last almost a quarter of a century and in keeping with the great Australian dream see him rise from a lowly 1st year Jackeroo to respected manager of the companies vast outback Queensland runs, to eventually owing his own cattle and sheep stations.
His first posting for the AACO was in 1954 as a 2nd year Jackeroo at ‘Warrah’ near Willow Tree in NSW. Two years later longing for the vast open spaces of the QLD outback he transfered to companies sprawling western QLD Mulga property ‘Budgerygar’.
Mike would spend the next 11 and a half years of his life on ‘Budgerygar’ rising from 3rd year Jackeroo to Oversee’er and eventually taking over as manager from his boss John Kelly. Mike said, “whilst it was remote, it was a great community, we were 170 miles (280kms) west of Blackall over a rough dirt track, but you never felt isolated.”
Mike would met his wife and lifetime partner Teresa during his time at ‘Budgerygar’. Mike said,”Teresa’s Dad Ray Paynter (one of the famous Paynter family from the Blackall & Charleville districts), while a lot older than me was a great friend. Teresa was away a University but we use to catch up when she would come home for holidays.” Mike and Teresa married in 1965.
In 1966 the company offered them the managers job at ‘Toolebuc’ which is 80 miles (130kms) south of McKinlay in Far central western QLD. Geoff Swanson came to ‘Budgerygar’ to take over the management and later went on with his brother Fred too buy it when AACO decided to sell.
“When we got to ‘Toolebuc’ the company had just bought ‘El Rita’ next door. We took over from manager and champion western QLD amateur jockey Darcy Dingle. Darcy was a great sheep man and legend has it he could draft a mob of sheep 4 ways and count the middle run.”
After 2 years at ‘Toolebuc’ AACO offered us the managers job at ‘Caldervale’ which is just East of Tambo. This was a welcomed move as is bought Teresa back “home” closer to her family. Mike & Teresa took over from Roy Perie and spent 8 years there.
Being a senior station manager for AACO for over a decade and saving every cent, the opportunity that every young man in rural industry dreams of came up in 1978 when Mike and Teresa were able to purchase and run their own station. That property was ‘Oakham’ which was about midway between Windorah and Jundah to the east and adjoining the famous ‘Retreat’ Station.
After 3 years of hard work they were made an offer by Hugh Mclaughlin for ‘Oakham’ to add onto ‘Retreat’. Mike and Teresa then purchased the 60,000 acre property ‘Pemberley’ which is 35 miles (56kms) south of Isisford with double frontage to the Barcoo River. They bought the property off Jack Bauer and his family.
After 13 and a half happy years at ‘Pemberly’ and in the mid 1990’s Mike & Teresa decided it was time for a complete change of lifestyle. They put the property on the market and soon sold it to Alan McPherson and his family.
They moved to the Sunshine Coast and first bought a house, then an orchid. Always a worker Mike could never sit about doing nothing. Nowdays Mike spends his days listing and selling farms around QLD for Raine and Horne Mary Valley.
Mike say’s, “Teresa and I know what it’s like to come in from the west. We know the pitfalls all western people face when making the move and believe with what we have done we can help others. I would be very happy to assist people in locating and purchasing the right property for them anywhere in South East QLD.”
Look for Mike’s specially selected South East QLD properties for sale in Agmates Trader Real Estate Section.
Have Your Say! To ask Mike a question on line or to leave your comment click on the blue word comment below. It will take you to a page were you just type in the box and hit submit.
Tags: People
