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Woolgrowers

Family ties

It’s an all-round team effort for the Truss family at ‘Wareo’


It's the type of romance you generally see on the silver screen. But when city girl Laura swapped the bright lights of Brisbane for the clean country air, she fell in love in more ways than one. 

 


First memories of farm life

“I was asleep when I first arrived, and when I woke up I thought I’d landed on the moon,” says Laura, remembering the initial moments of coming to the wide, open space of ‘Wareo’. “I wonder what dad thought driving me here and dropping me off.”

Fresh out of high school, the bright-eyed teen took a gap year and decided on 12 months of jillarooing. And she hasn't looked back ever since.

Falling in love with all aspects of farm life - riding (and falling off) motorbikes, sheering sheep and getting to know the property - Laura also fell in love with one of the farmers and now calls ‘Wareo’ home.

“I remember when I first met Donald at the gate,” she tells her mother-in-law Cathy.

Today, Laura and Donald, along with their two children Emily and Henry and Donald’s parents produce some of the world’s best Merino wool, working together as a team and not imagining life any other way.

“I’m lucky where I live,” says Cathy. “I’ve always had Merino sheep and I think it’s the sheep that’s why we’re still here after six generations. It’s a lifestyle you can't put a price on. Why would you live anywhere else!”

Lisa Griplas has more than ten years experience in the media and communications industry. A journalist by trade, she spent a number of years working at a daily newspaper before moving to The Woolmark Company to take up the role of Global Editor, a title she holds today.