Neil Varcoe was a tech executive in Sydney until he bought an old hotel in Carcoar, NSW, population 272. Here’s the ninth instalment of his monthly column for Galah.
On 1 January, I did two things. I picked an anchor word for the year and decided to learn about embryos.
I do this every year: I choose a word to guide me throughout the next 12 months, and a subject I know little about to expand my knowledge.
The ideas are rarely linked. Last year, I chose “fun” and “finance” — two words seldom seen out on the town together. I’ve changed tack this year, rewriting the words and the rules a month into the process. After a meeting with the health inspector at Blayney Shire Council, I have landed on two new words: “smooth” and “impermeable”.
Anna Diamond, the council’s senior environmental services officer, used the words as we negotiated coverings for floors, walls, and benchtops in a commercial kitchen we’ll open to community groups several days each week. This is our way of inviting the community into Saltash Farm, a promise we made at the start. There will be more.
“Smooth and impermeable” form my operating posture — a motto of sorts — as Saltash Farm moves from the planning phase to construction. I will interact smoothly with all stakeholders and keep the business silky. I will also be Telfon-coated. No criticism, bureaucracy, tradie, problem, or delay will get under my skin.
We will also launch a highland cattle stud at Warramba powered by embryo transfer — a subject I now know a lot more about. As well, the new year marks the start of a new role for me: Dad-in-Chief, Department of Dad. This role has been years in the making.
After 20 years working in the media and technology as a journalist, trainer and executive, I’ve decided to leave it.
I completed a 12-month contract with Google and Australian Associated Press in August. I developed a world-first curriculum and trained almost 1000 journalists in digital reporting, visual journalism and misinformation.
In the three following months, things started to sing at Warramba and Saltash Farm. The technical and complicated plan to expand our highland cattle stud came together. It will launch in June with calves and embryos for sale. Issues with Saltash evaporated with my attention on them and the kids got much more of me. It was proof that success grows where energy flows.
Now it’s time to build a business for my family — a life for them. It’s now time to dad.
Please see my job description below.
Position Description
The position comprises family business management, pastoral company leadership, and financial stewardship. This appointment uniquely combines professional life with family priorities while maintaining significant schedule conflicts. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in agricultural operations and strong financial management skills. They also have proven project management credentials, excellent communication skills, and the ability to balance competing priorities. A background in journalism and/or content creation and a strong Internet connection are preferred. It could also be you, Neil.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Management
- Manage and grow revenue.
- Identify and implement cost-saving opportunities across operations.
- Manage projects to ensure budget and timeline compliance.
- Monitor and optimise operational costs.
Pastoral Operations
- Oversee the farming, accommodation and locations enterprise.
- Launch a highland cattle stud on time and budget.
- Coordinate and conduct property maintenance.
- Manage contractors. This includes 30 minutes of chat before anything gets done.
Family Operations
- Comprehend and internalise family schedule and attend all events.
- Undertake property maintenance, often with two unhelpful tiny overseers.
- Manage technology. This includes fixing the wi-fi and sharing the password every few weeks.
- Ensure quality time for family engagement and child development.
Professional Development & Creative Projects
- Maintain journalism commitments, including the Galah newsletter.
- Pursue other creative projects that engage the heart and mind.
- Evaluate and selectively engage with new journalism opportunities.
- Attend courses and field days as required. Research machinery you cannot afford.
Preferred Qualifications and Experience
- Extensive experience in agricultural operations.
- Strong financial management and investment background.
- Proven project management capabilities.
- Background in journalism and content creation.
- Demonstrated ability to balance multiple priorities.
- Ability to fix broken toys.
Working Conditions
- Flexible schedule with a self-directed routine.
- Remote work with on-site presence as needed.
- Ability to adjust workload around family priorities.
Reporting Structure
- Self-directed workflow management.
- Autonomous decision-making within agreed parameters.
- Weekly catch-up meetings with family leadership (Edwina).
RAG Status Reporting is used in project management to update executives quickly using a traffic light system. “Red” means trouble, “Amber” signals bumps in the road, and “Green” means everything is fine.
Please see the January report below. Please cascade to your teams to leverage value-added experiences.
• Final design decisions are locked in with some value engineering to cut costs.
• The commercial kitchen layout has been finalised with Chef Alex and Blayney Council. We will open the kitchen to the community and other small businesses. Please contact us on hello@saltashfarm.com.au if you would like to learn more about this free resource.
• We created a partnership with Carcoar Public School. The kids will learn to grow organic vegetables and take cooking lessons at Saltash Farm.
• We met with artist Kate Pittas in Brisbane to finalise the mural details for the reception area. We're so excited about this element.
• Builder Aaron Howarth completed the interior strip-back to prepare for the construction phase. We will get started within weeks.
