Southern New England Landcare welcomes our new Receptionist, Janet Hodge. Janet grew up in Cootamundra, NSW and has a rural background.

Her career has taken many turns from health and electoral office positions to a 10-year office position within the NSW Public Works Regional Office in Cootamundra until the Regional Office was relocated to Bathurst. After a stint at Harden Shire Council, Janet embarked on a 3-month adventure travelling on horseback from a Harden property in NSW to Licola in Victoria and then settling with job at a Horse-Riding Tour Business. For the next 12 months, she enjoyed the company of tourists and their horses taking them across the ranges of the Bennison Plains in the Victorian High Country.

Due to an injury, Janet moved to Sale also in Victoria, where she mended and then set off again to employment on Legune Cattle Station in the Northern Territory for the 9 month season enjoying the station life, work and barramundi fishing.

In the following year, Janet gained employment at Walla Downs Cattle Station above Port Kembla for a short mustering season of 5 months which then lead to employment at Landsdowne Cattle Station, in the Kimberley WA where she met her now partner of 23 years. They returned to his hometown of Girgarre, Vic and settling down to raise a family and run a small dairy farm for 20 years.

The decision came to finish up their dairy life and start afresh seeking a northern NSW property where they purchased a farm in 2021 on the Moredun Creek at New Valley northwest of Guyra and now run a small mob of Australian Whites and Wagyu Cattle.

SNEL is delighted that Janet has joined our office team.