Fifteen-year-old Alex Olive's family has been on the land in the Mt Gardiner district, near Marlborough, for close to 100 years.
Growing up on her family's property, Apis Creek, it's all hands on deck for both Alex and her older sister who help mum and dad, Lynette and Tim Olive, run their feedlot, Brahman stud and commercial breeding operation.
The boarding student at Brisbane's St Margaret's Anglican Girls School loves nothing more than to swap her school panama for an Akubra when she returns home to the property on school holidays.
"I've been working on the property almost since I could walk. When I return home each holiday, my favourite thing to do is muster and to help break in the stud cattle," Alex said.
The upcoming Beef Week is an important opportunity for the Olive family to showcase their stud and Alex will be involved in leading her family's stud cattle in various competitions.
At boarding school, Alex relishes in the sense of community in the boarding house and the friendships she has made.
"The staff are so approachable. Our head of boarding and house mothers are like our second mums and make this place our home away from home. There are lots of boarders who come from similar backgrounds to me too; a few even that I know from back home who I grew up with. I feel like we'll be close forever because we share a special bond."
The Year 10 student has ambitions to study at university when she leaves St Margaret's and envisages a career in agriculture.
"I'm not quite sure what I would like to do but it'll most likely be to do with agribusiness or something related to agriculture. The teachers are really supportive and invested in your education and I know they'll guide me to get to where I want to be."
While an education and opportunities in the city led her to St Margaret's, Alex is eager to get back to the land once she graduates to continue the generations of graziers on Apis Creek.
St Margaret's Anglican Girls School is an independent day and boarding school for girls from Pre-Prep to Year 12 and boys in Pre-Prep and Prep. In 2019 and 2020, the school won boarding school of the year.
- Visit the St Margaret's Anglican Girls School website or meet the head of boarding at Beef 2021