WHEN one chapter closes another one begins.
It's an old quote, but one that rings true for Roger and Glenda McIntosh, Myanga Angus, Laggan, who have sold their 300 registered female herd as one lot, closing a chapter in their life that spanned nearly five decades.
Stephen and Sally Dunne, "Moondance", Tarlo, have purchased the stud and are keen to keep it intact and give the strong genetic herd the future it deserves.
"You can't replace or replicate the nearly 50 years of experience Roger has given the industry and this herd," Mr Dunne said.
"It has a reputation that stretches far beyond the Tablelands, so when I heard it was for sale I was keen to pursue it."
Mr Dunne said having Roger's continuing guidance was a big factor when it came to the final decision.
"We wouldn't be venturing into this if we didn't have the support of Roger and Glenda," Mr Dunne said.
"Sally and I want to keep building on the quality and provide guidance and tuition to the new manager, and Roger is able to do that."
Mr McIntosh agreed they wanted to continue in the same direction but strived to continue improving.
"While Stephen looks for a manager I will provide any consultancy and guidance he needs, but I intend to wind back a bit also as they get more direction," he said.
He and Glenda will be continuing along commercial lines, but both felt the time was right to change their direction in life.
"We have put a lot of time and dedication into making our herd the best but at this point in our lives we want to be able to spend more time with our family," Mr McIntosh said.
"We will still be running commercial cows, we are not retiring, not moving, it's just a different direction for us with a lot less work and worry at this stage of our lives."
The core business at Myanga has always been to produce cold country cattle that are real performers, and Mr Dunne intends to keep it that way.
He said one of the attractive factors was the opportunity to take the herd as a whole, as well as continuing with the same steady client base.
Landmark Livestock specialist, Andrew Wishart, who has been involved with Myanga for about 10 years, said those two factors were important to the progression of the herd.
"To maintain that client contact for current clients is unbelievably important," he said.
"The greatest thing is the herd hasn't been split up 100 different ways.
"The depth genetically of what has gone into this herd has taken so long to get where it is."
Across the years, Myanga has had consistent bull sale results with good averages and high clearance rates.
Return clients and repeat purchasers are a true indication of the confidence buyers have in the quality bulls Myanga produce.
As part of the sale, three stud sires will be going including a new purchase made by Roger and Glenda from Pine Creek Angus, Cowra, Pine Creek J069, for $20,000 two months ago.
The Dunnes purchased the 890 hectare property "Moondance", Tarlo, in 2009 with their main residence continuing to be in the northern suburbs of Sydney.
An astute businessman as CEO of AMP Capital for the past 11 years, Mr Dunne said for the past five years they had enjoyed the commercial running of the property and this was the next challenge.
"Sally and I are doing this both for a passion that has developed for us and also to continue to build on the returns from the property as well," he said.
He said in the short term there will be no change, but a simple continuation of the stud.
"As we continue to deepen our understanding and knowledge of the Myanga stud and the opportunities that are there, I think there will be the opportunity to expand and look at how we can take it to the next level," he said.
"But for the near term, it is business as usual."
The Myanga bull sale will be held next year at Cummins Road, Laggan on Friday August 28.
