Written by Julia Day
UNE alumni have a funny way of finding each other all around the world. One good example of this is Jane Campbell, who found her future husband, Ian, in London at an UNE alumni get together. Apparently, all UNE alumni residing in London at the time, had to converge at a London pub in Starsky and Hutch outfits. Jane and Ian met at this event. This is somewhat ironic as the couple were both living on campus at UNE at the same time several years beforehand. They even went to the same events and 21st birthday celebrations- but as fate would have it they both had to go to London to meet each other!!
Jane first attended UNE from 1989-1992 where she completed a BA. She lived at St Alberts College whereas Ian lived at Earle Page College whilst he was completing his rural science degree.
Jane winning an award- Dairy Industry Association of Australia
When the couple came back to Australia they decided to start a farming business together. The first few years of the business were a bit of struggle for the couple due to drought and other challenges. It soon became clear to Jane that to successfully run the business she needed to gain additional legal knowledge. She enrolled in a law degree where she furthered her knowledge of industrial relations, contract law, animal law and environmental law.
Whilst completing her law degree, Janes favourite subjects were Environmental Law with Associate Professor Cameron Law and Constitutional Law with Paul Sattler. Within these units Jane learnt a lot of content which was applicable to her business- one such example was water rights. This was relevant to Jane’s business as one of her properties runs along the NSW/Queensland border.
Jane also has fond memories of LAW 480 (Research, Writing and Advocacy) and Paul Akon in particular. Funnily enough her moot appearance required her to advocate for a sheep farmer against an animal liberation group. Serendipitously, a month after she made her submissions, Jane found she had a similar situation relating to her own farm.
Jane completing her moot
The couple now run the very successful organic business Barambah Organics. It is named after the Barambah Creek which is situated near their primary property. Jane notes Barambah Organics ‘is the product of everything Ian and I learnt at UNE. We have built up a successful business from nothing. Last year we sold $15.5 million dollars’ worth of dairy products. This equates to 6 million litres worth of milk.’
When Jane and Ian first took over the family farm they decided to convert it using organic principles. One of the main motivations for this was their first-hand experience of seeing how popular organic produce was in the UK. Furthermore, animal nutrition is one of Ian’s areas expertise, so he understood how an animal benefitted from being fed a balanced, wholesome and organic diet.
The couple worked around the clock to build their business. Jane remembers doing whatever it took to grow their business- for example she delivered milk and even cleaned the glass bottles. Ian and Jane’s overall aim was to use all their combined knowledge to produce the best and cleanest milk possible.
When I asked Jane what a typical day looked like for her she noted ‘I work with the 30 staff who are employed in the factory and oversee the running of the business. I also market the brand and tell the story to a wide audience.’ Jane also loves maintaining a close connection with the family farms as she finds ‘being connected to the land and soil is really good for both your mental and physical health.’
Jane’s family
In terms of what is ahead for Jane and her family, the future looks bright. The couple have just made some changes to their business. Last year the couple bought another property on the Bellinger River. This means they are generating a lot more milk which is being exported into Singapore and Malaysia. Woolworths also stock some of their products. Very recently the couple sold a large share of Barambah Organics to Tanarra Capital. When I heard this, I said to Jane ‘this is great news- hopefully you will get a bit of a break now.’ Clearly though the family had other plans as they have instead diversified by buying an olive grove and processing factory in Inglewood.
Thank you, Jane, for sharing your story- we are excited about following your new farming venture! I suspect your olives will be just as amazing as your dairy produce- if you need a professional taste tester- just let me know!!
