Introducing On the Grapevine’s new columnist

Born in Queensland, Ellie moved to Cobram 11 years ago to be with her partner, Ian Fox, after the pair met at a cattle expo at Lardner Park near Warragul.

Before relocating, Ellie worked in what she describes as a “rewarding and very hands-on” HR career based in Melbourne.

“I particularly enjoyed working with small businesses that did not have the resources or capacity for their own HR support and guidance,” she said.

Moving to farm life brought a whole new experience, with Ian bringing home an orphan calf during the drought soon after Ellie arrived.

“She led me into the world of showing cattle at Melbourne and country shows for a couple of years,” she said.

“To my surprise at our first Melbourne Show we won.”

Ellie soon became heavily involved in managing a large herd of 700 stud Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle across properties in Cobram and Corowa.

“In more recent years, I have focused on records management and promoting our cattle through social media, as well as assisting with promotion for the Breed Society,” she said.

Not long after settling in Cobram, Ellie joined the Cobram Rotary Club, later serving as president in 2021 and again as co-president alongside James Cornish and Doug Wright.

“I loved the concept of volunteering and giving back to the community I had adopted,” she said.

“It has been rewarding, kept me very busy, and introduced me to many friendships I value greatly.”

Ellie said she was also “fortunate” to be invited to join the board of management at Cobram Regional Care.

“It gave me an insight into the extraordinary work done behind the scenes to provide the quality of life our loved ones deserve,” she said.

A love of the outdoors has long been part of Ellie’s life.

She previously owned a cattle property in Queensland, a family farm she later acquired and managed remotely from Melbourne for more than 20 years.

“I developed a passion for the land from a young age and spent most school holidays trailing behind my uncles around the family dairy and beef farm near Gympie,” she said.

“My uncle often took my brothers and me on long bush walks, which sparked a lifelong love of bush walking and involvement with local bush walking clubs.”

Along the way, Ellie also developed a love for the sea, taking part in extensive blue-water sailing and scuba diving adventures around the world.

“I've had some very interesting adventures diving all over the world and doing some great blue-water sailing as well,” she said.

“So coming up to Cobram and embracing the river has been a new experience, but a very enjoyable one.”

More recently, Ellie purchased an inflatable kayak and has been enjoying some “lovely kayaking” with one of the ladies from the Rotary club.

“I’m really looking forward to doing lots more kayaking next summer,” she said.

Ellie has one daughter and three “amazing” grandchildren, whom she regularly visits in Apollo Bay.

She said she was both “surprised and incredibly flattered” when Barb approached her about taking over the On the Grapevine column.

“She has left extremely big boots to fill,” she said.

“Barb has a wonderful ability to write stories that make people feel connected to where they live, and I hope I can do the same.

“Since agreeing to take on this role for a while, the more people I talk to, the more stories seem to appear.

“City life certainly comes with its rewards, but I have discovered that regional communities are full of people quietly doing extraordinary things, often without fuss or recognition.”

Ellie’s first On the Grapevine column will feature in the paper on June 3.