Page 10 - Ourstories_Preview

10 | OUR STORY: MILLS AND HORNE

Mills and Horne family

LOCATION: Cleve and Cowell

FARMING SINCE: 1912
OPERATION: Cropping and Merino sheep

BY KATIE JACKSON These hard times, coupled with less-than-ideal A different path
droughts, meant many farmers in the region
ORE than a century of history is shared were unable to remain on the land, but a loan It was Alex’s love of horses that ultimately
on the Eyre Peninsula by the Horne and secured by his grandfather kept the property in birthed the family’s Poll Merino stud, after he had
MMills families and, with the fifth generation the family’s hands. spent time working to understand his horses’
making its way through the ranks, there are no Alex’s upbringing during this serious time genetics.
plans to slow down. meant he returned to work on the property in his Initially drawn to understanding horses' individual
Kick-starting what would be his family’s legacy, early teens and, with the exception of a stint on a colouring, Alex decided to turn his interest into a
Alexander Horne moved to the Cleve region from station at 18, he has been working the land ever business and completed a year-long course on
the Mid North in 1907 to sharefarm a property, since. sheep husbandry and genetics in 1969.
before he bought land at Morley in 1912. Some of his fondest memories on the property A year later, Morley stud was born.
The property then passed onto the next consist of his work with horses, says Alex, who “We’d been breeding our own rams for about
generation in his son Douglas, before grandson remembers his father ploughing fields with a 10 years and buying rams from Mount Miller for
Alex Horne took the reins, with him still working team of horses before tractors were readily about 40 years before we started the stud,” he
the same land today. available. said.
Leonie Mills, nee Horne, is the fourth generation Eventually, technology provided less labour “We wanted to go all Poll (Merino) and it
on the farm and runs the property with her father, intensive solutions for farming, and so horse wasn’t easy to get a good selection of Poll
Alex, husband Jon and son Justin. teams were made almost obsolete, but the rams then so we started breeding our own.
Although the Mills and Horne families both animals were still used by Alex for many years “(In) 1970 was the foundation of our stud but
settled as farmers in the area in the early 1900s, after for everyday farm work and just a bit of fun. we didn’t register until 1974.”
it was the love between Leonie and Jon that “My last horse went at the beginning of the An early adopter of many new ideas, Alex
brought the two families together and, in turn, the year,” he said. spent years writing individual measurements of
two farms. “At some stages we’d just have one, but other his sheep before the time of Australian Sheep
The couple went on to have children Brad, Kylie times we might’ve had 15 or so, especially when Breeding Values.
and Justin. the kids were right into pony club. “We measured micron right from the word
“Jon and I were married for 13 years before we “We once had a thoroughbred that won the go,” he said.
actually started working together,” Leonie said. sprint at the hunt club seven years in a row - you “That was back when people would get 125
“I was working with Dad on our farm and he had to hold on when you were on him because fibres under a microscope to measure and
was working with his brother, so the farms were he was pretty quick.” average out.
still separate for a while after we got together as Leonie and her siblings also hold fond “I had a big book and I kept every
well. memories of mustering on horseback on the measurement of every ewe that I could.
“Even though Jon and I didn’t have much to do property. “I’d get my measurements back and then
with each other until our late teens, funnily enough “I hated the motorbike when we first got it,” she average it all out for the sires.”
when the original house at Morley was built all said. Alex was also one of the first to sell his
those years ago, Jon’s parents were actually the “There was nothing better than getting out stud rams as hoggets, a practice that is now
first to go there and have dinner.” on the horses to do a bit of mustering or even commonplace within the industry.
Planning helps farm continue exploring with our cousins around the farms. The family sold their rams privately until
“We’d build cubbies and explore caves and 1999, when the stud’s first on-property sale
Born in 1938, Alex’s life began as the Great ride through the floods to ‘check fences’, it was was held.
Depression ended and World War II began. a pretty brilliant way to get around.” The property’s “new” horse stable is the site

Alexander Horne (centre) is pictured at the original Morley homestead in 1925. Alexander
Some of Alex Horne’s fondest memories growing up on the farm involved his horses. purchased the property and was the first of now five generations to live and work there.
Flicker the horse is pictured with Alex in 1956. Picture supplied Picture supplied