Episode 11

Meet the Mac Smiths: Six Generations on the Land

Purpose of Wealth Podcast

About the episode

In this episode, host Narelle Hooper grabs a beer with Bob and Nicola Mac Smith at their pub in Cargo, New South Wales for a lively chat about farming, family, and forward-thinking. As fifth-generation farmers, now with the sixth generation, Sam, Jock, and Tom, stepping up – they know firsthand the ups and downs of life on the land.

But instead of betting everything on farming’s unpredictable nature, they took a bold step into processing. More than 30 years ago, Bob and his brother Pete launched a small canola mill on their farm – a venture that has since grown into MSM Milling, a powerhouse in global agribusiness that’s on track to double its production.

It’s a story of smart diversification, family wisdom, making sure your chair isn’t too wobbly, and how an investment meant to pay for Sam, Jock, and Tom’s boarding school fees turned out to be more rewarding than they ever imagined.

Want to know more about the groundbreaking research Why the Modern Family Office Matters? Head to mutualtrust.com.au or email us at purposeofwealth@mutualtrust.com.au

Featuring

Narelle Hooper - Host

During more than 25 years as a business and finance journalist and editor Narelle has worked for Australia’s leading media groups including the ABC, Fairfax Media and SBS TV. She’s a former Editor of the Australian Financial Review’s BOSS Magazine and was founding co-chair of the Financial Review’s Women of Influence Awards.

Narelle is also a member of the board of the The Ethics Centre. She has held a number of non executive director roles over the past decade, including with the Tasmanian Development Board, the Documentary Australia Foundation and with women's entrepreneurship accelerator SBE Australia, which runs the Springboard Enterprises program.