Success is having a go, having a vision and believing in it and not letting any negativity enter one’s head.

Maree Hornery is a rural woman with a passion for alpacas. Maree and husband Mark initially bought three animals as an investment. After only eight years their herd has increased to 70 and the small farm has now expanded into an educational/tourism enterprise. It all began one day in 2002 when Maree was driving along the Newell Highway. She noticed a property for sale about 10 km south of Parkes and knew this was the place to set up shop and expand their dream to promote alpacas, value-add and encourage others to become a part of this new and exciting industry. Six weeks later they’d sold their existing property and in March 2004 opened the Alpaca Country Shop and Café which is providing employment opportunities for many local people.

What gave you the motivation/inspiration to follow your dream?

With our home mortgage paid, we looked around for investment opportunities and saw the potential of these furry animals with their distinctive soft fur and long necks. Alpacas were brought from South America to Australia in the 1980s and are an emerging intensive agriculture industry with excellent forecasts for further growth. They have provided us with good economic returns and have a more ‘gentle’ effect on the environment as they consume many types of weeds, don’t destroy trees and their soft padded feet have minimal impact on the soil.

We also liked the idea that they were something a bit ‘different’ and thought it would be a good way of meeting new people.

We soon discovered the industry had good contacts with well-known retail outlets and department stores but there just weren’t enough fleeces, and more people needed to be involved. We’d sold alpaca wethers to sheep farmers because the wethers guard against foxes, but we couldn’t get farmers interested in breeding.

I thought the only way to get more people involved was to provide easily accessible hands-on experiences. In March 2004 we opened the Alpaca Country Shop and Café and the interest has been phenomenal.

Mark does the ‘animal talk’ down in the yard where people can touch the alpacas before coming to the shop and seeing the products. I weave and spin the wool and we have garments for sale; I also cook for the café. I’ve tried to create a real country atmosphere with lots of memorabilia and the home-style food.

At what point did you realise that your dream was actually possible and what was it that made you think you could really do it?

The day I was driving along the highway and saw this property for sale. It hit me like a bolt of lightning and I knew that this was where we had to be. At that stage we had three children away from home, one at university and two at boarding school, so we initially wondered whether we could afford to do it… but things just happened, the money came together and here we are.

I didn’t have a picture of what the place would look like but I had lots of ideas swimming in my head. I think this was mainly due to my lack of confidence as I still listened to the ‘knockers’.

Once I’d gotten rid of the doubts I was able to say ‘here we go’ and off we went! This is the first time I’ve really taken a lead and with my husband on board we make a good team. He worries about the purse strings and I grab the reins and am out in front.

When you were a child, what did you want to ‘be’ when you grew up?

I don’t recall having any definite choices. I was the last of six children and was 19 years younger than my eldest sister. Initially I went to teachers’ college and nursed for a few years before getting married and having children.

My husband worked for the RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority) so we had 15 moves in our 22 years of marriage. I’ve had lots of different jobs, always working in with the children. These experiences have probably given me a lot of skills in a broad range of areas so maybe I’ve been working towards this new venture all my life.

How did your childhood influence you in later life?

I grew up on a sheep and wool farm at Peak Hill. But when I left home I always lived in towns. Mum and Dad didn’t have an opportunity for education. Dad was a successful farmer and Mum was very clever with her hands and sewed for the town.

I was very unsettled throughout my life up until now. I always wanted to do something different. If everyone was doing something I’d want to do the opposite. Because alpacas are a bit different I guess this suited me.

Who are your role models?

In the course of all my jobs I’ve met many people and had some wonderful mentors. The right people always seem to come out of the woodwork when I need them. I have most admired women who have a vision, believe in themselves and are focused on their goals. I can now relate to them as that is what is happening to me.

What does success mean to you?

Success is having a go, having a vision and believing in it and not letting any negativity enter one’s head. It’s like blinking your eyes, you just do it. Plans have to be flexible as things do happen but you still have to keep a clear vision and just keep on blinking.

There is also the money factor. We’re not multimillionaires—it is more about having enough to do what you want to do.

What has been one of the biggest barriers you have had to face, what happened, and how did you overcome it?

People who don’t know about the alpaca industry have been the biggest barrier for me and there is a lot of negativity out there to anything new. Educating farmers about profitable alternative enterprises such as alpacas has been very difficult. We want to pass on our knowledge and promote the opportunities and strengths of alpacas and now we can.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? What is your vision for the future?

Ten years is a long time in business, but I’m striving to become a major alpaca sales centre. I want to keep employing local people in the café and the shop as well as behind the scenes, knitting and spinning. I believe we are industry pioneers in our region and see the potential of this industry as unlimited.

People in the industry are willing to share everything so it is not a ‘closed shop’. We all want more people to join the industry and there is an excellent industry website (www.alpaca.asn.au) where you can find out solutions to problems and share information.

What would you like to say to other women who may be just starting out on a ‘Daring to Dream’ journey?

Stay focused, keep positive and believe in yourself. The knockers will be there to try to create the doubt in your vision—don’t let those ideas or thoughts enter your head. Be prepared to be flexible in your ideas and keep the feel of what you have in your vision. If you keep this in mind the right people to assist you will appear out of nowhere and don’t be afraid to listen to their advice. You are the only one who gives you permission to doubt yourself and ultimately it is all up to you. There are benefits in owning your own business and it can be done. I have settled into the challenge that running my own business presents and have found that my confidence has grown enormously. I now fully believe that I can do all I want and know that any mountain is ‘climbable’ given hard work and determination.