Ann was a Pharmacist but she spent many years in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industry (in Sales and Marketing Management roles) and Peter, her husband, was in Sales Management. Here is their story.
Where were you living before your move to Mudgee?
Sydney
Why did you decide to move?
Both my husband and I were from the country; originally in Queensland. So the idea of leaving the city for a more peaceful life was always very appealing.
What were the reasons that your were attracted to Mudgee?
We had been visiting Mudgee for many years to taste the wine. We would book out a B&B two or three times a year with different groups of friends and have the most wonderful time no matter what time of year.
What are some of the great things about living in Mudgee?
It is small and therefore you will always see someone you know when you go shopping but it’s big enough that you can get a decent cup of coffee. It’s also a very welcoming town so there is not that feeling that you need to have lived here for 30 years before you are accepted.
You also can make a difference in terms of whether you work or do things for charities such as St Vincents de Paul, the Hospital Auxiliary or Legacy. We have good service clubs such as Rotary and the Lions Club who are always on the look-out for new members.
And it’s a very attractive town.
And the challenges?
Whilst we have some very good doctors in town, in the main you do need to travel an hour or two to see a specialist.
Tells us about your winery.
Isn’t it every wine drinkers secret wish to have a vineyard and make your own wine? Well it certainly was ours! We bought the property in 1995 having driven passed it so many times over the years saying to each other how much we wanted to see inside the old house. We then organised the planting of the grapes and finally were able to move up permanently in 2002. We did up the old house and I can’t tell you just how lovely a place it is to live.
We have a cellar door which is open on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday and we love having visitors. It’s a rustic old shed which has great character and our dogs are very keen to greet people as they come down the driveway. We love our wines and my husband gets a great kick out of talking to people about our wines.
Do winery owners ever really retire?
I think the answer to that probably will be ‘no’. It is too nice living where we live and such a lot of fun talking and then hopefully selling our wine to visitors.
Take a look at Willow Lane Winery