Willera is a multi-generation family-owned mixed cropping and sheep enterprise which values sustainability, high quality production systems and people. The passion for the land is in our blood.
Robert Hooke, fourth generation -
“We love the land, caring for it and seeing how it responds. I have a deep commitment to the sheep and have enjoyed the road we’ve travelled to get to where we are. It gives us great joy to have the next generation now leading and running the business into the future.
For us, good health, mental and physical, happiness, hard work, and regular time off are the priority. The weather and global warming are our main challenges now. Merinos continue to reward us, and continue to be a steady, positive presence in the budget.”
1842 - Establishment
George Coutts - Founding Generation
Our Great Great Grandparents George and Mary married in 1834, before emigrating to Australia from Scotland with their 4 children. Bringing with them 5 cows they first settled in Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, before eventually moving to the Central Goldfields. Mary and George had a further 5 children in Australia, and when George passed in 1852 Mary was granted his Estate, their youngest child Robert being only 1 year old. Mary went on to purchase and run numerous properties with the help of her sons, including Coyurah Springs, Brenanah and Powlett Plains, all located in Central Victoria. Mary died in 1876, aged 64. After her death her sons carried on, but only one son, James, remained at Brenanah. The others settled on properties along the Loddon River.
1876 - 5 sons, 5 farms
George Coutts – 1st Generation
Our Great Grandfather George was the third child of George and Peggie, and in his late 20s married Anne Hamilton in 1866, living at Sailsbury West until he and his brothers purchased ‘Ellerslie’ in 1886. Together George and Anne had 8 children, 5 sons and 3 daughters. In 1888, after 36 years of working together, the Coutts brothers dissolved their partnership, George acquiring ‘Fernihurst’. George was 66 when he died in 1904, and over his lifetime acquired a property for each of his sons in the Fernihurst and Serpentine area. One of those properties was ‘Willera’, held by his youngest child Ernest, our grandfather.
1904 - Intensification
Ernest Coutts – 2nd Generation
Ernest ‘Ted’ Coutts was 21 years old when his father died, later marrying Jean Marion McFarlane Fyfe, and together having 6 daughters. This was a time of intensification, as graziers ringbarked trees and cleared the landscape, a grim time in Australia’s grazing history. Ernest and Jean’s second daughter, Norma, was born in 1919 and would go on to become engaged to John Hooke in 1950 at age 31. John and Norma had three children together, their oldest being our father Robert, born in 1952. By his late 40s, Ernest was making efforts to start the process of revegetating his land, receiving recognition for his tree planting work in 1930, while also starting to experiment with growing lucerne.
1968 - Rehabilitation
Norma (nee Coutts) Hooke– 3rd Generation
Ernest and Jean lived long lives, and on their passing in 1968 Willera was split into four parcels of land for their surviving daughters, the original Homestead left in the hands of our grandparents John and Norma. This was a time of prosperity for the Hooke family, water abundant with the release in the 1950s of irrigation water licences, and the opportunity to expand into cropping and leasing neighbouring country. John and Norma continuing Ernest’s legacy of rehabilitating the land. By the 1980s, John and Norma’s eldest son, and our father, Robert Hooke had returned home to work, followed by his younger brother Bill a few years later.
1980 - Growth
Robert Hooke – 4th Generation
Robert Hooke returned with Cathie to ‘Willera’ after they both completed their university studies, Cathie in nursing and Robert qualified with a Diploma in Agriculture. After a year working on a cattle property at Yea, then a year at “Old Cobram” Deniliquin, they returned to work with John. Together they have six children, as well as many experiences of drought and floods over the last 45 years. John and Norma gave Robert and his brother freedom to learn and backed them into expansion, with the permanent establishment of Willera Merino Stud in 1980. Allowing the boys to pursue their interest in breeding and genetics. Over this period the two brothers, who enjoyed their time jackarooing in the Riverina, expanded operations into NSW, the start of a now diverse operation. On the returning of their children back into the business the brothers decided it was time to separate.
2002 - Sustainability
Will Hooke & Karl Hooke - 5th Generation
2002 saw the return of Robert and Cathie’s fourth child, Will Hooke, graduated from Marcus Oldham College with a Diploma of Agriculture. In 2013, Will married Kia, settling in Serpentine and now have three children. In 2005 Will was followed by his older brother Karl (Bachelor of Business from Victoria University), his wife Kate and their three children. Together, with the support of their parents, Will and Karl have set about professionalising the Willera operation and have now expanded into various locations across VIC and NSW, using technology and innovation to enhance the genetics of their Merino’s and create greater on-farm efficiency. Supported also by their brother in-law Simon Coutts (Bachelor of Farm Management), who joined the team as an experienced stud manager and is married to their sister Arishika. Willera is in good hands now and into the future.
We believe it is our responsibility to respond to the realities of farming in a harsh Australian climate.
To mitigate risk, we focus on driving innovation across three key areas –
Climate Resilience
Profitability
High ethical standards
By focusing on these key areas, we have bred a single Merino sheep which is ethically raised, climate resilient and can take advantage of three diverse income streams – fine merino wool, prime lamb, and meat production.
Helping to secure our farming future across generations.
Our Philosophy
Our future
By focusing on innovation, we have bred a single Merino sheep which is ethically raised, climate resilient and can take advantage of three diverse income streams – fine merino wool, prime lamb, and meat production.
A Willera Merino is highly productive, has a low impact on the environment and consistently delivers high ASBV’s across all markets.
Our focus on breeding one high quality animal which can access multiple income streams has enabled us to be able to quickly respond to price pressures in the market, supporting business profitability. At Willera we also understand the value of working together with our partners and investing in data and technology to grow wool and meat products which meet the needs of both domestic and global markets.
With continued investment in continuous improvement, early adoption, and our people, we believe the future looks optimistic.
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