Collinsville merino breeding empire sold to Adelaide businessman George Millington

GEORGE Millington has enjoyed the highs of business in Adelaide, but he is now throwing himself wholeheartedly into breeding merino sheep.

GEORGE Millington has enjoyed the highs of business in Adelaide, but he is now throwing himself wholeheartedly into breeding merino sheep.

In a large show of enthusiasm for the future of the Australian wool industry, Mr Millington, 39, is buying the famous Collinsville merino and poll merino studs.

He will run the two studs on Cappeedee station, near Hallett in the Mid North, which he bought in 2010.

The sale of Collinsville follows 19 years of ownership by Paddy and Helen Handbury, who bought the stud empire in 1995 after it went into receivership in 1991, helping to ensure its survival as one of the nation’s great suppliers of superior merino genetics.

Mr Millington is also buying the 56,093ha Collinsville station, 49km north east of Burra, but not the Booborowie properties where the Handbury family has been running the two sheep studs.

Following significant success in Adelaide business, Mr Millington is focusing on merino sheep breeding to achieve his next winning business venture.

He achieved his first significant business success with Monjava Coffee in Kent Town, roasting more than two tonnes of Arabica coffee beans a week.

He sold out to San Remo in 2007 and bought APD Parcel Delivery with a business partner, delivering the fast-growing range of goods ordered from interstate and overseas on the internet.

“Everyone is buying goods online and they want their parcels delivered, so we have 90 delivery drivers doing that,” Mr Millington said.

“Every day 10,000 parcels come through our network, which we handle with individual care.”

He is planning to use his business acumen to help cement the position of Collinsville as one of Australia’s most important merino sheep studs.

“It is a great opportunity to run the Collinsville sheep studs and to also operate Collinsville station,” Mr Millington said.

“It is fantastic the stud and station have been kept together and we will continue to breed large-framed medium micron merino sheep for which South Australia is renowned.

“We are moving to a solely livestock operation at Cappeedee and we are really looking forward to taking on the opportunity of running a sheep stud.”

Mr Millington said the purchase would be good for the industry and was a fantastic opportunity to build the business in the long-term and entice some cropping people back to wool.

“It is a very long-term plan for us and our whole focus will be the sheep and another property at Parawa, where we run cattle,” he said.

“The Collinsville merino is perfectly suited for people running mixed farming operations to provide both wool and meat and we are looking at going back to holding an annual on-property sale.

“I appreciate the support of Paddy Handbury in ensuring the future success of Collinsville through a good sale process.”

Mr Millington said the purchase involves about 7000 merino ewes, their lambs and Collinsville station.

He and wife Sophie and children Rupert, 5, and Alice, 3, live at Cappeedee, which was run as a merino sheep stud for 135 years until dispersed six years ago.

Mr Handbury said his purchase of Collinsville had proven to be a very successful decision.

“Collinsville is in far better shape, following various property additions and divestments, than when we acquired the studs and related properties and assets,” he said.

“I’m pretty proud of what we’ve been able to achieve at Collinsville by keeping it going and retaining its position in the Australian merino industry.”

Mr Handbury said he was selling it to someone who is very enthusiastic about taking it on and continuing what he believes is the leading merino stud in Australia as far as its genetics and impact is concerned.

“It’s an extraordinary stud, the genetics just keep on keeping on,” he said.

Mr Handbury said while he is selling the Collinsville studs and Collinsville station he is increasing his interests in the South Australian sheep industry by expanding into more northern pastoral country.

Collinsville sold the top-priced ram at the Royal Adelaide Show ram sale on Friday, securing $66,000 for a poll merino ram.

“The money in the sheep industry is as good as I’ve ever seen it and for that little bit of extra work in growing a wool clip you really see the benefits,” he said.

“We will keep running a feedlot at Booborowie which handles about 7000 sheep at a time, with a view to vertically integrating that operation and selling our own merino lamb brand.

“The Handbury Group will continue to run its other pastoral and breeding and farming operations in South Australia and Victoria.”

Mr Handbury said he is selling his interests in the Collinsville stud because of the absence of a natural and willing long-term successor within the family.

“While family members will remain involved in other aspects of Handbury Group’s agricultural activities, they have collectively decided to exit the stud sheep industry,” he said.

“Mr Millington is a committed pastoralist and has the enthusiasm to assume the day-to-day running of Collinsville and ensure its ongoing breeding and sale success long into the future.

“Importantly, he will be ably assisted by existing Collinsville staff, stud manager Tim Dalla and Collinsville station manager Tony Connell. Both are energetic and capable stud sheepmen.”

Mr Handbury said that for generations Collinsville has been responsible for up to one-third of the genetics embodied in the national sheep flock, and he sees no reason for this not to continue.

Collinsville general manager Peter Whittlesea will remain with the Handbury Group and work on its other agricultural activities.

The Handbury Group’s South Australian properties include Arcoona station, near Woomera, and its Wagyu cattle breeding property Swinging Shovel, near Lucindale in the Southeast.