Westpac Bank seeks potential claimants to lodge interest in Ireland Angus cattle

Anyone with an outstanding claim on Ireland Angus cattle have until noon on Tuesday to lodge their interest with Westpac’s lawyers.

Anyone with a rights to Angus cattle held by Kyeamba’s Ireland family have until midday Tuesday to lodge their claim with Westpac Bank.

ANYONE who believes they own cattle held by Corey and Prue Ireland’s Angus empire have until noon Tuesday to lodge their claim with lawyers acting for Westpac Bank.

Westpac’s lawyer, Sydney legal firm K & L Gates, has written to a number of people and entities with a potential claim on more than 1000 cattle and any calves produced from the list of cows to come forward and assert their claimed rights.

Failure to lodge a claim may extinguish any future rights to the cattle or funds derived from the sale of the livestock, according to one legal source.

On December 24 last year, Westpac successfully petitioned the Supreme Court of NSW to appoint Morgan Kelly and Will Collwell, of KPMG, as receivers and managers of cattle, embryos and semen provided in a list tendered to the court.

The stock were owned by defendants IFTT Pty Ltd, as trustee of the Ireland Family Trust, Corey Dean Ireland and Prudence Jane Ireland.

On Monday this week, Justice John Sackar made orders in the NSW Supreme Court to vary the list to include other cattle and calves and require Westpac to provide copies to parties who might have a claim to the livestock.

These parties included Irelands Angus Breeding Pty Ltd, its part owners Hank and Helma Van Den Heuval, Mrs Ireland’s former business partner Kerry Podmore, Rabobank subsidiary De Lage Landen Pty Ltd and Four 0 Eight Angus Pty Ltd, the Angus stud established by late Australian test cricketer Phil Hughes.

Others included the Wagga Wagga businessman Richard Allsopp, stock agent Kevin Norris, Queensland stud Ascot Angus and Alexandra cattlemen Bill and Bub Kelly.

Former Ireland Family Trust trustee CD & PJ Ireland Pty Ltd, run by liquidators Andrew Bowcher and Tim Gumbleton, were also identified as having a potential claim.

Not on the list of potential claimants is the executor of the estate that owned the Quamby Angus herd, managed by the Irelands, plus Holstons Pastoral Company, owned by Melbourne businessman Peter August.

Mr August told The Weekly Times he had instructed his lawyers to express an interest in some cattle.

“We’re lodging a claim with Westpac,” he said.

The list of cattle includes about 140 Angus bulls, more than 700 females ranging in age from 12 months to 15 years old, and nearly 200 calves.

Some of the cattle are believed to be registered with Angus Australia, while others are not.

K & L Gates sent a letter to each party asking them to confirm whether they would lodge a claim on any of the cattle and, if so, to nominate which cattle and provide a basis to the claim.

A source told The Weekly Times, Westpac have been feeding some of the cattle on the Ivydell property owned by the Irelands at Kyeamba, south of Wagga Wagga in the NSW Riverina.

Another source said some of the bulls were 16-18 months old and needed to be sold this autumn before they lose value.

He said Westpac proposed selling the cattle and putting the sale proceeds into a trust fund until ownership was resolved.

Westpac have a further hearing in the Supreme Court before Justice Sackar listed for 3pm on Tuesday.

The bank has directions hearings listed in the Supreme Court on April 16, while Four 0 Eight Pty Ltd has a directions hearing on a separate matter against Mr and Mrs Ireland scheduled for April 17.

The Irelands have advertised their annual Irelands Angus bull sale at Ivydell for April 17.

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