Inside Victoria’s mountain cattlemen revival under Cass McCormack

Merrijig’s Cass McCormack has transformed the Mountain Cattleman's Association from a fading institution into a thriving force by bridging old traditions with modern innovation.

Cass McCormack with her horse, Dollar, on her family farm at Merrijig.

Cass McCormack has refused to let almost two centuries of the Mountain Cattleman’s Association of Victoria fade into history during her presidency.

The 44-year-old has helped transform the organisation’s fortunes by bridging generational gaps and growing membership to levels not seen in years, all while championing the unique environmental stewardship that high country cattle grazing represents.

When Cass returned home to Merrijig from Queensland seven years ago, the MCAV was struggling with an ageing membership resistant to change.

“I realised they needed a bit of youth on the board – they weren’t into social media or zoom meetings,” Cass said.

Her father Bruce, a long-serving board member and former president, relied on her to manage emails because he “wasn’t good on computers”.

What began as helping her father evolved into a mission to modernise the association and attract a new generation of followers while preserving its 190-year heritage.

Her biggest challenge came with reviving the annual Get Together, the MCAV’s flagship event that celebrates the cattleman’s high country traditions with horse riding, whip cracking, live music and family-friendly entertainment.

After bushfires cancelled the 2020 event and Covid disrupted the following year, many wondered if the tradition would survive.

Cass McCormack on her family farm at Merrijig.

“I’ve been going to them for 40 years,” Cass said. “It was looking like we weren’t going to have them anymore.”

Working closely with her sister-in-law and MCAV secretary Rhyll, she co-ordinated the 2022 revival at Merrijig – the first successful Get Together in three years.

The event attracts families from across Victoria and southern NSW, educating urban audiences about the environmental benefits of high country grazing.

“Our biggest thing with grazing cattle is reducing fuel loads in the high country,” Cass said. “If we reduce the fuel loads, there’s less risk of wildfires.”

This message resonates beyond traditional farming communities.

At merchandise stalls from the Yarra Valley to Melbourne’s 4WD and camping show, Cass advocates for multiple bush users – from shooters to four-wheel drivers and those in the timber industry – united by their love of the land.

“A lot of people are still shocked to learn we still run cattle in the high country,” Cass said. “Our family is one that actually still runs cattle on state forest leases.”

Her drive stems from wanting her nine-year-old daughter Sienna to experience the same alpine grazing traditions.

“I want the MCAV, its events and traditions to still be here when she’s older,” Cass said.

“There’s nothing else like it anywhere in the world.”

The McCormack family runs cattle on their King Valley lease, maintaining practices unchanged for generations while embracing innovations – proving tradition and progress can coexist in capable hands.

Cass McCormack has been nominated for the 2025 Shine Awards. To nominate an outstanding rural woman you know, click here.