The landscape is so green and lush. It never ceases to be a visual shock. A fast-growing tropical paradise with an abundance of sporting activities that bond players and athletes in a special way.”
Married to business partner Graham Fortune, plus daughter Meg born in 2007; the couple have embarked on a lucrative plant endeavour while Mieke continues a deep association with sport.
While studying for Bachelor of Arts at the University of Queensland the tall, striking athlete was introduced to the game of Rugby Union. “I was invited to have a run with the University of Queensland’s women’s rugby side. The team consisted of women from all different types of backgrounds; lawyers, entomologists, physios, mathematicians, doctors, students – the majority having been highly successful in other forms of sport as well. We became the pioneers of women’s rugby in Australia. The Uni women’s team won 6 out of 8 first grade premierships; it was the strongest club team in Australia.
With nine of her University mates Mieke was selected to form the Inaugural Qld Women’s Rugby Team in July 1996, to compete at the Australian National Championships in Sydney.
Over the next six years the Qld team became one of Qld’s most successful sporting teams. A record first year score of 262 for and 18 points against. In the second year the Qld team defeated the USA National women’s team 31 to 10 while the Australian women’s team lost 24 to 28. The win was significant because it was the first Australian team to defeat an International team in women’s rugby and ten of the Queenslander’s were selected to play for Australia. In 1998 Mieke represented Australia in the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Amsterdam, and in 2002 again represented Australia in the Women’s Rugby World Cup Barcelona.
“The women I have played rugby with have become some of my closest friends –and will be for life. When you play a physical sport that puts your whole body on the line a very strong camaraderie develops with your team mates. You hunger to play. Your thirst for excitement, and overcome your fears. When the team achieves synergy it’s not hard to see why it’s the game they play in heaven.”
Team spirit is all-important and Mieke is quick to expound her underlying philosophy. A mantra in fact. ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’. Whether it is in a sporting environment, plant nursery or any other business venture for that matter, a team needs a common goal; success is determined by the efforts of each team player. There will be leaders and followers but to create synergy each individual must believe, inspire and trust in each other. The teams that I have been involved in are like family to me.”
“The horticultural industry is not known for growers working together. These selfish old hat ways don’t benefit anyone or anything, particularly if the next generation is not interested. My view is that there is there is always enough room for all of us in this world to work together and share ideas and better ways of doing things”.
Being able to do what she wants, when she wants, with whomever and wherever she wants is important. Freedom is the key to happiness, and of coarse having some space to move.” My grandparents farmed 2,000 acres in Corowa, New South Wales. On school holidays I rode motorbikes, horses, tractors and utes, fed cow’s, took them to market, picked mushrooms – all the things city kids didn’t usually get to do.
Aside from the business trip to China in 2003, much-travelled Mieke has seen a fair slice of life. Memorable places like Yuendumu, a remote aboriginal community 300 kilometres North West of Alice Springs in 2002. Before that Spain and Amsterdam for the Women’s Rugby World Cups, New Zealand all the capital cities in Australia all in the name of Rugby. “The stay in Bali 1995 was purely a holiday”.
In 2003 Graham and Mieke employed a business coach to help make business more profitable. “It soon became clear that we both really just had a job and not a business.” Our coach presented us with this definition of a business. A Commercial, Profitable Enterprise - that works with-out ME. The important message we learnt was to work on our business not just in it. We are learning that “the best hamburger doesn’t necessarily sell the most’. But then Graham is such a perfectionist. We could never design or trade in second rate hamburgers. Quality counts. We aim to be successful business people who can apply what we learn in this business to every other venture we care to pursue in life. “If you can make in the nursery production game, then you can do anything” says Mieke.
Storey written by:
Max Fulcher
Vanity House Publishing
www.maxfulcher.com
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