John is the 3rd generation of McConnel family to own Mt Brisbane.  John has served on the Droughtmaster board as a Director and is a classifier for the breed.  He was instrumental in getting many feedlot and carcass competitions started in SE Qld as he has always believed this is the best way to receive feedback on your cattle & compare them.  John is a Life Member of Esk Show in recognition of his contribution to the show, and is also on the Esk Jockey Club Board.

Carli is originally from Western Qld where she grew up on “Beaconsfield” at Ilfracombe and worked on several well known properties in the west.   She is currently Vice President of the Droughtmaster Stud Breeders Society and has served as a National Director for the last 6 years.  Carli is also actively involved in the SEQ Beef Research Committee, Beef Talk, SE Qld Weed Management, the National Parthenium Weed Management Group, Ag Force and the local show societies.  She started and has written the Droughtmaster Newsletter since 1995.

Our daughter Susie works in Dalby as an Agribusiness Manager with Suncorp.  She is pictured with her husband Luke Sullivan who is an agronomist.  Susie is on the Senior Judging Panel of the Droughtmaster Breed and has judged the breed at Toowoomba Royal Show & in the same year judged the Piedmontese Breed at the Royal Queensland Show. Susie was named Queensland Simmental Young Ambassador in 1998 and undertook a Beef Study Tour of New Zealand. Susie runs her own stud herd within the Mt Brisbane herd and Susie & Luke are regular helpers on Mt Brisbane as time allows.  They break in a small team of stud weaners each year that are available for sale during QCL Beef Week.

Don is now the ‘mainstay’ of Mt Brisbane having returned home in 1998 after school.  Don manages the day to day work of the property and is a regular exhibitor of prime cattle at the local shows.  He is a classifier with the Droughtmaster Breed and is also on the senior judging panel.  He has judged many regional shows in SE Qld.  Don is now Chief Steward of the Prime Cattle section at the Esk Show where he has been a steward since 1995.  He is also involved in the Esk Jockey Club Committee as assistant starter and barrier assistant.

Ian is a sheep & wool extension officer with the DPI&F in Longreach. He is a keen rugby player playing in the Western Qld team. In 2006 he travelled around the world with his wife Sheena. While away he worked for a sheep ear tag company in Scotland and played rugby for the local club ‘Selkirk’. Ian has won many Young Judges Competitions including Runner Up State Champion Stud Young Judges and was the State Champion in the Prime Cattle Young Judges at the Ekka. Ian has won two other breed Young Ambassadors, winning the Santa Gertrudis Junior Show winning a purebred Santa heifer and also won the Murray Grey Scholarship studying at Colorado State University in America.

Bruce is our youngest son, and is pictured with his wife, Alison. Bruce completed a Bachelor of Agribusiness at UQ Gatton before joining NAB in 2002. He worked in a number of locations around QLD and NSW in various Agribusiness Banking roles. He has just returned to Gatton as an Agribusiness Manager, after 2 years in Melbourne as an Agribusiness Strategy Advisor. Bruce has been State Champion in the Prime Cattle Young Judges Competition. He was one of the Youngest Judges appointed to judge at the Royal Queensland Show and has also judged a number of rural shows throughout Southern QLD and Northern NSW. Bruce is a keen Rugby player, having played for Melbourne Rugby Club, and Western Bulldogs in Brisbane.