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Rockley Brahmans has always been a family affair. The quality of today’s herd reflects the lessons learned and experience gained over seventy years breeding by three generations of hardworking, committed and commercially astute cattle producers.
The Kirk family values include innovation, hard work, honesty and resilience. The business was formed by Arnie and then built on by Chris and Sally. Today Ashley and Kate are the sole owners of Rockley Brahmans.
Underpinning Rockley Brahmans stud enterprise is a solid commercial beef operation. Our dual focus means that Rockley’s stud offering remains as commercially focussed today as it was in the 1950s.
At Rockley Brahmans, we are proud to have a team of experienced and dedicated professionals who share our passion for the Brahman breed. Our team includes some of the most knowledgable and skilled breeders, graziers and animal care specialists in the industry, who work tirelessly to ensure that our animals receive the best possible care and attention.
We believe in prioritising our people. So we celebrate successes and ensure work life balance and flexibility. We are a happy, healthy and high-performing team and we have fun along the way as we deliver the best possible outcomes for our cattle and our clients.
Director
Rockley Brahmans
Memberships
Australian Brahman Breeders’ Association
Frontier Genetics Committee Member
Dawson Valley Drovers Rugby Club Lifetime Member
Fire Warden, Rural Fire Brigade
Our team is led by Ashley, who has over twenty years’ experience in the Brahman industry and is widely recognised as a leading expert in the field.
There are plenty of ways to describe Ashley Kirk: a third generation Red Brahman breeder, an advocate of IVF and ethical livestock practices or, quite simply, a hard-working cattleman. To demonstrate the real mettle of the man, you’ve got to rewind to 2012 when Bovine Johne’s Disease was detected at the family’s Rockley property. Ashley’s response was to reassess, relocate and rebuild in a way that’s positioned Rockley Brahmans at the peak of the cattle industry.
To develop the new-look stud at Ungarra, Ashley drew upon the family’s extensive experience – more than 70 years of breeding Red Brahmans – and set about improving upon the already impressive genetics they’d developed. Innately enquiring, collaborative and methodical in his approach to research and development, Ashley has embraced an IVF system designed to rapidly produce superior progeny with excellent genetics.
Committed to ongoing visual assessment, data collection and taking a hands-on approach, Ashley has developed seven elite breeding attributes against which all Rockley Brahmans’ bulls and females are assessed. Additionally, he has created a detailed elite weaner grading system that allows the best quality animals to be selected early. In effect, these practices help reassure clients that the red Brahmans purchased from Rockley Brahmans will be efficient, fertile, of sound temperament and easily integrated into existing herds.
Ashley’s mission is to deliver cattle that exceed client expectations and he wants stud and commercial customers to know exactly what they’re buying. To this end, he provides ongoing consultation, inviting input and welcoming feedback.
Ashley attributes his tireless work ethic to his mum and dad, Sally and Chris. His ingenuity and professionalism led to Ashley’s selection as one of only nine young Australians to participate in the 2015 Graeme Acton Beef Connections Mentor Program and in 2021 he was promoted to program mentor. He was also awarded an Australian Beef Industry Foundation (ABIF) 2013 Scholarship to take part in the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program.
Unassuming by nature, Ashley is more likely to roll up his sleeves and lend a hand than to stand back and issue instructions. It’s that ‘get in and get things done’ approach that’s central to how he and his family have built Rockley Brahmans into a leading business enterprise.
Personally…
Although he feels most at home at Ungarra, Ashley enjoys extensive travel. In recent years he has attended the Houston Cattle and Livestock Show and World Brahman Congresses in Panama and South Africa to gain international insights into breeding elite Red Brahmans. He plans future trips to Vietnam, Thailand, the US and Colombia.
Ashley has played rugby for more than a decade, representing Rockhampton, Central Queensland and Queensland Country. When he hung up his rugby boots in 2012, he took on a coaching role with his beloved Dawson Valley Drovers.
Director
Rockley Brahmans
Memberships
Volunteer, Rural Fire Brigade
Secretary, Rockhampton South Kindergarten
Kate grew up in Brisbane and, since meeting Ashley in 2012 at a Beef Week event, has fallen in love with the country life and living in Central Queensland. Kate is a qualified social worker and brought her natural caring nature and sense of compassion to working with children and young people for over a decade.
Kate and Ashley together raise their young family of three children, Arnie, Rose and Elsie. She also enjoys animals, cooking and gardening.
With a good head for numbers, Kate manages administrative tasks such as bookkeeping and budgeting for Rockley Brahmans. In addition, she assists Ashley with developing the business vision and strategic plan.
Manager
Rockley Brahmans
Memberships
Australian Brahmans Breeders Association
Stud manager for Rockley Brahmans, Esteban Cardona Gonzales runs the Rockley property Ungarra, which comprises a Brahman stud and a commercial operation including steers and heifers to be backgrounded or fattened.
Esteban grew up in Colombia where he was very involved from an early age with his family’s cattle business. Looking after sick cattle and observing visiting vets inspired him to study veterinary science and become a qualified vet. While studying he was offered the opportunity to run an IVF program where he was in charge of over 2,000 recipients. He learnt the key skills for the successful management of an IVF program with the goal of increasing pregnancy rates. He also learnt how to improve cattle’s environment and health, as well as the importance of supplements, biosecurity plans and genetics.
Esteban came to Australia in 2017 to improve his English and learn how cattle producers run their businesses here. He worked in the racing industry – notably at Arrowfield stud – for two years before meeting Ashley Kirk and being offered the chance to join his team and run the Rockley Brahmans IVF programs. After successful IVF programs and bull sales, he was promoted to the role of stud manager.
For his 30th birthday, Ashley gave Esteban the outstanding Elmo Picasso daughter Rockley Lasting Kiss (PS) to enable him to start his own Brahman stud, Red Diamond.
Esteban’s professional approach is organised and thorough. He is positive and good natured, and an effective communicator who is always ready to learn.
Three working dogs, Rocko, Chispa and Panda keep Esteban busy when he is not working with cattle.
We are happy and willing to tell you every little detail about the animals we breed. We pride ourselves on being open and honest.
We put the client first, we know what cattle we aim to breed but first and foremost we listen to what you want. We are here for you, to meet your needs and wants and to put you first.
We aim to be more business-like than any other cattle breeder. We pride on ourselves on being reliable, competent and respectful.
You can rely on us to be truthful, honest and kind. We follow through on what we say we will do.
Ungarra
This property is highly productive Callide Dawson country.
Location – 180 km south west of Rockhampton
Size – 3,137 hectares (7,750 acres)
Country – Brigalow scrub with Leacaena planted
Purpose – Stud breeding, fattening and bull depot.
Have some more questions or need to send us a message? Head over to our contact page to get in touch with Ashley.
Ashley Kirk
Esteban Cardona Gonzalez
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