From the Ground Up: The Growth of Vandeleur Simpson Pastoral and a Passion for Quality Brangus Cattle. When Ann Vandeleur and Chris Simpson first set foot on their property in the Great Dividing Range in 2009, there was no fanfare — just a deep commitment to the land, a vision of sustainable farming, and the start of what would become a learning experience for Chris who had no experience as a cattle producer let alone, a Brangus breeding operation! Ann’s family backgrounds steeped in land management and cattle station heritage, set about building Vandeleur Simpson Pastoral from scratch, guided by a long-term strategy to understand climate changes, drought, extreme rain events, and the effects on the changes to the natural environment.

Joining the Australian Brangus Association: Recognising the importance of formal affiliation, Ann and Chris joined the Australian Brangus Cattle Association, a move that opened the door to invaluable resources, education, and what seemed like endless research for Chris. Chris attended field days and immersed himself in the learning about the bloodlines that developing high-quality Brangus cattle; learning to read Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs), select for fertility and structure, and evaluate bull suitability based on herd goals.

Moving Forward: A major milestone came in February 2025, when Vandeleur Simpson Pastoral purchased a selection of registered cows and calves from Lucy Roache and the Dynamite Brangus Stud. Roache’s cattle were renowned for their consistent type, femininity in females, and structural soundness when in 2016 Roache was the winner of that year’s EKKA (Royal Queensland Show) winning Grand Champion Brangus Bull with her 23-month-old Dynamite Kryptonite K04. Chris was further inspired by Lucy, an owner / manager of a small stud herd of Brangus cattle which she started in 2011 with the purchase of two stud females out of the Roma Brangus stud sale.

VSP proudly have dams sired by the award-winning Dynamite Kryptonite K04 and bulls and heifer claves form the proven sire, Telpara Hills Element 468P42. The inclusion of Dynamite genetics significantly elevated the herd quality and marked a deliberate shift toward more performance-focused breeding. These acquisitions brought in lines proven in both commercial and show settings—cattle with excellent fertility, docility, and conformation.

Chris has valued the journey of learning. Firstly, the history of Brahman cattle in Queensland and northern Australia, including the work of his late father-in-law, Paul Vandeleur who introduced Brahman into the NT. Chris acknowledges that he is still learning the strategies for developing sound Brangus bloodlines.