THE TEAM
Meet Stevey!
Manager of Sugar Beach Ranch
Stevey takes the role of strong women in business to a whole new level. On top of being a full time mum, Stevey juggles her days maintaining the Ranch business as well as a full time role of managing director at her late father’s company, Murphy Petrol Group
Prior to moving to Ballina in 2020, Stevey ran a successful events company - Surfing Cowboys Special Events. A dedicated event planner with 20+ years experience creating corporate and special events. She is a detail-oriented professional with the key strengths of conceptualising, planning and executing the event according to the brief.
With a father like Chris Murphy OAM, she ate rock’n’roll for breakfast and lived a life of adventure and cowboy antics. Like her father too, she loved to entertain and has since kept that energy alive at the ranch, with great food, amazing music and seriously good times.
Stevey, like many others in the community saw first hand the colossal damage the 2021 floods had on the locals wellbeing and livelihoods. Still in the shadow of the global pandemic, in early 2022 and grieving the loss of her father she felt the need to open the white gates and share the beauty of Sugar Beach Ranch.
One day in Alstonville, Stevey noticed a flyer on a local shop with words that resonated, ’Equine Assisted Therapy’. Upon further reading, she took note of the number and gave it a call.
Meet Maxime!
Equine Physcotherapist
Maxime met with Stevey in March 2022.
Maxime is the founder of Maxime Willems – Therapy and Training, where she combines her love for horses with her passion for mental health and holistic wellbeing. She is a registered Counsellor and Equine Assisted Therapist, as well as a qualified Yoga Teacher specialising in Hatha Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Trauma-Informed Yoga, and Yoga for Depression and Anxiety.
Originally from Europe, Maxime grew up immersed in the world of Modern Dressage and holds a Master Degree in Sociology and Education.
Her work is deeply informed by her lifelong connection with horses and her passion for supporting others to find clarity and emotional balance.
Maxime is currently studying for a Master’s in Gestalt Psychotherapy and completing her training as a doula—a non-medical support person who provides physical, emotional, and informational support to women before, during, and after childbirth.
Maxime brings a grounded, compassionate presence to all she does, helping people reconnect with themselves, the world, and what truly matters.
