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.
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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 Willems, of Belgian origin, is an accomplished professional with a rich background in Sociology, Education and Horsemanship. With a fervent commitment to personal and professional growth, Maxime and her team bring a fresh perspective to Equine Assisted Therapy, Equine Assisted Learning & Equine Wellness Experiences that transcend traditional methods.
Trained through the esteemed Equine Psychotherapy Institute in Australia and certified in December 2021, Maxime has mastered the art of harnessing the innate wisdom of our equine partners to catalyse growth and development. Her training, steeped in both personal and professional knowledge, equips her with a unique ability to create powerful experiences that resonate on a profound level and empower individuals to thrive.
Maxime possesses a youthful energy and a seasoned wisdom that resonates with participants of all backgrounds. She combines her equestrian/dressage background, academic foundation, and therapeutic prowess to orchestrate experiences that go beyond the ordinary accomplishments.