Name: Bill Shrapnel
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I live with: Jane Shrapnel, as I have done for the last 39 years. We met after an anti-nuclear demonstration in Brisbane.
Where were you born?: Longreach, Queensland.
How long have you lived in Orange?: Almost three years.
Hobbies: My hobby has always been wine – learning about its endless variety and complexity, travelling to wine regions, meeting passionate wine people and sharing fine wine at the dinner table with family and friends. My hobby has now become my job.
What did you want to be when you were little? A scientist of some sort.
Where do you work now and how long have you been there? Together with my wife Jane, I now own and run Colmar Estate – a small vineyard in the highlands of Orange, making premium quality wines from hand-picked fruit. This was always our dream and now it is reality. We have been surprised by our success, having just collected our 17th trophy in three years.
Job title: Co-owner, Colmar Estate
Job description: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Marketing Manager, Cellar Door Manager, Principal Viticulturist, Head Winemaker, Gardener-in-Charge, Storeman Grade 2 and Delivery Boy.
What training have you done? My first degree was in chemistry, but that was a mistake – I needed a career interacting with people. Next it was in nutrition and dietetics which suited me much better. I completed a Masters in Health Planning, essentially health administration, which helped me understand why health services don’t work very well.
What other jobs have you had? A couple of Dietitian-in-Charge positions in the NSW Health system in the 1980s and National Nutrition Manager at the Heart Foundation in Canberra for four years. In the mid-90s I set up Shrapnel Nutrition Consulting which provided nutrition services. I enjoyed every minute of it and still have a toe in the water.
Why did you choose this job? It chose me, really. I became fascinated with wine in my early 20s, which was cemented when I cycled around the wine regions of France and Germany in 1977. I got the wine bug bad and you can’t get rid of it.
What’s the best thing about your job? Tasting a stunning wine with my wife, our viticulturist and our winemakers and saying ‘we did that’.
What’s the worst thing? Time pressure, but it’s self-imposed.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Collecting the trophy for best pinot noir at the National Wine Show in Canberra.
What advice would you give? Follow your dream. And give up golf.