Why city CEOS crave life on the farm — and how they’re making it work
Instead of buying second homes on the coast, urban professionals are taking on the charms and challenges of hobby farms
4 min
From the Spring issue of Kanebridge Quarterly magazine, on sale now. Order your copy here.
During the week, CEO Nick Keenan is a corporate king, working long hours and juggling the parenting of their three children with his wife Jodie from their East Malvern home in Melbourne. But on the weekend, he swaps tailored suits for jeans and work boots and heads 3.5 hours to his farm in the Victorian Alps. A desire to replicate his childhood growing up on a cattle and wheat farm in central NSW and give his kids—Jackson, 16, Jodi, 14, and Jessie, 11—a taste of great outdoors fuelled the purchase of a block of land near the country alpine town of Myrtleford in 2016. Today, their “hobby farm” features three-bedroom completely off-grid homestead, horses and truffle-producing oak trees. The Keenans have done the bulk of the work themselves in their spare time and during the COVID-19 lockdowns, when their new project also became a sanctuary.
“I wear a suit during the week and I’m a farmer on the weekends,” the CEO of media agency Publicis Groupe says.
“When I need to clear my head, it’s my dirty Hilux ute I jump into, not my latest European cars— the BMWs and Mercedes Benzs— you should see the looks I get from some other CEOs.”
The rise of a new crop of farming families. People making the shift are growing in numbers, with hobby farming a plausible option for those weary of city life and an unexpected way for suburban families to find more time together away from the cities—if only on weekends.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows 66,000 hobby farms in Australia, with more and more city families swapping their nine-to-five for the outdoors, driven by a desire to escape the rat race and show their kids another side of life.
Those who can afford it are discovering that farming comes with its own pros and cons, but financial decisions are key. The living farm fantasy among the well-heeled often means small-scale producers must accept they may never be able to sell their wares at a profit. While a successful hobby farm can become a profitable sideline, it should not be the main source of family income.
“I just really wanted to show the kids a little bit of what dad grew up with,” says Keenan. “My family had 1000 breeders and 28 bulls, so I wanted to replicate that on a minor scale. And then I wanted to put in a windbreak, and I discovered French Holly Oaks that can be inoculated with truffles.”
“We developed this over a year; I had these romantic notions of wandering out from the kitchen and grabbing a truffle to use in cooking. Essentially, it wanted to escape from the city but we didn’t want it to be a money pit either. I think we have nailed the lifestyle balance.”
The Keenans now have 330 truffle trees which, after just three and a half years, are already producing truffle, which they plan to sell on a small scale in the future. Despite the early success of their truffle farm, the Keenans make enough from their media company and not from hobby farming itself to even cover the Airbnb to keep the lights on.
The Keenans have up around 20 percent of their land, the equivalent of about two football fields, given over to a patch of the grazing truffle inoculated oak trees. They’ve planted another 30 around the outside of the house as a windbreak. But the truffle farm is just a sideline for the Keenans who have no desire to become full-time farmers, only to make a bit of money on the side for their personal use.
Bee farming is now Australia’s most popular hobby farm, according to the Department of Agriculture and Forestry. More Australians are finding bees easier and more economical to keep in their backyards than poultry or other small-scale farm animals. In fact, around 80 percent of all beehives in Australia fall into the category of hobbyists, says Mike Allerton of Amateur Beekeepers Australia.
“All sorts of people are attracted to beekeeping—lawyers, academics, students, retirees, dentists—you name it,” says Allerton, who has 10 beehives on three acres in the Blue Mountains.
“There are a lot of backyard beekeepers; some people have just one hive to make enough honey for themselves and give away to family and friends, and some have up to 50.”
Allerton says different councils have different restrictions on beekeeping, particularly if you keep hives in urban or built-up areas, and bees are classified as livestock. And in his area there is a requirement that the relevant Department of Primary Industry is in your yard.
Additionally, beekeeping must abide by the National Bee Biosecurity Code of Practice which dictates things like you cannot feed honey to bees and calling the Department of American Foulbrood, a bacterial disease for bees found in Australia, that can destroy a hive.
Hobby farmers need a few hundred dollars to start with beehive boxes, a smoker, and hive tools, and more ongoing funds to maintain them.
With farming come a few hurdles and hobby farmers who are new to it, as well as keeping up the stringent biosecurity standards and welfare of animals—and of course, as in breaking even. And you do not need agricultural genes or herb school.
“Our farm has been a lot of work, but it’s probably the most rewarding experience we’ve had,” Keenan says. “There’s nothing we love more than seeing the kids outside, swimming, kayaking, and running around the backyard in the fresh air.
“In my opinion, country kids have the greatest gift of all—the great outdoors.”
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Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation CEO Kristina Keneally says Australia’s culture of large-scale philanthropy is becoming more sophisticated as Gold Dinner raises $75.5 million for children’s health, research and innovation.
3 min
Australia’s wealthiest donors are becoming more strategic, more ambitious and increasingly focused on creating measurable impact, according to Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation chief executive Kristina Keneally.
Speaking after the 2026 Gold Dinner, held last week in Sydney, Keneally said Australia was experiencing a significant shift in how major philanthropy is viewed, with large-scale giving increasingly part of conversations about leadership, legacy and social impact.
The annual Gold Dinner, now in its 29th year, brought together some of the country’s most influential business leaders, philanthropists and cultural figures, raising $75.5 million and counting in support of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
While the event has become one of Australia’s most prestigious fundraising gatherings, Keneally said its significance extends far beyond a single evening.
“Gold Dinner, the flagship event of Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, represents far more than a single evening. It is a powerful demonstration of what a committed community can achieve together over 12 months,” she said.
“The strength of that community, and the trust built over nearly three decades, means people return not just for the event, but for the impact they know it delivers.”
A NEW ERA OF PHILANTHROPY
Large-scale philanthropy has long been a feature of American society, where charitable foundations and major donors often play a prominent role in funding medical research, education and social programs.
Keneally believes Australia is moving in a similar direction.
“Australia is building a stronger culture of large-scale philanthropy, but it is still evolving compared to the United States, where giving at scale is more deeply embedded and widely recognised,” she said.
She said the country’s philanthropic landscape was becoming more sophisticated as successful business leaders increasingly sought opportunities to create meaningful change through their giving.
“In Australia, while generosity has always been strong, large-scale giving has historically been less visible, but that is changing rapidly as more leaders embrace philanthropy as a powerful way to drive meaningful outcomes.”
According to Keneally, events such as the Gold Dinner are helping reshape public perceptions of philanthropy by demonstrating the tangible outcomes that major donations can achieve.
“Gold Dinner is helping to reshape how philanthropy is perceived in Australia, making it more visible, more aspirational and more connected to real-world outcomes,” she said.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
The funds raised through Gold Dinner support clinical care, research and innovation across the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
Over the past 12 months, more than $75.5 million has been raised to help fund advanced medical equipment, innovative care models and world-leading medical research. Areas of focus include precision medicine and early diagnosis, where emerging technologies are already changing how childhood illnesses are detected and treated.
Keneally said the impact is felt directly by children and families facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
“For children and families, this translates into very real and immediate impact. It means faster diagnoses, earlier access to life-saving treatments, and care that is more personalised and effective,” she said.
“It also ensures hospitals are equipped not just to respond to illness, but to reimagine what care can look like, giving children the best possible chance not only to survive, but to live full, healthy lives.”
BUSINESS LEADERS BACKING CHANGE
One of the defining characteristics of Gold Dinner is the calibre of its supporters.
The event has evolved into a meeting point for influential leaders from business, culture and philanthropy, many of whom see charitable giving as an extension of their professional and personal legacy.
“It speaks to a community that is not only generous, but increasingly ambitious in how it gives, combining influence, expertise and purpose to achieve outcomes at scale,” Keneally said.
Among the major supporters of this year’s event were Presenting Partner, John-Paul Nassif Foundation; Major Partners, ABC Bullion, Shaw and Partners Financial Services and One Circular Quay by Lendlease; and Premier Partner, Range Rover, whose ongoing support reflects a shared philosophy of legacy and long-term impact.
The evening also featured performances, premium hospitality experiences and fundraising initiatives designed to encourage further support for children’s health services and research.
LOOKING BEYOND NEW HOSPITALS
With major new children’s hospital developments at Randwick and Westmead progressing, Keneally said the focus is increasingly turning towards what comes next.
“The long-term vision is to ensure every child has access to world-leading healthcare, care that continues to evolve through innovation, research and global collaboration,” she said.
The foundation’s future priorities include accelerating medical discovery, expanding access to cutting-edge treatments and helping position New South Wales as a global leader in children’s health.
Keneally said the Gold Dinner remains central to achieving those ambitions because it does more than raise money.
“Gold Dinner is critical to making that vision possible. It not only provides significant funding, but also unites a powerful network of supporters who are driving the future of philanthropy in Australia,” she said.
As Australia’s culture of philanthropy continues to mature, Keneally believes that the network will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of healthcare for generations to come.
“The result is a community that is helping to shape the future of paediatric care, not just for today’s patients, but for generations to come.”
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