Coonibar/Carrieton
Carrieton is where the Williams family first settled in 1904.
Thaddeus Williams brought his young bride, Alma, from the Barossa Valley to settle against the Horseshoe Range. Thaddeus (Todd) was quite an achiever for his time, a well known pastoralist who ventured to purchase land beyond the local district at Burra, Whyalla and Mount Bryan. From his family of 13 children many were to enter into various rural family partnerships in the following years.
Williams Cattle Company today is a family partnership derived from two of the younger members of the family of 13, Ron and Reg. The two brothers married twin sisters Gay and Mary Ryan. Unfortunately Ron died at an early age of 48 in 1967 and Reg faced with huge debt from the recent purchase of Nilpinna and many young sons and nephews with rural ambitions continued with a vision to accumulate more pastoral property in the Oodnadatta country. After Reg's death in 1986 the partnership of the time continued to grow and expand with cattle properties in the north of the state. In the year 2000 Ron and Gay's two oldest sons Larry and Vincent and Reg and Mary's sons Wayne, Trevor and Tony formed Williams Cattle Company and continued with the majority of the holdings established earlier by Ron and Reg and the former companies.
Coonibar at Carrieton is the hub and home base of the all the properties of Williams Cattle Company operating as a mixed farming enterprise of cropping, sheep and cattle. Grain is mainly used in the feedlot when seasonal conditions make it necessary. The feedlot in full operation manages 3000 cattle.
The family members currently involved in the day to day management of Williams Cattle Company are:
· Larry and Elizabeth (Coonibar/ Carrieton) with their son Cameron at Mount Sarah Station.
· Wayne and Janet (Coonibar/ Carrieton) with their son Tim at Hamilton Station.
· Vincent and Julie and their son Nick, all based at Coonibar/ Carrieton.
· Trevor and Helen at Nilpinna with sons Damian, also at Nilpinna Station, and Matthew at Anna Creek Station.
· Tony and Jackie at Mount Barry Station and Arckaringa Station.
