Wharncliffe is owned by Henk and Alison Brolsma. Henk is a surveyor, now the Mapping Officer of the Australian Antarctic Division, responsible for co-ordinating all projects that result in maps of the Australian Antarctic Territories and Heard Island. Henk is the vineyard worker, toenail trimmer and fence builder and holds the fort so that Alison can go alpaca-ing.
Alison was a physiotherapist and for many years a stay-home mum with 4 children and extended family to run around after. She also ran a small business from home for 14 years, managing an importing and wholesale distribution network across Australia and into SE Asia. Timing is all: just a month after moving from a beachside suburban block to Wharncliffe’s small acreage, Alison met alpacas at the Huon Show. The first breeding girls were purchased in February 1995.
These days, with just one school-age daughter at home, 2 Goldens and an ever-growing herd of alpacas, Alison is more often outside than inside and the fascination that started at the Huon Show in 1994 has never waned.
Alison is active in the Tasmanian region of the Australian Alpaca Association (AAA Ltd) and is utterly committed to the long term success of the alpaca fleece industry. Wharncliffe proudly supports the Australian Alpaca Fleece Ltd.