In 1996, Carol Ridley persuaded her husband Matt to go to an alpaca field day near Windsor, NSW and, encouraged by genuinely helpful breeders from the Hawkesbury-Blue Mountains Region of the AAA, began their love affair with these wonderful animals.

It took almost three years before Carol and Matt put their toes into the water: three years spent investigating alpaca pedigrees and prices, as well as attending field days, breeders' properties, shows, auctions and workshops. Carol undertook a 12-month course in alpaca management conducted
by the Richmond TAFE and presented by Lyn Dickson of Warralinga Alpacas, who would in time become an invaluable adviser and close friend.

With the initial purchase of three pregnant females from Cedar House Alpacas, Blaydon Alpacas began. After more than 25 years breeding thoroughbred horses, Carol and Matt had an insight into the potential pitfalls of buying and breeding livestock, and were soon able to apply this experience to the alpaca industry.

They now have a herd of around 30 alpacas and aim to maintain their numbers at around this level for the foreseeable future.

They also made the decision to not buy an alpaca property. This made sense in a business context as financial outlays were reduced, especially at a time when they were gaining further experience and knowledge. The property will come, but only when it is economically viable (and when a major change in lifestyle is finally due).

So, for the present, Carol and Matt enjoy the best of both worlds – pursuing their careers while building up their herd. Their stock is agisted at a variety of studs - at one time seven separate studs were involved, stretching across NSW, Victoria and South Australia, but this has now been reduced to five NSW properties. While they are improving the gene pool of the herd, it suits to have access to a variety of stud males and a cross-section of alpaca management approaches.

Both Matt and Carol have a genuine commitment to the alpaca industry as well as to the alpaca itself. This is demonstrated by their ongoing involvement in AAA activities at Regional and National levels.
Carol has spent many years in the financial services industry and occupies a senior position with Comminsure, the insurance subsidiary of the Commonwealth Bank. Matt's background is in property and financial management and writing, including a stint as an editor for the Rural Press group.
Matt has published An Alpaca Alphabet, a book aimed at introducing newcomers to the alpaca industry, and is working on a history of the industry in Australia.