Story
Heritage and Hard Work
words Heidi HELBIG
PHOTOGRAPHY john krÜger
As the daughter of a farmer, Ashton Hurn is no stranger to rolling up her sleeves.
In fact “pitching in” comes as naturally to the local Member of Parliament as navigating the familiar back roads of Angaston, where she and older brother Shannon grew up on a mixed farm, running sheep and growing grapes and apricots.
If the nature of seasonal work was unrelenting, she had few complaints.
“On a farm everyone has a role to play and you all chip in,” says Ashton in her trademark matter-of-fact style. “Even though I was small, and so was Shannon, it genuinely was a team effort.
“Growing up, if we were sitting around inside, Dad soon found us something to do on the farm, which we really didn’t mind.
“Hard work is a critical element of success, and particularly on the farm you get out what you put in…I don’t think you ever lose those values.”
“Hard work is a critical element of success, and particularly on the farm you get out what you put in…I don’t think you ever lose those values.”
- Ashton Hurn
Now a rising force in state politics – most notably as Shadow Health Minister – the sixth-generation Barossan remains firmly grounded by her roots. Her country upbringing has come into even starker focus since she and husband Adam started their own family six months ago, bringing Rupert into the Hurn Howard fold.
“I try and get out to the farm as often as I can, even if it’s just to say g’day to Mum and Dad,” says Ashton. “We really want Rupert to enjoy the farm as much as he can, because I loved it and it’s a big part of our family and our history.”
The 33-year-old daughter of William and Sandi recalls having, “the best childhood”. Long summers in the apricot cutting shed at ‘Springhead’ and rubbing off watershoots in the vineyard held the tantalising promise of sport on the weekend; in fact Saturday remains “the best day of the week” for this family of proud sporting lineage, dating from Granddad Brian ‘Bunga’ Hurn’s days as a Sheffield Shield player.
Ashton has fond memories of training on the back roads of Flaxman’s Valley near the family farm, helping lamb tailing and picking grapes, and even hooking a shortcut through the vineyard to visit the Hill-Smiths next door.
Countless hours were dedicated to playing backyard cricket – Ashton always preferred to be the batter – and kicking the footy with Shannon before he was drafted to West Coast Eagles in 2005 at the age of 18, a team he’s remained loyal to ever since.
“We are really close– there’s three and a half years between us – I’m so proud of him,” says Ashton. “Since being drafted he hasn’t changed; he’s developed into a leader and a man, but he’s just the same person and has always stayed so true to himself, something I really admire. What you see is what you get.”
Ashton was a decorated netballer, joining Angaston as a seven-year-old and making her Senior 1 grand final debut at the age of 15. She played her first State League game in Year 12 and represented South Australia in teams from under 13s right through to under 21s, notching up countless kilometres in the family Holden Commodore to train in Adelaide, doing her homework by torchlight on the drive home.
In Year 12 the Nuriootpa High School student won a scholarship with the South Australian Institute of Sport, where she pitched her skills against much older, fiercely competitive women.
In the face of some crushing defeats, including one unforgettable loss to Contax by “around 50 goals”, what she learnt was character-building.
“You’re either doing it, or you’re not. You need to have that dedication, even when no-one is looking, and I needed to have that approach through sport, given I did lots of my training in the country,” says Ashton.
“That’s what we were taught – lots of it by example through Mum and Dad – and I’ve taken that approach to everything I do in life.”
As a professional netball career beckoned under the mentorship of former Thunderbirds legend Marg Angove and future Thunderbirds coach Tania Obst, it was ultimately politics that won Ashton over whilst studying social science at university.
“Sometimes you have those fork-in-the-road moments,” she says.
“I really always identified as a Liberal, believing that you should be rewarded for your efforts.
“Grandad, who was Mayor for such a long time and saw my developing interest in politics, introduced me to the late Professor Dean Jaensch. Dean connected me with his new local Member of Parliament, Steven Marshall, and I started working for him one day a week.”
What followed was experience across a breadth of MP and Ministerial offices, with Ashton eventually assuming the role of Director of Media and Communications for the Premier of South Australia throughout Covid-19 – a once-in-a-generation challenge which consumed the world.
It taught Ashton invaluable lessons that she continues to put into practice as the Member for Schubert.
“Steven was such a hard worker. He set really high expectations, in a positive way,” says Ashton.
“When I reflect on it, I have always drifted towards people who work hard, and I feel that ethic can lift others.
“I’ve always tried to be proactive. I don’t wait for problems to come to me; I put myself in the shoes of as many people as possible and try to get solutions for anyone who comes through my door.”
But if Ashton makes balancing her personal and professional workload look easy, she’s quick to set the record straight.
“It’s not seamless, I tell you,” she smiles. “I think no matter what job you do, whether you’re working in council or retail or real estate, a health worker or in shift work, raising a family is a juggle – I’m no different.”
As to the future, Ashton is happy to talk about the importance of “making the Barossa better for the next generation” and addressing what she describes as the pressing issues of health services, housing, transport and water security.
However, she’s quick to dismiss talk of what her political legacy might be.
“It’s not a job for life because there’s an election every four years. You’ve got to work hard for people and earn it and every day, show people your passion for community,” she says.
“I take the attitude that you’ve got to work really hard in the present, and the history book will take care of itself.”
