For the past 12 years a photo of a young Karl Burton taken at Beef Week has been used to showcase the event.
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This week the photo was displayed in the Wingham Chronicle front window and who should pop past but 27-year-old Karl and his English girlfriend Gemma.
The photo was an introduction for Gemma into the old life of Karl which is vastly different to the one he leads now.
Both Karl and Gemma currently work on a 90 metre super yacht owned by an American billionaire.
Karl is the private chef to a crew of 28 and 12 guests and Gemma the stewardess.
The pair spend idyllic summers in the Mediterranean and winters in Miami, the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
“I absolutely love it,” said Karl.
But despite plans to continue the jet set lifestyle for another five years, Karl knows his long term future will be back on the farm.
His love the of the land began as a Wingham High School agriculture student showing cattle for the school farm.
Beef Week was an integral part of that education and was an experience Karl remembers fondly.
“It was super educational,” he said of the week long camping experience at Wingham Showgrounds.
“And a lot of fun.”
It wasn’t straight from high school to the high seas though, Karl showed cattle for local stud owners Kel and Lesley Bridges before a stint on the Gold Coast.
It was from here that Karl was inspired to follow in his brother’s footsteps and become a chef in Sydney.
Five to six years in city restaurants gave him the culinary skills he needed to chase his yachting dream.
From there it was easy and Karl secured a job on the Kismet before he even left Australia.
Back in Wingham to visit family and Karl has gone full circle.
Gemma looks at the photo in the Chronicle window and can’t believe Karl the chef was once Karl the cowboy.
And we can’t believe we’ve finally found our Beef Week boy.