Surveying the hilly grass country surrounding his property, Robert Pryor can literally see his future.
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He bought the 100-hectare grazing property - located some 20 kilometres south of Gunnedah, on Wandobah Road - about a year ago, moving in with his then-longtime girlfriend, Sanne.
The couple got engaged in September last year. And last month they got married at their home. "Just a small one," Pryor said of the wedding. "Me and her and one friend each sort of thing."
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Having grown up on his family's Tambar Springs farm, Pryor was destined to purchase his own farm. "I couldn't live in town."
He acquired the land after selling a small property he inherited from his mother.
When he and Sanne moved in, the region was still being tormented by the worst drought in living memory.
"It was pretty bad when we bought it," Pryor said of the land's condition. "But I've got my own [rural fencing] business, so we weren't relying on the farm [for income], anyway."
"She's really green now," he added, "and we just bought a few cattle to put on it."
The 25-year-old runs RP Rural Fencing with his wife, and they have one employee.
Put to him that he has a good foothold from which to attack life, he replied: "I suppose you could say that."
The same could be said about Gunnedah FC in their bid for a finals berth, after they beat North Companions 3-1 last round and are now a point behind fourth-placed Moore Creek.
Pryor, a striker, scored twice - taking his season tally to four. He described his form this year as "pretty ordinary". "I've only started to get a bit better.
"But I've got a long way to go. My confidence has been pretty low so far this season."
Gunnedah FC, he said, could "match it with any team in the league right now".
They play South United at Johnson Field on Saturday, with four matches left before the finals.
Pryor has played soccer since age four, and has been in Gunnedah FC's first-grade side since the club's formation.
Gunnedah coach Andy Cygan said Pryor was "one of the best players we've had" - the possessor of a "massive heart" and a "goal-scorer's" mentality.
