Ken was given a chance. Now he’s giving back

UNSW alumnus Ken Haylan is a man of the land: calm, steady and connected to the country he calls home. He moves with quiet patience, shaped by decades working on his farm in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. When it’s time to herd his cattle from one paddock to another, he doesn’t chase them.

“I’m not very gung-ho,” he says, smiling. “I just go down and tell them where they need to go, and they follow me through the gate.”

Now in his 80s, Ken follows the principles of regenerative agriculture: a thoughtful and sustainable approach to farming that restores degraded soil and brings overgrazed paddocks back to life.

This calm, measured approach has been a constant throughout Ken’s life, from his time at UNSW in the 1950s and ’60s to his global corporate career and eventual return to the land.

From Sydney to the world stage

Young Ken grew up on a small rural holding in outer Sydney. His parents were in no position to fund his aspiration to study commerce at university. A scholarship from CSR Limited made that dream possible, along with a nudge from his high school economics teacher. “He said a practical course would be much better for me,” Ken recalls.

Ken took the advice and enrolled in a commerce degree at UNSW in 1959. Life as a full-time worker and part-time student was tough. Three days each week, Ken took a 7am train to the city for work, followed by lectures at UNSW at night, often arriving home after 10.30pm.

Things got a little easier two years into his degree, when Ken’s strong academic results prompted CSR to support him full-time. He moved into Basser College, joined the House Committee, the Commerce Society and the debating team, and was elected to the Student Council.

“I really took to the university life, although not so much in the sporting area. I sort of failed under-21 rugby,” he says dryly.

After graduating, Ken joined an American consumer products firm and rose quickly through the ranks, becoming the company’s regional marketing director in Malaysia while still in his 20s. Later, he moved to London to work for a global investment firm before returning to Australia. He spent a decade building his own business: a successful network of commercial laundries. Then, almost 30 years ago, he began a new life as a cattle farmer.

Across industries and continents, Ken’s reputation for clarity, integrity and pragmatism has held steady.

A gift that reflects a life well lived

Ken has remained closely connected to UNSW, serving as President of the UNSW Alumni Association and playing a key role in the launch of the UNSW Foundation in the late 1980s, created to raise philanthropic support for students, research and teaching.

“I was attracted to the idea of providing support for students who might not otherwise get a tertiary education. There was a clear need.”

Around this time, Ken made a decision to leave a gift in his Will. His bequest is directed to scholarships that address financial disadvantage.

“Sometimes an opportunity is all it takes,” he says. “Having a scholarship made a difference for me. I’d like to think I can do the same for someone else, even in a small way.”

Ken doesn’t talk about legacy and has little interest in being remembered. But he speaks with a gentle stubbornness that hints at deep conviction.

Asked what he’d say to someone thinking of leaving a gift in their Will, he responds with a sparkle in his voice: “I’d say, ‘There is no direct benefit to you, except the satisfaction that, someday, somebody else will benefit from what you have chosen to do.’”

You, too, can create lasting opportunities for future generations by including UNSW in your Will. For more information, contact Janet Hall at giftsinwills@unsw.edu.au or +61 478 492 032.