ABOUT TL RURAL

TL Rural Contracting is a family-run rural contracting business based in Freemantle NSW, led by Tom Cowling and Lisa Howarth. Built on generations of farming experience, TL Rural delivers practical, reliable support for rural properties and businesses.

Echo, Lisa’s family property, has been in her family since 1925. While times, tools and ways of working have changed, the connection to land, livestock and community has remained constant. That long-term perspective shapes how TL Rural operates today.

With backgrounds across sheep and cattle operations in New South Wales and Far North Queensland, Tom and Lisa understand the realities of rural work. They take pride in showing up, working hard and doing the job properly, every time.

the STORY of tl rural

TL Rural was built on a shared belief that rural work is more than just a job. It is a way of life.

Tom Cowling and Lisa Howarth met in early 2019 while Tom was living in Manildra. Both were already deeply connected to the land. At the time, Tom was working on a local farm, while Lisa was employed with the Rural Assistance Authority and also lending a hand at her family property, Echo, during the height of the drought. It quickly became clear they shared the same goal: to live, work and build a future grounded in a genuine rural lifestyle.

By the end of 2019, Tom had registered as a sole trader and began taking on additional work outside of his full-time role. Weekends were spent fencing, spraying, welding cattle yards, general labouring or working as a rouseabout, doing whatever was needed. What Tom enjoyed most was the variety and honesty of the work. One day might be spent high on a hill spraying weeds, the next welding in yards, and the next inside a shearing shed. That change of scenery and pace confirmed what he already knew. This was the work he wanted to do full time.

In 2021, after welcoming their first child Henry, Tom and Lisa made the decision to leave Manildra and move home to Echo, the family property at Freemantle. From there, Tom began contracting full time, balancing client work alongside the realities of working and living on a farm. By 2022, TL Rural was formally registered in the form it is today, reflecting a clear long-term vision for both Tom and Lisa to be actively involved in the business.

While Tom has been the face of the work on the ground, Lisa has played a key role supporting the business behind the scenes. With more than 15 years’ experience across both private and public sectors, including administration, finance and accounting roles within the agricultural industry, Lisa brings strong organisational and client-focused skills to TL Rural. During the drought, she travelled extensively throughout far west New South Wales, helping deliver assistance directly to farmers when it was needed most.

Agriculture is not just a career path for Lisa. It is part of who she is. Born and raised on a multi-generational sheep property, the agricultural sector has always been central to her life. From 2026, Lisa’s role will continue to grow, with a stronger focus on quoting, customer engagement and working directly alongside Tom in the business.

Tom’s background is equally grounded in rural Australia. Born in Parkes, he spent much of his childhood on surrounding properties before heading north in 2016 to work on Corellie Station near Normanton in Far North Queensland. There, he gained valuable experience on a large cattle station. On returning to New South Wales, Tom worked on a mixed sheep, cattle and cropping operation at Manildra, where he was involved in harvests, sowing and day-to-day farm operations.

Today, TL Rural stands for quality, reliability and genuine care for clients and community. Tom and Lisa are both active members of their local community, including involvement in the RFS and local pest groups. They understand rural work because they live it.

For TL Rural, it is not just about getting a job done. It is about doing it properly, building lasting relationships, and supporting the land and people that make rural communities what they are.

Meet the Team

Co-Owner

Tom cowling

Tom Cowling brings a lifetime of hands-on experience to TL Rural Contracting. Growing up in Parkes, Tom worked alongside his father in the building trade from a young age, gaining practical skills across tiling, waterproofing, general carpentry and on-site problem solving. While he does not hold formal trade qualifications, his knowledge has been built through years of real-world work across varied environments and conditions.

Tom later moved north to Normanton, where he worked on a large cattle station, gaining valuable experience in extensive cattle operations. On returning to New South Wales, he worked on a mixed sheep, cattle and cropping operation in Manildra before moving to Freemantle and began work for himself. In the early stages of contracting, Tom undertook a wide range of work including track maintenance, stair construction, and environmental rehabilitation projects such as cleaning out Blue Lake at Jenolan Caves while subcontracting to Soil Conservation Services. He has also completed ground maintenance work along the Bridle Track and roadside spraying through local weed control contracts.

Today, Tom is the primary operator on the ground at TL Rural, with experience across fencing, spraying, livestock work, pest management and drone operations. He holds his spray accreditation and EPA licence, and has completed both drone and mapping courses through Bralca. Each year, Tom also spends time working as a shedhand across local shearing sheds, staying closely connected to the livestock industry and the rhythms of rural work.

Co-Owner

Lisa howarth

Lisa Howarth brings strong organisational, financial and community-focused experience to TL Rural Contracting. She began her career as a business trainee, completing a Certificate III in Business before moving into an accounts clerk role at Clancy Motors, where she also completed a Certificate IV in Accounting. Determined to further her skills, Lisa returned to study as a mature-age student and graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Accounting from Charles Sturt University.

Following university, Lisa spent time working in public practice in Newcastle before returning home in 2018, choosing to build a career closer to family and community. Since then, she has worked continuously within the public service, including roles with the Rural Assistance Authority, a secondment as an accountant within Corporate Services, and most recently with the Valuer General from 2023. Her career has been shaped by a strong understanding of rural systems, financial administration and supporting landholders through complex processes.

Alongside her professional roles, Lisa has operated her own ABN providing bookkeeping services for a local building business and currently undertakes contract typing work. She is keen to continue expanding this support under the TL Rural brand where practical, with a particular focus on assisting farm owners, landholders and agricultural businesses. Lisa has also completed drone training and a farm mapping course through Bralca, supporting the technical services offered by TL Rural.

Lisa is deeply involved in her local community. She is Treasurer and Public Officer of the local Pest Group and Assistant Secretary of the Freemantle RFS, an organisation she has been part of since joining at just 16 years of age. A generational sheep farmer, Lisa’s connection to agriculture is lifelong, and her role within TL Rural continues to grow across quoting, client engagement and business operations.