From champion sheep judges, to rural achievers; the breadth of UNE talent that was on display at this year’s Sydney Royal Easter show is something to be celebrated.
With the prestigious event now wrapped up for the year, read about some of the achievements from the UNE community below.
Keiley Noble (Bachelor of Agriculture/Business) - RAS Rural Achiever
Narromine’s Keiley Noble was awarded the coveted RAS Rural Achiever award for her commitment to regional and rural Australia. After completing a Bachelor of Business/Agriculture while raising a family, Keiley now works as a Policy Officer at the Department of Regional NSW in Dubbo, and is trained as a marriage celebrant on the side.
"I am excited to show others that these programs are for everyone and encourage others to uptake opportunities like the one I was lucky to experience,” she told the Narromine News. “I want to use my position to help create opportunities for others and excite people about the agriculture industry.”
Keiley will now attend the National Rural Ambassador Competition in Melbourne in 2024. Read more about Keiley’s success here.
Bachelor of Business alum, Sophie Wood, and Bachelor of Agriculture graduate, Jed McEvoy, were also finalists in this competitive event. Read more about them here.
Florance McGufficke (Bachelor of Agriculture/Business) and Jessica Towns (Bachelor of Agriculture/Business): The Land Sydney Royal AgShows NSW Young Woman award (Winner and Runner Up)
Having both been actively involved in their local agricultural shows their whole lives, Florance and Jess were each recognised for their contributions to their communities, and their knowledge and insight into the issues facing rural and regional Australia.
Florance, who was born and raised in Cooma, NSW, took out the top spot, while Jess, who hails from Moree, was awarded Runner Up.
“I hope to forge new pathways for other young women and youth by using this as a platform to showcase where people come from and where they can go,” Florance told The Land.
Meanwhile, Jessica said she is excited to use her platform to promote the benefits of living and working in rural areas and is grateful for the connections made through the experience.
Read more here.
Grace Collins (studying Bachelor of Agriculture) – Norman Lethbridge Award
The Norman Lethbridge Award recognises students aged between 16 and 25 who are passionate about agriculture and are studying agriculture, livestock auctioneering or stock and station work. With dreams to become a high school agriculture teacher, Grace is certainly a worthy recipient.
“My passion for agriculture started at the age of 14 when I chose the ag elective subject offered at school. Since then, I completed the HSC course gaining a Band 6 in agriculture,” Grace told Angus Australia.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Norman Lethbridge Award committee for this incredible opportunity. I feel extremely privileged to have received this award.”
Read more here.
Lindsay Brown (studying Bachelor of Agriculture/Business) Sheep Young Judges Competition Winner and Miranda McGufficke (Bachelor of Agriculture/Business) –and Reserve Champion Young Fleece Judges competition
Having competed in the competition for the past few years, Lindsay was excited to take out the top gong in this year’s event. Now in his final year of studying at UNE, Lindsay told the Land he is looking forward to pursuing a career in the industry.
"I've always had a pretty keen interest in sheep," he said. "My Dad has instilled his passion for sheep in me and I've just followed on and been really interested in sheep for as long as I can remember. I'll look to stick with the sheep and wool industry in whatever capacity.
"I'm just happy to be in the industry, it's a great place to be."
Read more here.
UNE's rural research and innovation was also on full display during the Easter Show. See some of the highlights of our stall below:
