His national and international contributions to the field of animal genetics, but also Andrew’s personal impact has now been recognised – with the posthumous awarding of the prestigious 2025 Helen Newton Turner Medal.
Presented at the 26th conference of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics (AAABG) in New Zealand, the award recognises those who have “rendered distinguished service in animal genetics in Australia through research, implementation or innovation”.
“As a team, we at AGBU recognise Andrew’s enormous impact. And we are dedicated to continuing his legacy and philosophy through what we do and how we treat and help others,” said Dr Daniel Brown, Principal Scientist with the Australian Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), a joint venture between the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the University of New England.
At the time of his death, in a cycling accident last December, Andrew was AGBU’s Chief Scientist. A UNE graduate, he had dedicated himself to collaborative sheep breeding research for more than 30 years, playing an instrumental role in developments at the forefront of livestock genetics, including objective measurement technology to improve wool quality, the breeder-led system of sire evaluation trials and the ground-breaking MERINOSELECT and LAMBPLAN genetic evaluation systems. In recent years he and his team were also working to introduce breeding values for new traits, including carcase and eating quality and improved reproduction, in line with industry targets.
“Swanny was dedicated to delivering for industry and would go to all lengths to achieve this goal,” said Daniel, who nominated Andrew for the medal and gave an oration on behalf of his friend and former colleague. “He was deeply respected by industry, who often looked to Andrew for advice as we transitioned to genomic evaluation, which he always delivered in an effective and producer-friendly manner. Swanny was constantly developing tools to make his work more efficient and avidly shared them.
“Swanny was always very easy to work with – and known for his reply ‘For you, I have time’ – and had established a large network of collaborators around the world. He was a mentor to many staff and students and never hesitated to help others; he loved supporting those around him to succeed.”
Accepting the award on behalf of the industry Andrew so readily supported was Peta Bradley, Manager of Sheep Genetics with Meat and Livestock Australia. “Andrew combined scientific genius with industry knowledge, respect and humility – which is a rare, if not unique combination of traits. This has meant his impact on the red meat and wool industry was, and continues to be far-reaching,” Peta said.
Andrew’s wife Dr Kim Bunter, Principal Scientist at AGBU, was also honoured at the conference, when she was made a Fellow of the Association. Since 2022, as Deputy Director of AGBU, she has helped lead a team of close to 40 scientists, staff and students that develop and build the genetic infrastructure that underpins genetic improvement programs for sheep, beef, swine, goats, bees and plant industries across Australia. Kim also received her PhD from UNE and recently provided pivotal leadership for the development of a genetic evaluation system for Australian honeybees called “Plan Bee”.
In the pig industry, Kim has led projects relating to the development of mate selection strategies, immune responsiveness, piglet mortality, heat stress, improved sow welfare and longevity, reproductive performance and feed efficiency. Her knowledge in the genetics of reproduction has also been applied to beef cattle and sheep, heralding significant industry benefits.
