Three outstanding young representatives from the lamb, sheep and wool industry were announced as the winners of the LambEx 2018 Young Guns Competition, in Perth, Western Australia.
High School category winner Lindsay Brown, Yanco Agricultural High School, New South Wales; Undergraduate, postgraduate, masters and PhD category winner Jamie Nykiel, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA; and Career Professional winner Danila Marini, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, were named as the overall winners from a strong line-up of nine finalists in the LambEx 2018 Young Guns Competition.
The aim of the competition is to recognise and encourage young and upcoming industry professionals, producers and scientists to consider building a career in the Australian lamb industry.
The competition has helped support participants by providing training in relevant areas, developing their communication and networking skills, and giving them valuable industry contacts.
The nine competition finalists travelled to LambEx 2018 in Perth and held a four-minute presentation on an industry topic before answering four minutes of questions from judges.
Other finalists included Andrea McKenzie, Department of Agriculture & Fisheries, Charleville, Queensland; John Gardner, South Mokanger, Cavendish, Victoria; Zach Baker, Kojonup District High School, Kojonup, WA; Hannah Haupt, Calvary Christian College, Carbrook, Qld; Lockwood, Murdoch University, Baldivis, WA; and Georgia Reid, Ag Pro Management and University of New England, Mount Barker, WA.
The LambEx 2018 Young Guns Competition was held thanks to sponsors, the Australian White Suffolk Association (AWSA) and NAB Agribusiness.
AWSA representative Andrew Heinrich the finalists had been an outstanding group of industry representatives.
“This is the third time since the inaugural competition began at the Adelaide LambEx in 2014 that I’ve had the privilege to represent the AWSA in this competition,” Mr Heinrich said.
“As I said in Albury in 2016, this year the finalists have taken it to the next level, and the same is true here again in Perth.
“I’m really looking forward to following this group of people and seeing how they progress.
“They are a really outstanding group of industry representatives and the industry has a very bright future with the standard of these people in it.
“We’re very proud to be involved as sponsors of the competition for the past six years.”
NAB Agribusiness Manager for the Central Great Southern Region in WA, Finley Leach, said there were only three points between the first and third placegetters for some of the categories.
“I hope they all stay in touch, keep working at it, and drive for the changes they have proposed,” he said of the finalists.
“NAB Agribusiness are the largest agricultural bank in Australia, so becoming a sponsor of the LambEx 2018 Young Guns Competition has been a great fit.
“It is important that we do support the younger generation coming through in the agricultural industry, so we’re proud to have been a sponsor of the competition.”