MOCOSA June 08 - Marcus Oldham

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Marcus
Oldham Co
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Volume 15 • Is
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• June 2
96
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The Principal’s
Perspective
T
he 2008 academic year
commenced with students
relocating to Geelong from
all States and Territories.
How
daunting it is for the ‘Northerners’
to spend a year down in the cold
country!
It is pleasing to see another year of strong
enrolments in the farm management
program. Since the reaccreditation of
the degree in 2003, the College has
positioned itself as a leader in farm
management education and training in
the higher education sector.
The past few years have seen the
College invest significant resources into
the development and continual updating
of its course offerings. The Diploma of
Horse Business Management curriculum
was rewritten and accredited as a higher
education qualification in 2007, which
gave HBM students access to FEE-HELP.
This is good news for the College,
but more importantly for our students.
FEE-HELP is a government loan to feepaying students to help pay part or all
of their tuition fees and is available to
all students at Marcus Oldham. Students
repay their loan through the tax system
once their income is above the minimum
threshold for compulsory repayment.
For You to Enjoy
The Principal’s Perspective
2
President’s Report
3
The Geelong By-Pass
3
Hugh Barnet
4&5
Jim Burrell
6&7
Angus Lamont
7
Peter Griffiths
8
Bram Collins
9
David and Pam Oddie
10
Launch of The Centre
for the Study of Rural Australia 11
Campus Columns
12 - 14
Our Prac Year Employers
14
EI woke up Australia
15
Foundation News
16 & 17
MOC Foundation
18
Executive Profile
David Asimus
19
Robert Riordan
19
The Network
20 & 21
Editor’s Memo
22
Need to contact someone?
23
Cover::©joegough.BigstockPhoto.com
2
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During 2006/7, the College wrote and
developed a new agribusiness course.
I wish to acknowledge the work Mr
Des Umbers and Mr Andrew Baker
have given preparing for and delivering
the College’s new academic program,
the Associate Degree of Agribusiness.
This is an exciting new educational
development and it will be very
satisfying to see our first group of
students graduate from this course in
December.
In January this year, Mr Jason Wheaton
commenced lecturing at the College in
the area of plant production. Jason and
his young family moved to Geelong
from Kangaroo Island in South Australia
where he had been managing the family
property for the past 5 years. Jason holds a
Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture)
and has held several agronomic roles in
his previous employment. He worked
for a number of years for Rosetta
Rural Agencies in Victor Harbor as an
agronomist and for Fertico Fertilizers.
Jason also held management positions
with Livestock Nutrition Technologies as
New South Wales Territory Manager and
four years as Nufarm Territory Manager
at Esperance in Western Australia. I
wish Jason well in his new position and
look forward to his contribution at the
College.
The
Master
Plan
continues
to be implemented and a major
development this year is the extension
and refurbishment of the dining room
and foyer entrance.
The dining
room has proven to be adequate
for the past decades, but it is now
in need of expansion and upgrade
due to the growth of the College.
Architects have been working on the
design and layout with completion
scheduled for October this year.
The Foundation, led by Mr Antony
Baillieu (FM 71) has been working
hard to raise the necessary funds for
this significant project. I am confident
Marcus Oldham graduates appreciate
the importance of the dining room as
an integral component of the College.
Your financial support towards the
construction of this facility, whether
small or large, would be greatly
appreciated.
The plans for the new horse facilities
are in the development stage. Ms Leonie
Leathers, who works as a consulting
architect, and lectures part-time in the
horse program at Marcus Oldham, and
who designed Lee Freedman’s stables, is
developing these facilities.
An exciting new initiative at the College
is the recent launch of The Centre for the
Study of Rural Australia. The next decade
will see the productivity, profitability
and sustainability of Australian farms
under severe challenge. Changes in
climate, energy production and usage,
land and water availability, markets and
consumers, competitors, technologies,
and perhaps most importantly, changes in
the demography of farming communities
will, individually and collectively,
severely impact on our rural sector. It
is important that the farming sector,
which is experiencing constant change,
prepares for these events.
For these reasons, Marcus Oldham
has made a commitment to the rural
industry beyond delivery of its fulltime educational programs with the
development of this Centre. One of the
features of the Centre, given its national
focus, is to bring together leading
experts from around Australia and the
world to provide international ‘best
practice’ approaches to addressing these
challenges. Highlights of this program
will include an annual symposium,
including a public presentation, featuring
national and world experts and targeted
at key decision-makers in the public
and private sectors.
The symposium will also provide
excellent learning opportunities for
students, academics and farm managers,
and will provide a strong building block
for rural Australia research studies in
the future.
Another feature of The Centre for
the Study of Rural Australia will
be regular ‘think-tanks’ providing
opinions and advice on the policies,
strategies and practices necessary to
effectively address topics that are
crucial to the future of agriculture and
farm management in Australia. The
College will keep you informed of the
developments and program schedule
relating to this exciting new initiative.
Once again, I will be attending several
of the major field days throughout the
country. I look forward to catching up
with many graduates during my travels.
Remember, when you are next heading
through Geelong, you are always
welcome to call in at the College.
Dr Simon Livingstone
Principal
College at present. One such project is
the re-development of the dining room.
This is the major building project of the
year. The Marcus diner is the hub of the
College community and I am sure you
all have fond memories of many a fun
night in the old dining room - it may be
that of a formal student dinner, industry
function or a bleary eyed breakfast the
morning after a reunion get together!
So please join in supporting the hard
working College Foundation in raising
some much needed funds for this very
important project.
President’s
Report
I
t’s hard to believe we are half
way through 2008 and I can only
hope that wherever you are in
the country, you have received some
welcome rain these past few weeks.
The business of farming and the
challenges that come with it never
stop, but it’s always reassuring to
know that each year, an enthusiastic
and determined group of young
people walk through the doors of
Marcus Oldham focussed on gaining
the knowledge they need to prepare
themselves for taking on a career in
agriculture. As graduates, supporters
and friends of Marcus Oldham, we
must continue to encourage the
next generation to further their
knowledge and never give up at
seeking new and better methods of
farm business management to ensure
we continue to grow and market the
best food and fibre for Australia and
the world.
Good luck to the students of 2008, you
are already at the half way mark. As
everyone will tell you, the year goes
very fast, so make the most of the great
lecturing team, amazing study tours
and the unique experience only Marcus
Oldham can offer you.
This is yet another inspiring edition of
MOCOSA and I know you will look
forward to reading the many interesting
and varied articles. As many of you
might know, a number of exciting
projects are happening around the
James Bufton FM 94
MOCOSA President
[email protected]
“Staughton Vale”, Balliang VIC 3340
Mobile: 0418 524863 Tel: 03 5284 1344
The Geelong
By-Pass
S
naking across, from its start near
the Trotting Track at North Geelong
on the Melbourne Road, then
crossing over the Ballarat Road near the
former Morongo College (now Kardinia
International College), over the Hamilton
Highway, then coming through near
Fyansford, and passing west of Highton, is
the long-awaited Geelong By-Pass.
Looking from the College over to the hills
of Wandana Drive we see the new road
development slicing its path down the hill
to rise up the valley (out from the College
staff houses), and cut across the north end
of Marcus land near the water basin at the
corner. It then swings through the paddocks
across from the entrance to Marcus, to finish at
the Princes Highway at Waurn Ponds near the
Waurn Ponds pub. Funding has been allocated
for Stage 4, which eventually, will take it to
the Anglesea Road and alleviate the current
concerns regarding the traffic crowding on to
the Princes Highway at Waurn Ponds.
Stages 1 and 2 are expected to open in
November this year, and Stage 3 - Waurn
Ponds, later in 2009. When completed, it is
anticipated that the travelling time from Marcus
to Melbourne will have at least 20 minutes cut
off the journey (remember approx 27 sets of
traffic lights?) Currently it takes a bit more
than one hour, out of peak time, to travel to
Melbourne.
Wandana Drive Piling Works
Construction of foundations for reinforced earth walls for
Thornhill Road and Pigdons Road overpass
Earthworks for Princes Highway at Waurn Ponds
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3
Hugh Barnet Horse Management 1980, Farm Management 1982
From Marcus to Movies
I
have often been asked how
I got a job on the soon to
be released movie “Australia”
starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh
Jackman. My answer has not been,
‘because I attended Marcus Oldham’,
but after some consideration, it may
have something to do with being
exposed to some creative thinking
and being taught to be resourceful
and also being willing to pursue
opportunities when they present.
The opportunity arose as a result of
working in the film industry some 20
years before and having the relevant
experience in key areas and being
someone who loves a challenge. (Also
the need for off-farm income during the
drought is a good incentive).
My career after leaving Marcus has been
varied and certainly interesting with
plenty of travel and moving, which has
now slowed (or stopped, according to
my family!)
Initially, having studied both Horse
Management and Farm Management,
I was set for a career in the
Thoroughbred industry, but after a
stint at Lindsay Park, SA I decided
to head to Queensland and break
in horses. In 1984 a strong interest
in training horses lead to a job
with well-known film trainers Heath
and Evanne Harris, working with
trick and harness horses and various
other animals. One trip to Sydney
involved transporting three horses,
a mule, two camels, an emu and a
kangaroo and several red cattle dogs.
The Waybill read like an inventory
for Noah’s Ark! Later that year the
opportunity to break in and train
22 camels for the film “Burke &
Wills” presented, and so after nine
months of pre-production training
and filming I had completed my
apprenticeship as ‘Head Cameleer’.
Sometimes my father wondered how
well I was using my education and
training until he saw my pay packet!
After a year back on the family sheep
and cattle property at Walcha, NSW I
got the urge to explore again, and in
1986 headed to the US for the year
working green horses and grooming
polo ponies. Working with some of
the best ten goal players in North and
South America and travelling between
California, Canada, Texas, Connecticut
and Florida on the Polo circuit, certainly
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opened my eyes to the money some
people invest in a serious hobby.
On returning home in 1987 it was
either get a ‘serious’ job or keep
travelling and working horses overseas.
Getting engaged sorted that out, and
so a managerial career on properties
commenced near Wagga and then
moved to “Goonoo Goonoo” near
Tamworth into a larger operation. I
had finally started to really use some of
the knowledge gained at Marcus (five
years after completing FM.) To hold a
manager’s position of a relatively large
operation at 27 I attribute to time
spent at Marcus. After five years at
Tamworth, a position with Stanbroke
Pastoral Company presented to manage
the bull breeding operation and develop
a bullock fattening station into a bull
breeding nucleus producing 800 bulls a
year for the company.
After only 2½ years with Stanbroke
I was ‘head hunted’ for a Group
Pastoral Manager’s position in the
Kimberley. We had completed most
of the development of the stud herd
and station facilities and it was just
starting to be ‘comfortable’. However,
the challenge to assume responsibility
of a total operation incorporating six
stations was a big step up and a career
move not to be dismissed. Some people
say you are lucky to get some breaks,
however not everyone is willing to
make sacrifices and move a young
family to the other side of the country.
My boss at the time said, ‘Opportunities
come along and you must pursue your
ambitions and goals.’ The position with
E.G.Green & Sons in the Kimberley
was extremely demanding and yet very
satisfying, and a fantastic experience
which all of my family will remember.
After managing the group of cattle
stations in the Kimberley and other
properties in Western Australia for eight
years, we headed back east in 2003
to educate children in Queensland. A
conscious decision not to pursue more
positions within corporate agriculture
opened up an opportunity to run our
own livestock business and explore
more opportunities.
In 2004, we established an agribusiness
consulting company to provide a
management service to investors and
existing businesses. Establishing such
a business from a blank sheet can be a
challenge and developing a client base
takes time. Over the next two years
I worked with a group of properties
in SE Queensland developing a sheep
and goat enterprise until my role was
completed.
Early in 2006, I had phone call from
a friend asking if I was interested in
a film job in northern Australia. They
required someone with experience
with northern cattle, people, and
a knowledge of locations in the
Kimberley and north Queensland.
“Australia”
The Movie Story
“Australia” is Baz Luhrmann’s first
feature film since the 2001 musical
success Moulin Rouge! The highly
anticipated film centres on an English
aristocrat in the 1930s, played by
Nicole Kidman, who comes to northern
Australia to sell a cattle property the
size of Belgium. After an epic journey
across the country with a rough-hewn
drover, Hugh Jackman, they are caught
in the bombing of Darwin during World
War II. Filming began late April 2007
and concluded December 19th 2007.
The film is slated for a November 14
2008 release.
After meeting with the Bazmark Film
Producers and also meeting Baz
Luhrmann, I was asked to put together a
proposal of what suitable cattle could be
bought or leased for filming in Bowen,
East Kimberley and Sydney. My position
as Cattle Supervisor was to present and
manage my cattle department budget,
source and handle cattle suitable for
a film set and actors, engage a crew
to work the cattle, organize trucking,
feeding, design and source any facilities
and coordinate the logistics of moving
cattle between the locations over four
states. This would normally have its
own challenges, without the influence
of dealing with a film crew and a very
creative Director.
The cattle scenes in Bowen required
the 850 cattle to be driven down the
streets at a gallop, and loading cattle
up a race onto a ship. All the physical
requirements are not a problem, until
fronted with distractions such as 200
‘extras’ (cast), 300+ crew, camera
booms, extensive props and almost any
other foreign object which cattle don’t
normally find in a paddock.
The task of finding 1,000 horned
Shorthorn cattle (‘period cattle’ for that
era) in eastern Australia (outside of the
Cape, Kimberley and Alice Springs) was
very hard, and it was encouraging to see
that the industry has been very proactive
in dehorning. Here I was, sourcing red,
hairy and horned cattle, and yet I breed
Senepol cattle (slick coated and polled),
a slight difference in objectives.
The Kimberley scenes were mostly
big wide droving shots mixed with
some hair raising action shots of a
‘rush’ and a river crossing in a salt
water crocodile area.
The logistics of getting 1,000 suitable
cattle in the time and dealing with a
very late wet season in the Kimberley,
added to the tasks of the crew I
engaged. Having a background of
dealing mostly with focused, budget
driven agricultural business people,
it is a shock when a crew of 300+
mostly artistic and creative types
cannot understand why the ‘cows’
are stressed.
The cattle used in Bowen were sourced
from Goondiwindi to Charters Towers,
Advanced Diploma of
Farm Business Management
3 years
Bachelor of Business
(Agricultural Management)
additional 6 months on campus
(off campus option)
The final leg of the filming late last year
was back in Sydney at Fox Studios (old
RAS showground). Ironically, I had led
the Senior Champion Hereford cow at
the Sydney Royal Show in 1987 on the
same lawns, and 20 years later in 2007
we kept our 40 odd Shorthorn bullocks
(ex north QLD) at Fox Studios.
and some from the Kimberley (to
maintain continuity for later scenes). We
trucked some cattle from Bowen back to
Kununurra and leased an additional 1200
head of cleanskin (feral) North Kimberley
shorthorn cattle. After intensive handling
using dogs, electric fences and plenty of
horse work tailing we had them under
control and suitable for actors and riding
doubles to approach. Some of the cattle
used back in the Kimberley had travelled
a total of 10,000 km back and forth
across the top end.
The scenes in the studios were very
involved with the lead actors and many
extras, and so the temperament of
the cattle had to be very predictable
when in close proximity. Again, the
cattle performed remarkably well and
were subjected to many new situations
including being plastered white for one
scene.
The principal filming was completed
prior to Christmas last year and now
the editing and visual effects teams are
madly piecing together and finishing off
the record number of hours of footage.
The previews we have seen to date are
excellent and hopefully the production
will be an international success, which
benefits the Australian film industry and
also northern tourism. We also hope it
reflects favourably on the cattle industry
at the time and does credit to all those
people involved.
Bowen was chosen as the location for
filming Darwin pre the second World
War because of the flat landscape and
land where a ‘set’ could be built. The
set included a set of timber cattle yards
capable of holding 1500 head.
ALERTING
all graduates from the
1975 and 1977 years.
The cattle handled everything we
put to them and we were continually
amazed at their ability to rate
themselves, almost as though they
had a cruise control, and after a
while it didn’t matter how hard you
pushed they set their own pace.
Murray Mountjoy, John Carson, Bill
Bennett and Tim Durham are the
driving force behind the planning for
a very informal “get together”
- maybe a dinner.
Animal welfare was a constant
priority and I had to constantly
remind the film crew that they were
not machines (they were very naïve,
but mostly understanding). We used
electrolytes, formulated feeds and
many other things to help maintain
the cattle and to be able to get the
performance required.
This is the first notice of the plan, and
date and venue to be confirmed, but
they are tentatively aiming for either
the AFL Grand Final or Melbourne’s
Spring Racing Carnival. So keep this
in mind and be prepared for more
info coming your way.
The new generation of managers of agricultural businesses will need
advanced financial management and marketing skills and be able to access
and use information.
Competent managers will adopt current technology and be able to manage
both people and risk. Managers require highly developed resource
management skills to ensure the business they manage is based on systems
that are environmentally and economically sustainable in the long term.
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5
Jim Burrell Farm Management 1976
Letter from Pakistan
S
ince February this year my
wife, Denise and I have been
working in Pakistan on a twoyear contract with the Pakistan Dairy
Development Company (PDDC).
Pakistan has the fifth largest number
of milking animals in the world,
with a large number of them being
buffalo. The per cow production
is very low (down to two litres /
cow/day) so we are over here in an
advisory capacity attempting to help
the locals improve production.
Denise is the Vocational Training
Manager, and I am Internal Training
Manager and we are based in Lahore
in Eastern Pakistan. Our work involves
both of us training the local staff.
Denise has been coordinating the Tutors
Notes and Student Notes, along with
the relevant Technical Sheets and the
Support Material for the relevant dairy
courses. This has included a great
deal of proof reading of the work done
by the nine Extension Officers within
the Extension Team. It is obviously
important to make sure the material
that is used is relevant to this country’s
particular idiosyncrasies of culture,
climate, soils, breeds, pasture types
and available mechanisation etc. There
is much available on the web but it
looses all credibility if it is not relevant,
practical and current.
We have also been involved in
skills training for the Extension staff.
Extension is a new concept over here
and there is very little or no experience
of how to conduct a Field Day, for
example. What’s more, the locals do
not know how to conduct themselves
at a Field Day, so we need to give the
staff skills in assertiveness training so
that the message can be got over in
an unambiguous form. It was quite
comical at the first Field Day. We
envisaged that the groups would be
quite orderly and people would go
from one speaker to another and listen
to their message before moving on at
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the appointed time to the next speaker.
For the locals, it was more like show
time and an opportunity to catch up
with the neighbours over a loud and
gesticulated chinwag. The staff worked
like sheep dogs shepherding each
group in together and moving along in
an orderly and attentive fashion. Denise
has supervised two Field Days to date,
and in is the process of developing and
running a third and the local Extension
staff are catching on very quickly.
My work, while it has involved some of
the Extension training, has had a more
practical focus with farm installations
of fencing and cooling systems. The
company has particular specifications
and standards to which both the external
contractors and our own teams need to
adhere. The construction of galvanised
pipe fencing is a very new concept over
here, as all fences are made of brick
(or adobe/stone). Additionally, after an
incident recently when we went to a farm
with cattle containing Foot and Mouth
Disease (FMD), I have been working to
develop internal training procedures to
be adopted by all staff to minimise the
risk of cross contamination. I have also
been developing a skills package for the
Field Production staff to ensure they are
better able to supervise the installation
of this ‘new’ type of fencing.
The tradition here has been to have
all the cows and buffalo tethered 24
hours a day, and only give water
once, or maybe twice a day, even
over extremely hot summer periods.
In summer, it is not unusual for
temperatures to go over 40 deg C
for weeks at a time, and occasionally
hitting peaks of over 50 deg. Fodder
quality is also an issue, with much of
the cow and buffalo feed comprising
80% wheat or rice straw. This is
highly fibrous, and takes more energy
to digest it than it provides. So,
integral to the new installations, is the
development of ‘set aside pasture’ to
provide a more suitable, less fibrous,
milking diet. So with the installation
of new fences, cattle will be allowed
to be free, and therefore have ready
access to water and quality forage
24 hours a day. With these minor
changes, milk production increases
from about two litres/head/day to
six to eight litres/day (compared to
the Australian average of approx 25
litres/day).
Cow condition scoring, milk chilling,
fertilisers, milk quality, production
selection, cattle health - there are so
many areas that the dairy industry in
Pakistan can improve. The Company
is focusing on all these different areas,
one by one, as it is difficult to change
systems that have ‘worked’ for literally
thousands of years, in a small time
frame. That is why the education is as
important as the actual installations.
On the wider front, Pakistan is a country
of divergence. The rich are enormously
rich and the poor are in less than
poverty. Polo happens two or three
times every week, and other silver
tails signs are displayed in many not
so subtle ways. In contrast, I read a
World Bank Report, in the local press,
disputing the Pakistan Government’s
figures of alleviating poverty from 33%
in 2004 to 21% in 2007. They say it
is down to only 28% but they won’t
really quibble because the slope is the
right way. But when we look at the
definition of poverty, it does become
alarming. The ‘accepted’ definition of
poverty is a person living on less than
US $1/day (think about that when next
you pay $2.50 for a Magnum ice cream).
So that means, that in this country of
about 150 million people, about twice
the population of Australia are living on
less than $1 a day.
When they are eking out a hand to
mouth existence and focusing on
survival, it is little wonder that they
show such disregard for higher order
issues of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs such as pollution, health and
safety, animal welfare or the melting
of the Antarctic icecap or saving the
whales. If I go to a supermarket here
and say that I don’t want a plastic bag
they look at me as if to say, “It is a
condition, of you entering this store,
that you take at least one plastic bag
when you leave!” You start to think, if I
take one plastic bag home is it going to
make any difference in a country where
there are literally thousands of small
brickworks burning car tyres for fuel,
or there are millions of auto rickshaws
belching clouds of acrid black smoke.
The divergence is also seen when
you look at the countryside and see
such lush and fruitful crops of wheat
and barley (some of the best crops I
have ever seen), and know that there
is a severe shortage of flour, so much
so that there are flour and grain
protests. The dams are running dry
because of the silting up, but cities
like Lahore are a sea of green, dotted
with bouquets of massed pansies,
petunias, stocks and snapdragons,
cascades of bougainvillea and
rainbows of roses.
The streets,
median strips, nature strips and
houses are adorned with necklaces of
pots gushing with different colours.
This only possible because Parks and
Gardens flood irrigate everything as
if there is a bottomless well. The
millions of landless and homeless
squat on public land beside railway
lines and around rubbish tips, and
live in tent communities with no
power, water or sewage, and there
are no public utilities, all the while
the Deputy Prime Minister, Nawaz
Sharif, keeps pet lions, his party’s
emblem, in a cage at his home, set
amongst acres of land.
Education is highly prized and valued,
as it is universally acknowledged in
Pakistan that it is one way to change
your status and cast.
But equally,
education for many is very primitive
with classes held out doors, and in
one school I inspected, a rural boys
school of 450 post primary boys, they
had only one blackboard between
all the grades. Every day there are
many, many advertisements for parents
looking for suitable partners, for an
arranged marriage for their children,
virtually carrying me, we went past the
pharmacy and I did think that that was
a bit unusual as I assumed Emergency
would be at the FRONT door. They
admitted me straight away to a trolley
in the Emergency ward and the English
trained Doctor saw me immediately.
He then wrote a prescription, gave it
to my driver who then had to go to
the pharmacy for the drugs the Doctor
ordered, including the needles and drip
and antibiotics. These all had to be
purchased before administration.
with the only criteria their education
qualifications. Educational snobbery is
rife. Many of the staff we are working
with have formal qualification of a
higher order than our own, and often
an opening question on first meeting
is “What are your qualifications?” We
quickly learnt to response, “It does not
matter what my qualifications are, I was
employed for my experience!” They
have no response because they have
no experience - their only knowledge is
from books. Often they come from the
elite families, who themselves employ
maids, gardeners and other servants,
and they have never had to do any
physical work themselves. They cannot
believe it when I want to mow our lawn
or dig a post hole or start a vegetable
garden, but they don’t step in to help,
because they don’t know how, and
even worse they don’t think they need
to know.
After a couple of days, I was feeling
much better and I did loose a lot of
weight. I don’t recommend the ‘eye
of the needle’ diet no matter how
effective!! The National Hospital was
very clean, effective and painless. I feel
a lot more confident about the medical
services here now. It laid us both low
and we had had a lovely night out
the night before, eating at an outdoor
restaurant four stories up overlooking
the old floodlit Mosque in the old town.
Food was prepared in the streets below
hauled up on trays on a rope and
pulley. Very romantic - until 7am the
next day when it hit Den for six.
We just go about our duties and try
to assist the people in our sphere of
influence. There are some things we
can’t change, and some we can, so we
focus our energies on those we can. We
are not warriors, we are just a couple
of Australians, living and enjoying the
experience of Pakistan.
Jim advises there is the possibility of
employment as the company may be
looking for a generalist with intensive
dairying/grazing experience and
someone who would blend in with
the culture and customs. Good pay
and conditions for the right person.
[email protected].
We both had a severe bout of gastro and
took a few day off work. I ended up in
hospital on a drip. I was so sick I asked
my driver, Akbar, to take me to the local
hospital, ‘The National Hospital’. On
the way to Emergency, and Akbar was
Angus Lamont Horse Business Management 2006
2006 Marcus Oldham International Stud Management Award (UK)
A
fter graduating, I was offered
a fantastic opportunity to
establish a connection
between Marcus Oldham and one of
the UK’s most influential horse studs,
Lanwades, owned and managed by
Miss Kirsten Rausing.
The position initially involved me
travelling to Newmarket, the hub of
Thoroughbred breeding in England.
This in itself was a fairly daunting
experience; not knowing anyone in
the surrounding area of England, and
coming off the back of a scorching
summer I was thrust into the depths
of an English winter with the damp,
dark and occasional snow making
acclimatising fairly difficult.
Working long hours seven days a week
and spending a good part of my day
mucking out boxes didn’t initially
improve the situation. However, the
bloodstock I was fortunate enough to
work with, the green rolling countryside,
the quaint friendly village I was living
in, and the willingness of many locals to
have a pint at the end of the day made
it all the more enjoyable.
and education of foals and pre and post
natal care of mares.
The stud owns the majority of the horses
on the property and walks in mares to
their currently five (previously four)
stallions. It also comprises 570 acres
with around 115 boxes, eight isolation
yards between the two properties and
has approximately 30 staff between
them.
From the foaling area, I was lucky
enough to be placed in the breeding
barn when the covering season was in
full swing. Duties included handling
the mares for teasing and covering, as
well as restraining and educating the
older foals.
Angus Lamont and Wagga Wagga’s face
of the Gold Cup Carnival, Luke Hulm,
with stallion Hernando at Lanwades
Stud.
At the end of the breeding season I
moved to Ireland, where the majority of
studs send their young stock. Arriving
towards the end of rain that had lasted
for 65 days straight, with water coming
Initially, I was placed at St Simon, the
adjacent property to the main stud.
This is where all the foaling duties take
place and my work here included care
continued page 8
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7
Angus Lamont
continued from page 7
over the top of your wellies through
gateways and ditches, I was not the
only one who was glad to see the
sunshine.
The work here was preparing yearlings
for sales throughout England and
Ireland. It was great fun to be educating
the yearlings. However a few weeks into
my three-month stint I was hampered by
a rugby injury. Unable to walk without
crutches for a few weeks I was not a lot
of use, especially because the horses I
was preparing each needed an hour of
walking in the mornings.
I finally recovered by the end of the Irish
sales in which we enjoyed great success;
selling the highest priced yearling in
Europe for five years and the highest
priced yearling filly in Ireland of all time
for 2.4 Million, roughly equating to just
over AUD$4 million.
I then travelled to the sales in England at
which the stud also had good success.
Here I was fortunate enough to rub
shoulders with some of the world’s top
vets, owners and bloodstock agents and
was later fortunate enough to travel
to France and inspect the yearlings in
Deauville with them.
Mares at Lanwades, United Kingdom
After the sales had finished in Newmarket
I stayed back at my little house just
outside of Newmarket and was back
to St Simon’s to help with the last lot
of foals to be weaned. We also had
a number of foals to be sold in the
December sales in which I was an
integral part of the team in preparing.
I finished up in December after helping
with the mare sales and enjoyed travels
throughout Europe and USA before
returning home early April this year.
Many thanks go to the Marcus Oldham
Council and in particular Dick Fowlston,
John Miles, Nick Roe and Emma Morel,
who were good enough to organise this
incredible opportunity for me to gain
fantastic knowledge of the international
breeding and racing industry.
Peter Griffiths
Horse Management 1982
Detective on the Jumps Job
I
t was 1979 when Peter Griffiths
first had contact with Marcus
Oldham College when attending
weekend short courses in Saddlery
and Farrier skills. In 1982 he
graduated from the then Certificate
in Horse Management or abbreviated
version, Horse Course.
A lot of water has passed under the
bridge since then and Peter now
works fulltime as a Detective with the
Victoria Police, which he joined in 1993.
However, horses are never from his life
as he also works as the Jumps Racing
Manager at Racing Victoria Ltd and, to
fill in the few spare minutes, Peter finds
time to attend to the role of Executive
Officer of the Australian Jumping Racing
Association. Amongst all of this, he
managed to sire four children, Declan,
Kyle, Siobhan and Aidan.
After leaving the Police Academy, Peter
was placed at Geelong and no, he didn’t
cross paths with any Marcus students
professionally, before transferring to
Ballarat for six years. He completed the
Police Prosecutor’s Course and also a
Bachelor of Commerce Degree where
he studied Business Law and learnt to
speak Japanese.
Fourteen months working in plain-clothes
duties saw him lead an investigation
into a major heroin-selling group, which
ended with fifteen offenders pleading
guilty in the County Court and sent to
prison, the likes of which had not been
seen before, or been repeated, outside
of Melbourne.
On the move, Peter transferred to
Greensborough – Eltham, suburbs of
Melbourne, where he had obtained a
Detective position. (Each year about
1000 police officers apply for 250
positions on a preliminary course. Of
those, 250 are successful and only about
50 people each year actually get to
work in the Crime Investigation area.)
Policing is never dull and Peter’s most
satisfying job so far, involved a very
unstable man who was stalking doctors,
8
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lawyers and police. When Police officers
searched his lodgings, he had two loaded
pistols next to his bed and a loaded
machine gun in his car amongst other
weapons. He spent a few years in prison,
most of it under psychiatric care.
In 2006, Peter started to work casually for
Racing Victoria Ltd (RVL), hosting owners
on race days which lead to an invitation to
apply as the Manager – Jumps Racing. “I
already have a job,” he told them. Over a
dozen people had been interviewed and
they were desperate to fill the position,
Pete says. When he rang enquiring
about the position, and was asked for
his credentials, he was told, “They are
unusual credentials.” His response? “It’s
an unusual job.”
Peter accepted the position at RVL
and took fifteen months off from the
Police Force. Before his appointment,
a lot of research had been completed
and he was left with the task of
implementation. His position covers two
areas – Operational and Strategic.
Operational tasks include ensuring the
equipment required is at the track in
time for set up, and the day-to-day needs
of jumps racing met. He is accessible
24/7 and has been woken early in the
morning fielding calls from trainers who
get up earlier than he would like!
Strategically, Peter’s focus is on the
future, which long term would mean
for him to withdraw from the position at
Racing Victoria. He writes the jumping
program for Victoria for the year, liaises
with South Australia, plans the year’s
marketing strategies, and puts his hand
to anything else that comes along.
Another role at Racing Victoria is
supervising one of the quarantine
centres during the Spring Carnival
for the International Horses. In his
first year, the two centres at Sandown
were full up and he had to ‘build’ one
from scratch, which housed the Cup
favourite, Yeats. Last year he looked
after only the one yard, which stabled
third place getter, Mahler. These
experiences have been a great thrill
both personally and professionally.
While at Racing Victoria Peter has
travelled to New Zealand, Japan and
Ireland to study how jumps racing is
conducted in those countries, and how
Victoria can maintain a best practice
focus on safety and the conducting of
jumps racing. Peter is not sure about his
next project however you never know
what’s on the other side of the log!
Bram Collins Farm Management 1990
Undara – a Lava Tube Experience
kilometres, and several sections are
accessible. So significant are the Undara
Lava Tubes that in 1992 the Queensland
Government declared them, and most
of what was Rosella Plains, the Undara
Volcanic National Park.
W
hen studying at Marcus,
Bram Collin’s family had
cattle stations in Far North
Queensland and were the first white
settlers in the Mount Surprise region
inland from Cairns, in 1862. The
original cattle station, Spring Creek,
is still in the family today and Bram’s
sister Nicola and husband, Perry Fox,
run a commercial Droughtmaster
herd which is vertically integrated
with a feedlot, slaughter facility and
two butcher shops on the Atherton
Tablelands.
Rosella Plains was a 320,000 acre cattle
property next door to Spring Creek
which the Collins family acquired in the
1890’s, and it was here that Bram lived
until coming to Marcus. Rosella Plains
had an unusual and very interesting
system of underground caves on the
northern end of the property, which by
the late 1980’s, had been identified as
one of the oldest and best preserved
lava tube systems on Earth.
The Undara Lava Tubes were formed
some 190,000 years ago when a major
volcano in the McBride volcanic province
erupted, its molten lava flowing down
dry river beds. As the top layer quickly
cooled and crusted, the fiery magma
below continued to flow through the
tubes taking it further and further from
the volcano. As the eruption slowed
and then stopped, the lava drained out
of the tubes leaving a series of long,
hollow tunnels. Ancient roof collapses
created deep, dark and moist depressions
where fertile pockets of rainforest can
now be seen, surviving amongst the
open Savannah woodlands.
standards of operation and abide
by professional codes of conduct to
achieve accreditation.
The Savannah Guides are experts in
the conservation of this region and are
committed to passing on this knowledge
to others, along with the interpretation
and effective management of the natural
and cultural assets of northern Australia.
Gerry Collins (Bram’s father), recognised
the tourism potential and set about
designing a tourism facility from which
tours to the Undara Lava Tubes could
be conducted. In an effort to give
people a natural bush experience, Gerry
designed a facility with minimal impact
on the surrounding bushland. He found
a number of old Queensland Railway
carriages which he purchased, had them
restored and transported to the site.
Because of their long thin shape they
easily fitted between the trees. Today
23 railway carriages have found a home
at Undara and make up much of the
accommodation as well as a saloon car
and dining cars. The railway carriages
have been so beautifully restored, that
in 2003 Undara Experience won an
Australian Tourism award for Unique
Accommodation.
Bram served for nine years on the
board of Savannah Guides, served as
the secretary for three years and as
President for three years. During this
time Savannah Guides experienced
unparalleled growth culminating in
winning a Queensland Tourism award
for Private Sector Industry Training and
being named global winner of a British
Airways “Tourism for Tomorrow” award
for Tourism Organisations.
Today Undara Experience is one of the
iconic Outback tourism experiences in
North Queensland with approximately
40,000 people per year visiting the lava
tubes. Bram has recently been elected
to the board of Tourism Tropical North
Queensland in Cairns as the Director
for the Outback Region. His time is
split between his various tourism roles
and a motivational speaking business he
formed in 1999.
When the Undara Experience opened
in 1990 the Collins family recognised
the importance of engaging the
local community and giving back
opportunities such as employment
and training ECT. At the same time
a local organisation called Savannah
Guides was gaining momentum in
the area. Undara immediately got
involved as it had all the same ideals.
Recognising the alarmingly high rate
of youth suicide in Australia, Bram
and close friend Trevor Tim, decided
to make a positive contribution to the
young people of today. They created a
company called ‘Success with Attitude’
that visited the local schools in north
Queensland and spoke to kids about the
importance of having a great attitude.
This was very successful and has now
grown to see them speaking to schools
all over Australia and in the corporate
market, including team building.
Savannah Guides has grown and
developed and is now a nonprofit network of professional tour
guides and tourism operators with
a collective in-depth knowledge of
the tropical savannahs of northern
Australia. The organisation fosters
ecologically sustainable interpretive
tourism. Savannah Guides’ members
must demonstrate a commitment
to conservation values, meet strict
For more information, please visit.
www.undara.com.au
www.savannah-guides.com.au
www.swa.com.au
The word Undara means ‘a long way’ in
Aboriginal language. One of the lava
flows from Undara extends over 160
kilometres (or 100 miles). This makes it
one of the longest lava flows from a single
volcano on Earth in modern geological
time. The original tube formed by the
flow extended for approximately 100
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9
Environmental Best Management Practice
David Oddie Farm Management 1994
Pam Holding Oddie Agri 1994
M
arcus Oldham College
enjoys as good a reputation
as an introduction agency,
as it does for producing an
employable graduate! Pam Holding
and David Oddie were fellow
students, and following graduation,
Pam moved to Wagga Wagga, NSW
where she spent two and half
years in administration with the
rural consultancy arm of RSM Bird
Cameron Chartered Accountants. In
1997 she moved north to Armidale,
NSW for a position as Support
Consultant with Saltbush Software, a
divison of the Agricultural Business
Research Institute (ABRI), for a
further two and a half years.
David, meanwhile, took up a position
on farm with Tom and Alison Silcock at
Balmoral in western Victoria, following
graduation. After 12 months, he
decided to return home to the family
property at Beaufort, Victoria, to work
with his parents, Peter (FM 65) and
Rosemary. David took over the livestock
management of the mixed enterprise
while Peter was responsible for the
cropping operations.
Following the sudden death of her father
in 1998, Pam returned to live in Victoria in
1999 as she was keen to mover closer to
family, and of course to reduce the miles
between her and David. Together Pam
and David pursued the opportunity to run
their own bookkeeping business, which
Pam has successfully been doing for
eight years, providing contract services to
farmers, agricultural contractors and notfor-profit organisations in the local area.
Pam, together with her older brothers,
Stephen (FM 93) and Phil (FM 94)
also maintains an ongoing interest in the
Holding family farm at Linton, which her
mother continues to run.
In 2001 David and Pam were married,
and settled on David’s family property,
“Challicum Park” at Beaufort, continuing
to work with David’s parents.
In 2003, a new direction was
taken when the Oddie family was
approached by another Marcus
graduate, Anthony Sim (FM 72) and
his wife, Annabel. The two families
commenced a partnership “Fiery
Creek Farms”, by combining the two
businesses and moving towards a more
corporate farming structure where
all land is leased by the business
from landowners; excess plant and
equipment has been reduced; and
contractors used strategically for major
tasks such as sowing and harvest. A
board of management was formed
between the six partners, and David
appointed as Manager of the business.
Any family members working in the
business are now employees and paid
a salary, while Pam provides contract
bookkeeping services.
In David’s current position as Manager
of Fiery Creek Farms, he is responsible
for 2,226 hectares over four farms in
the Beaufort, Skipton, and Streatham
areas of western Victoria. The cropping
enterprise comprises wheat, barley
and canola as well as hay and straw
production. The livestock enterprise
is represented by 10,000 merino and
crossbred sheep. David has a strong
interest in the management of the native
grassland areas that exist on some of
the farms, and utilises strategic grazing
to preserve these areas. He is also
encouraging his business partners to
see the benefits in biological farming
methods, which are enabling him to
reduce the reliance on artificial fertilisers
and chemicals. David is an advocate for
integrated pest management practices
as well, which are proving beneficial in
reduction of pests in crops and again
reducing the reliance on chemicals.
David and Pam are passionate
about the future of agriculture in
Australia, particularly through the
retention of young people in rural
areas. With Fiery Creek Farms, they
are developing a culture of ongoing
learning, where education and training
is regularly offered to staff, and
actively encouraged by management.
Pathways for career advancement are
being developed so that employees
can see there is an opportunity to take
on more responsibility and decision
making, whether being placed in charge
of a particular enterprise, or being
responsible for the general management
of an individual property.
Continually improving the environmental
management of the land is one of the
primary aims of Fiery Creek Farms and
Pam and David are both very keen to
build this into the systems and day to
day running of the business. This goal is
steadily being achieved by utilising the
Environmental Best Management Practice
(EBMP) program and its self-assessment
tool that identifies the current situation,
strengths and weaknesses, and the
actions needed for better environmental
management. As the business is based on
the leasing of land, the aim is to return
the land to landowners at the end of a
lease period in a better condition than it
was at the commencement of the lease.
Pam has been working on the EBMP
plan for the past two years and with the
input of staff members, landowners and
family members, believes it will give the
business a competitive edge in being a
preferred occupier of land in the future.
Since leaving Marcus Oldham David
and Pam have maintained strong ties
with the College, having hosted many
students for case study visits over
the years, and, together with Peter,
shared their experiences about family
farming at the Graduation “Real World”
seminar on a number of occasions.
In November 2007 David and Pam
welcomed their first child, Claire, and
they look forward with interest to the
opportunities that agriculture may offer
to future generations.
Diploma of Agribusiness
1 year
Associate Degree of Agribusiness
2 years
Bachelor of Business (Agribusiness)
3 years with on or off campus option
10
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Our Agribusiness qualifications open the door to a wide and
varied choice of careers.
The involvement of major companies in seminars, case studies,
study tours and industry experience ensures agribusiness
graduates are highly sought after upon graduation.
in Australia’s climate and present the
facts regarding carbon cycling on farms
and in agricultural systems. In addition,
there will be presentations on possible
carbon emission and mitigation scenarios
on farm as well as consideration of the
potential economic, environmental and
social impacts for farmers and rural
communities.
Launch of The Centre for
the Study of Rural Australia
Attending the launch at
Morgans, 401 Collins
Street, Melbourne, were
L-R: Mr Bruce Wilson,
Chairman, Marcus
Oldham College, Mr Grant
Cochrane, Chief Executive,
Australian Agricultural
Publishing - Rural Press,
Dr Simon Livingstone,
Principal, Marcus Oldham
College, Professor Timothy
Reeves, Principal, Timothy
G Reeves and Associates,
Mr Richard Anderson,
Chairman, Harwood
Andrews Lawyers.
R
ecognising the importance
of continuing education to
ensure the prosperity of
agricultural enterprises and rural
communities, Marcus Oldham
College extended its entrepreneurial
arm and recently launched The
Centre for the Study of Rural
Australia, which will play a key
part in addressing the many issues
that impact on agriculture and rural
communities.
Dr Simon Livingstone said, “Australia
needs sustainable agricultural practices
and communities for the future and
Marcus Oldham College understands
that community based development is
vital to economic prosperity. One of
the Centre’s features, given its national
focus, is to bring together leading experts
from around the world and around
Australia to provide international best
Mr Simon Ramsay, President Victorian
Farmers Federation unveils the plaque.
Mr Geoff Hone, Scobie and Claire
Mackinnon Trust. Mr Stewart McArthur,
Camperdown Vic,
former Chairman of College Council.
Presenters at the Carbon Forum are
Professor Peter Grace Professor of
Global Change at Queensland University
of Technology; Dr Mark Howden Senior
Principal Research Scientist with CSIRO
Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra;
Mr Andrew Campbell former Executive
Director of Land & Water Australia
and a previous senior executive in
the Australian Government, responsible
for the Bushcare program; and
Dr Jeff Baldock who leads the Soil
Process and Function stream within the
Managing Australia’s Soil and Landscape
Assets theme.
practice approaches to addressing these
challenges. The Centre will present
symposiums, forums and ‘think tanks’,
and provide a platform for opinions
and advice on policies, strategies and
practices necessary to effectively address
topics that are crucial to the future of
agriculture and farm management.”
Later in August, the 2008 Seminar
featuring international speaker
Dr Cary Fowler, Executive Director,
Global Crop Diversity Trust based in
Rome, will be presented in Melbourne.
Prior to taking up his current position,
Dr Fowler was Professor and Director
in the Department for International
Environment & Development Studies
at the Norwegian University of Life
Sciences.
Guest Speaker, and Forum and
Symposiums Facilitator for the Centre,
Professor Timothy Reeves, emphasised
the scope of opportunities for Australian
agriculturalists. Professor Reeves has
worked for 39 years in agricultural
research, development and extension,
mostly focussed on sustainable
agriculture in Australia and overseas.
(Read Professor Reeves’ speech on
www.marcusoldham.vic.edu.au.)
The Marcus Oldham Centre for the
Study of Rural Australia is the focus and
interface for the College’s community
engagement commitment. The concept
of community engagement is not foreign
to the College. Programs in the area
of leadership and corporate training,
under the direction of Mr Sam Inglis, are
evidence of this continued commitment.
The program offers the inaugural forum on
the 7 August at the College and will focus
on the hot topic of Carbon Management.
This forum will concentrate on changes
Mr Tony Hudson, Director Farm
Business Management Program, Mr
Graeme Martin, New Zealand, Mr Rowly
Paterson, Wirrinourt, Willaura Vic.
Mr Eric Sharkey, Balliang East, Vic, Mr
Andrew Baker, Director Agribusiness
Program, Dr Peter Greig, Chairman
Corangamite CMA, Vic.
Mr Ian McMichael, College Council
Member, Mr David Irving, Adjunct
Professor of Enterprise and
Management, The University of
Auckland Business School.
Mr Jim Gultsh, CEO Nuffield Australia,
Mr Simon Marsh, Executive Partner,
PKF Accountants.
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11
Campus
Columns
On April 3 this year, Marcus
Oldham College Principal, Dr
Simon Livingstone and Mr Des
Umbers,
Senior
Lecturer
in
Information Technology, graduated
from the Faculty of Education at
Deakin University. Dr Livingstone
successfully completed a PhD
and Mr Des Umbers, a Master
of Professional Education and
Training.
Dr Simon Livingstone’s PhD examined
the adoption of business practices
by universities and their impact on
academic staff. The investigation used
interpretative, qualitative research to
investigate what academic staff believe
to be the effect of business practice
adoption on their teaching, research
and service/administration roles. The
data were collected from interviews
with academic staff working in the five
faculties, along with the analysis of
secondary source qualitative documents
and quantitative statistics.
Universities, like most other large
businesses, have undergone and
Degree qualification
popular choice
The condensing of the Bachelor of
Business (Agricultural Management)
Degree Year (Fourth Year) to six months,
proves to be an excellent decision by
the College Management. This year,
24 students are completing their degree
and will be entering the work force
mid-year.
Diploma
graduates
considering
upgrading their qualifications should
discuss your plans with Tony Hudson.
The degree component is also available
by distance learning.
12
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continue to experience, rapid change
to their operations. The organisation
of the first Australian university in 1851
was very different from the ‘managerial’
operation of institutions today.
Universities have experienced changes
of rapid growth in student numbers,
repeated demands by interest groups for
improvements in efficiency and quality,
along with reductions in public funding.
The four business practices investigated
in the thesis are: (1) servicing customers
and clients; (2) focusing on revenue
and profit generation; (3) performance
management; and (4) accountability
and quality assurance implementation,
and these were initially uncovered
through the literature review and then
reinforced in the study from responses
with academic staff.
The findings illustrated a matrix of
tensions
Australian
universities
experience, as they move from a collegial
to a managerial mode of operation.
Universities may find this matrix useful
to locate where their organisation is
positioned, as this would provide the
first step in any directional change
required or desired by the institution.
A model outlining and summarising the
key drivers influencing the managerial
operations of Australian universities
and their subsequent impact on
academic staff is also provided. This
model illustrates how the Australian
Government influences the operation of
universities through the setting of policy
and how University senior officers follow
this direction by adopting these four
business practices in the management
of their institution. The University then
develops implementation strategies across
the key areas of teaching and learning,
research and service/administration in
an effort to achieve performance targets
and increase profitability. The adoption
and implementation of these business
practices has impacted on the nature
of academic work, the results of which
are outlined and documented in Dr
Livingstone’s thesis.
Andrew Baker
takes on role of
Agribusiness Director
Andrew Baker accepted the position of
Director of the Agribusiness Program
when it became available this year due
to Des Umbers’ request to take on the
position of Senior Lecturer in Information
Technology. Des recently completed
a Master of Professional Education and
Training focusing on flexible, online and
distance education. This qualification
will hold him in good stead in his
lecturing duties, and in developing new
teaching technologies across the College’s
educational programs.
Andrew brings to his new role a wealth
of experience.
Having lectured at
Marcus Oldham for the past 3 years, he
has developed a solid understanding
of the workings of the College and the
requirements and expectations of our
students. Andrew is well qualified for
the job, holding a Master of Agribusiness,
a Bachelor of Business and an Advanced
Certificate in Farming.
His employment experience includes
time as Agribusiness Manager for
Bendigo Bank, Farm Financial and
Management Consultant with Harden
Consultants in NSW for three years
and Agribusiness Banking Manager
with Suncorp Agribusiness Banking at
Goondiwindi and also Longreach in
Queensland over a five year period.
Andrew also managed to squeeze in a
couple of years working as a Stationhand
at Ravensworth Beef Feedlot at Hay in
NSW and as a Jackaroo on Mathoura
Station in Queensland.
Both Andrew Baker and Des Umbers
will continue to work closely together
delivering
and
developing
the
Agribusiness Program.
Real World Seminar
Each year on the day before Graduation, the College presents the ‘Real World
Seminar’.
Attended by parents and graduating students this Seminar has proved to be of real
value. Succession Planning is a major topic and in 2007, Peter Lawson (FM 95)
and his Father, Dennis, farming near Wagga Wagga NSW, spoke and shared their
experience of this important aspect of family properties.
Anna Winstanley (Javni)
Twenty-five years in any language
is a worthy time of commitment to
the job, and Anna Winstanley, known
to many of you as Anna Javni, has
performed the role of Printing Officer
at Marcus Oldham for that length of
time. Anna was commended on her
supportive work in ensuring the staff
members were supplied with the lecture
notes, leadership and corporate training
papers, marketing materials, and much
more, and unlike the rest of us, she
generally manages a ‘calm’ response
when the photocopier goes berserk.
International Visitors
Recent visitors to the College,
continues to expand Marcus Oldham’s
international profile.
Peter Lawson (FM95).
Fiona, Guy (FBM 07) and David
Robertson (FM 79).
David Uebergang (FM 76) and his
son Ross, (FBM 07).
Helen, John (FM 69) and Will Calvert
(FBM 07) now studying BBus(Ag Mgt).
Record Broken
at Cross Country
Tony Hudson hosted two young farmers
from Argentina.
Spectators were a bit chilly but
the runners were hot, especially
Agri 1st Year student, Sasha King
from Gogango, Qld, who broke
the female record with a 23.28 run
(old record 24.16).
The male record is a 2007 effort of
19.07 and James Gubbins, Hamilton
Vic, Farm Bus Mgt 1st Year, came
close in 19.32 with Alister Woods,
Shelford, Vic, 3rd Year, close on his
heels with a run of 19.41.
Dr Simon Livingstone and Sam Inglis
welcome a Dutch Government Delegation
to the College.
The College welcomed French visitors
who learned more of Australia’s beef
production from Sam Inglis.
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13
in May, Dugald Higgins B.Bus (AgMgt)
2001 Ad Dip FBM 1998, as an Associate
Director of Property Investment Research
(PIR), spoke to the students.
Industry Leaders’
Mentoring Program
Graduate Addresses Students
Marcus Oldham College conducts an
Industry Leaders’ Mentoring Program
supported by The Lucas Group Pty Ltd
(Geoff Lucas FM 81). The College
invites speakers to address students and
Dugald is responsible for PIR’s
Investment Evaluation Service, which
provides essential research to investors
and their advisers as well as the
management of PIR’s Consultancy team
with over 30 analysts across Australia,
New Zealand and Europe. Prior to
joining PIR in 2002, Dugald held the
position of Senior Research Analyst
with Adviser Edge Investment Research
(formerly Agribusiness Research), where
he specialised in industry analysis,
market trends, commodity projections
and scenario analysis.
Dugald has undertaken investment
evaluations of over $1.5 billion in
capital raisings in the agribusiness
managed investments industry as well
as over $2.5 billion in the property
funds industry. Dugald comes from an
agricultural background. He has had
over 10 years experience in hands-on
agricultural management as well as
seven years as an investment analyst in
agricultural and commercial property
investments.
Property Investment Research Pty Ltd
(PIR) is Australia’s leading provider of
independent research and analysis on
property based investment products.
The company was formed in 1989 and
is owned exclusively by its Directors.
PIR provides both industry and funds
specific research to investment managers,
financial
advisers,
stockbrokers,
property professionals, fund managers,
property services organisations and
other investment professionals.
Our Prac-year Employers
M
arcus Oldham College
understood what the
recent fuss was about,
when employers observed that
university graduates lack the
practical skills and usefulness in
the work place. When the ‘bright
idea’ of ‘industry placement’
was bandied about in the
media, Marcus Oldham calmly
looked back over four decades
of farm management students
undertaking a ’sandwich’ year as
part of their education.
Integral to the student’s rounded
education are our ‘Prac-Year
Employers’ – a dedicated group of
farming families around Australia
who employ our farm management
students after their first on-campus
year and offer them practical training.
During the year, the student is visited
by a member of the College lecturing
staff, and must complete two case
studies on management aspects of
the property.
Mid-year, prac-year, sandwich year, or
industry placement - it all means the
Diploma
of
Horse Business Management
14
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same, and Marcus Oldham College
warmly acknowledges the input these
families make in the development
of a student. In this MOCOSA we
have pleasure in recognising Richard
and Cindy House and family, who
farm at Gnowangarup, S.E Western
Australia.
“Our association with Marcus Oldham
began some 16 years ago when we
employed our first mid-year student.
From this point on, it has been nothing
but a positive experience for all of
our family, our staff and our local
community. The students usually spend
13 months here with us at ‘Barloo’,
Gnowangerup, Western Australia, where
we run a mixed farming operation. As
well as the novelty of coming to WA,
they do seem to enjoy the exposure to
different facets of agriculture, which we
are able to offer them.
It seems that they have only just arrived
and we are getting to know each
other, and next minute they are reading
‘Barbie’ books at bedtime, playing ‘King
of the Pack’ on the back lawn after
work with a quiet beer, listening to
‘High 5’ and ‘The Wiggles’ as the tractor
or the header goes around and even
being the representative parent at the
‘father-son’ football match because they
are better footballers than the ‘parent’!
(Listening to the CDs on the tractors
with the kids also led to the game ‘Who
can be the quietest for the longest?’,
being introduced!)
Over the years, we have had boys from
all over Australia and have met various
members of their families whilst they
have been here. We have been to a
couple of weddings, and visited their
homes too – where they enjoy getting
their own back and save up a few jobs
for Richard!
The boys are treated as, and certainly
become, a part of our family, from
joining us for Christmas to celebrating
their 21st Birthdays here.
Our local community also enjoy meeting
these young people and having them be
a part of whatever is going on, from
mixed netball to volleyball and even
corporate bowls!
We hope that the mid-year experience
is as valuable and enjoyable for the
students as it is for our family, because
we consider ourselves very lucky to have
such a positive working relationship
with these Marcus students.
The intensive year provides students with the business management
skills, equine science and practical skills/horse husbandry
knowledge essential for a successful career in the horse industry.
Subjects include horse business practice, communication and
marketing, breeding, youngstock handling, stable and property
management, nutrition, equine health, driving and applied riding
practices, and own special interest study contract. Choose either
Equestrian Training or Racing and Breeding.
has had to face for a long time. It
was particularly acute because our
breeding herd was “naïve” and the
spread of the disease was therefore
very quick. Luckily, it affected only
two States initially, New South Wales
and Queensland, and due to strict
biosecurity protocols was kept out of
the rest of Australia.
E I woke up Australia
R
esponding to an invitation
from the Editor, three
contributors comment on the
recent devastating effects of the
Equine Influenza.
Ian Hart
Horse Business Management 1987
Graduate of Excellence 2002
Chief Executive, Thoroughbred
Racing S.A. Limited
Australia has been in the envious
position of being able to claim an
environment free from many exotic
animal diseases that have occurred in
most other countries across the globe.
The announcement of 25 August 2007
that Equine Influenza had been detected
in horses in Sydney, outside of the
Eastern Creek Quarantine Centre, was
the most feared news equine industries
in Australia could have anticipated.
Over the ensuing weeks and months,
there was disruption to thousands
of equine events ranging from
major metropolitan Thoroughbred
race meetings to local community
gymkhanas and riding school activities.
In the Thoroughbred sector, this
disease had a devastating impact on
our Industry ranging from the direct
disease consequences on the horses,
to the very human impact on people’s
direct livelihoods and the multiplying
ripple effect through the economy
across all parts of Australia. One
can only imagine the impact if this
disease had caused the cancellation
of a major event like the Melbourne
Cup Carnival.
Although a strong collaborative approach
to containment and eradication by the
respective Primary Industry Department
in each state and all those involved
in the equine industries in one form
or another to keep the disease within
New South Wales and parts of southern
Queensland, there were still major
implications across all of Australia.
In South Australia, although there were
no reported cases of the disease, the
impact took its toll through cancellation
of events and an enormous human
effort in co-ordinating permits for
travel of Thoroughbred horses, setting
up decontamination procedures and
containment areas within the confines of
racecourses where race meetings were
allowed to proceed on permit in a closed
environment. The loss of a large number
of race meetings through New South
Wales and Queensland from late August
until their resumption in December and
January, has conservatively cost the
South Australian Thoroughbred Racing
Industry approximately $2 million in
direct wagering revenue, and the impact
in the large states significantly more
so. Across Australia the impact upon
commercial breeders and related racing
activities, together with the toll on
employees’ earnings in the Industry,
have been estimated at close to a billion
dollars.
The impact on the breeding industry
was felt through reduced fertility,
probably resulting in a foal crop which
will be 5-10% lower than expected.
This will have financial consequences
on breeders. In addition, EI interrupted
the training of Two year old racehorses
preparing for their first campaigns and
Three year olds being prepared for
the Autumn classic races – and this
has had financial consequences for
their owners. All in all, it’s been a
very expensive exercise for owners and
breeders. Compensation was provided
to the trainers and their service providers
by the Federal Government with the
aim of maintaining employment within
the industry.
To date, the Federal
Government has also met the costs of
containing the disease.
Most of these points have been well
documented previously but where to
from here? The lasting impact of this
disease will be felt for some years yet.
The foal crop for the 2007 breeding
season has been reduced and this
will have a potential knock-on effect
in resultant racing stock in the next
three to five years which may limit the
amount of revenue the Industry can
extract and then reinvest for Industry
participants. Will people be lost to the
Industry and will others be in a position
to reinvest in the future?
The Government also launched an
independent inquiry into the outbreak
of Equine Influenza headed by the Hon
Mr Ian Callinan. Depending on Justice
Callinan’s findings, some sectors of the
industry may seek compensation.
The other major issue is that of ongoing
vaccination. Although it would appear
that the disease has been contained
and eradicated there is a strong view
that despite enhanced quarantine
procedures being put in place there is
still a significant risk of the disease reentering the Australian horse population.
Like most other countries, an ongoing
vaccination program would ensure a
major economic contributor such as the
Thoroughbred Racing Industry is not
compromised should another outbreak
eventuate, and be forced into ceasing
operations and a further lock-down.
From reading the transcripts of evidence
given at the Inquiry, one thing is
quite certain – protocols and biosecurity
practices at Australian quarantine
facilities are likely to be significantly
upgraded in future.
The words ‘equine influenza, quarantine
and vaccination’ are going to be the
subject of much discussion for some
time to come.
Emma Morel
Director
Horse Business Management Course
Marcus Oldham College
On March 14 2008, Australia was finally
declared free of EI. Unfortunately, the
ramifications of this outbreak continue
to impact on the non-Thoroughbred
industry.
John Messara
The Racing Industry certainly had
a strong and articulate voice in the
mainstream media, with the likes of
Sydney Trainer John O’Shea vying
to draw the media’s attention to the
devastation of this disease. What was
often over-looked, was the crippling
effect that EI had on other aspects of
the industry.
Managing Director, Arrowfield
Stud, Hunter Valley NSW.
Arrowfield Stud is a co-sponsor
of the $15,000 Australian
Thoroughbred Scholarship to
Marcus Oldham College.
Last year’s Equine Influenza outbreak
was arguably the greatest challenge
the Thoroughbred breeding industry
continued on page 19
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15
Foundation
News
Over $70,000 raised in
one day!
Marcus Oldham College
Annual Golf Day
With the success of
the inaugural Golf
Day at Moonah Links
last year, Antony
Baillieu (FM 71),
College Foundation
Chairman, and his
Golf Day Committee
were eager for this year’s event to be
even better.
The day started a little cool, but it didn’t
deter the 90 golfers from arriving bright
and early at the beautiful Eynesbury Golf
Course situated near Melton in Victoria.
St George Bank played a vital role
in the success of the day. St George
also ensured they put their very best
golfers out on display, although even
the bankers found the stunning Graham
Marsh designed course full of challenges!
Sincere thanks to Graham Robinson
and his team at St George, for their
wonderful support in making the day
lots of fun and a great success.
St George Bank players: Graham
Robinson, Lisa Frayne, Gordon Tansy,
Christopher Wright, Ian Sanders,
Sasha Rudik.
An energised Captain Koala
makes a hit!
Charles Baillieu, Leigh Clifford,
Adam Tressowthick, Jack Dahan.
16
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The Guests arrived back to the
homestead for a culinary adventure
with celebrity chef Gabriel Gaté and
Screaming Seeds Founder, Alberta
Cachia. Lunch followed in the marquee
on the lawns of the homestead with
an entertaining Master of Ceremonies
Simon O’Donnell, cricketing legend.
A number of exciting auction items
were up for grabs including aboriginal
artwork, a skiing holiday and a private
tour of Boundary Bend Limited,
Australia’s largest vertically integrated
olive grove situated near Mildura.
Funds raised on the day went directly
to the Jubilee Campaign, and more
specifically, the College Dining Room
Re-Development.
The College Foundation donated part
proceeds of the day to the Country
Fire Authority (CFA) in support of their
important schools education program
that educates children about fire safety
in the house and on the farm.
As the golfers negotiated their way
around the 18 holes, the non-golfing
guests went on a personalised tour
of the Eynesbury property, hosted by
Brett Lane of Brett Lane & Associates,
Ecological Research and Management,
to gain a deeper appreciation of the
environmental aspects of the unique
development.
Special thanks to Kerry Gillespie,
Moonee Valley Racing Club (MVRC)
board member, for an amazing effort
in raising over $2,000 on the “virtual
betting hole”. MVRC also provided gift
bags and golf day prizes, including
dinner in the MVRC Committee Room.
Gabriel Gaté charms the audience.
Cas Chisholm, Suzie Herd, Frank Herd,
Graeme Chisholm.
Tim Dean (FBM 05), Chris Sharkey
(FM 95), Ashley Creek, David Bufton
(BBus(AgMgt) 03),
Simon Pritchard (Agri 00).
Bruce Wilson (FM 71)
was on the prize list.
Golf day committee: Antony Baillieu,
Sybil Baillieu, Carol Hudson, Rob
MC and ruthless auctioneer,
Simon O’Donnell.
Sybil Baillieu had a successful win.
McGavin (Agri 93), John Miles, Deputy
Principal (Business & Development) and
Kate Sharkey, Agri 96) Foundation
Development Manager.
In just two Golf Day events, the College
Foundation netted in excess of $120,000
for projects of the Jubilee Campaign.
The College community sincerely
thanks Antony Baillieu and the hard
working Golf Day committee, golfers,
non-golfing guests, sponsors and friends
of Marcus Oldham who supported the
day. Get ready for 2009!
Scholarship Program
$75,000 - The Yulgilbar
Foundation offers Marcus
students, unique travel
scholarship opportunities
The Yulgilbar Foundation has provided
the College with a unique opportunity
to offer travel scholarships to current
students. Scholarships will be on offer
each year to cover travel expenses
enabling students to gain a greater
experience in their industry placement
or gradation year. Part of the selection
criteria is for the student to undertake a
special project of their choice, specific
to the agricultural or equine industry.
The project proposal must be presented
to a panel for consideration.
Dining Room Re-Development
Yes, its true!
Over 2 million meals served in the
College Dining Room since 1962!
Like a well-fed body outgrowing its clothes, the College has outgrown its dining
room. Since 1962, the College has hosted occasions in the Dining Room attended
by graduates, industry representatives, sponsors, leadership participants, past staff
and friends of the College. The Dining Room has a very important role in the
operation of the College and we invite donations to support the re-development
of the old diner! As the financial year draws near, please note this reminder that
donations are tax deductible – donation slip enclosed.
Travel scholarships will be available
to students currently studying the
Bachelor of Business (Agricultural
Management), Bachelor of Business
(Agribusiness) or the Diploma of
Horse Business Management.
Scholarships will be on offer in
2009. For more details contact
Student Services Officer 03 5247 2911
[email protected] or
Foundation Office on 03 5247 2919
[email protected]
Academic Program
$8,000 - The Collier
Charitable Fund supports
Academic Program
Earlier this year the Collier Charitable
Fund granted support to the College
academic program. Funding has allowed
the College to undertake a major upgrade
of its computer software for students.
Sincere thanks, on behalf of the
College community, to all corporate,
industry leaders, individual donors and
philanthropic organisations for their
continued generosity and belief in the
values and spirit in which a unique
educational experience is on offer to
students of Marcus Oldham College.
For more information on any of the
Jubilee projects please contact the
Foundation office on 03 5247 2919 or
[email protected]
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17
Marcus Oldham College Foundation Ltd
Executive Profile
President – Mr John McIntosh
Melbourne Grammar, B. Comm (Melb)
Chairman MM&E Capital Pty Limited
Past Chairman Advisory Committee Merrill
Lynch International (Australia) Ltd
Pastoral property holdings in Western
Victoria
Chairman –Mr Antony Baillieu
Geelong Grammar, Dip Farm Mgt (Marcus
Oldham College)
Director - Mutual Trust Pty Ltd
Chairman - Woodhouse Pastoral Co
Director - The Australian Hereford Society
Director - Down Ampney
Director - Eynesbury Holdings Pty Ltd
Chairman – Western District Pastoral Co
Pastoral property holdings throughout
Western Victoria and South East South
Australia
Mr W Robert R Beggs, AM 1992
Hon BBus (Ag Mgt) (Marcus Oldham)
Immediate Past Chairman Marcus Oldham
College Council
Educated Geelong Grammar School, Corio
Awarded Nuffield Farming Scholarship 1969
Director Pivot Limited 1985 - 2000
Director Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
of Australia
Chairman Victorian Regional Committee
1993 - Present
President Royal Agricultural Society of
Victoria 1990 - 1993
President Australian Superfine Wool
Growers Association 1989 - 1992
Managing Partner and Owner family rural
enterprise at Beaufort, Victoria
Mr Gordon Dickinson
Scotch College, Dip Farm Mgt (Marcus
Oldham College)
Past Chairman and Joint Chief Executive
UBS Warburg
Deputy Chairman of Australian Wool Testing
Authority
Non Executive Director Mutual Trust Pty Ltd
Non Executive Director Rubicon Systems
Pty Ltd
Pastoral property holdings in Western
Victoria and South Australia.
Mr Andrew Facey
Scotch College, Dip Farm Mgt (Marcus
Oldham College)
CEO –Parklea Pty Ltd (Commercial Property
Development)
Past Managing Director / Board member
Frank Facey First National
Board executive on the Cardina Foundation
Mr W R (Bill) Mackinnon
BA Hons Law Oxford University
Past Director of Becton Dickinson, N M
Rothschild, Black & Decker and BASF
companies.
Past member of the; Australia Club
Committee, Victorian Polo Association and
Australia Golf Holdings Ltd.
Currently on board of Embleton Limited,
Victorian Racing Club Limited, Geelong
Grammar Foundation, Marcus Oldham
College.
18
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Thoroughbred horse breeder and pastoral
property holding in Western Victoria
Mr A J (Sandy) Mackenzie
MRurSc (UNE)
Past Federal Parliament Member for Calare
NSW 1975-83
National Party Federal Secretary/Treasurer
1986-03
Founding Principal, Orange Agricultural
College (now University of Sydney).
Senior Farm Management Lecturer Marcus
Oldham College 1965-68
Member of Australian Council Children &
Parenting (Ministerial Advisory)
Landcare Co-ordinator, Burnt Creek Group,
Avenel
Mr David Calvert-Jones
Geelong Grammar, Dip Farm Management
(Marcus Oldham College)
Managing Director Seafirst Australia Pty
Ltd, (private company), Domestic and
International Equities, Manufacturing,
Agriculture and Property Investment and
Management).
Chairman Victorian Mariculture
Developments
Director of Prestige Foods International Pty
Ltd, Prestige Foods Manufacturing Pty Ltd,
Charles Tims Pty Ltd, Integrated Packaging
Group of Companies and Future Fibre
Technologies.
Member of the Murdoch Children’s Research
Institute Development Board
Trustee of the Calvert-Jones Foundation.
Mr Michael Moore
Melbourne University, B.Com (Melb), Hon
BBus (Ag Mgt) (Marcus Oldham)
Director Council Country Racing Victoria
Marcus Oldham College Council
Former Public Company Directorships Charles Moore Ltd Department Store Retailer
Dandenong Westernport Building Society
Statewide Building Society
RESI Building Society - until it became Bank
of Melbourne
AB Technology Inc (USA), Moore Primary
Industries Pty Ltd, Melbourne City
Councillor (Central Ward), Melbourne City
Chamber of Commerce
Mr Bruce Wilson
(College Council Chairman)
Dip FM (Hons) (Marcus Oldham College)
Principal of Murdeduke Agriculture
Agricultural holdings in South Western
Victoria
Marcus Oldham College Council
Mr Rob McGavin
Adv.Cert.Agri (Marcus Oldham College)
Co-founder and Executive Chairman of
Boundary Bend Limited
Marcus Oldham College Council
Mr Michael (Mike) Carroll
Advanced Management Program (2006)
– Harvard Business School, Boston
Masters in Business Administration (2004)
– Melbourne University Business School
Bachelor of Agricultural Science (1988)
– Latrobe University, Melbourne
Michael Carroll serves on a range of
agribusiness companies in a board and
consulting capacity. Recent activities include
membership of the Federal Government’s
Wheat Marketing Committee.
He has held a diverse array of senior
executive positions in a range of companies.
Most recently, he was responsible for
establishing and leading NAB’s Agribusiness
division. Roles prior to this included several
years as a Senior Adviser in NAB’s internal
investment banking and corporate advisory
department.
Before joining NAB, Michael worked for
companies involved in the agriculture sector
including Monsanto Agricultural Products
and a biotechnology venture capital
company.
College
Representatives
Dr Simon Livingstone, College
Principal
Pastoral property holdings Central Victoria
Co-ordinator Warrambeen Landcare
Education Centre (partnership between
Taylor family, Greening Australia and Alcoa
Landcare.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Education), Master
School Management,
BBus, ADip Farm Mgt, Grad Dip FET
Principal of Marcus Oldham College since
January 2003
Past Lecturer of Farm Business Management
at Marcus Oldham College
Past Head of Department Agribusiness
and acting Associate Director Training and
Operations, Emerald Agricultural College,
Qld
Past Overseer with Twynam Pastoral
Company, NSW
Past Jackaroo and Stationhand with
Stanbroke Pastoral Company. Employed
for 8 years on cattle stations in the Gulf of
Carpentaria, Northern Territory and New
South Wales.
Mrs Sarah Thomson
Mr John Miles
Dip App.Sc Food & Food Services
Farming and grazing in Central Victoria.
Marcus Oldham College Council
Panel member of the Churchill Fellow
Business & Development Manager
CPA, Churchill Fellow
Mr Mike Stephens
Dip Farm Management (Marcus Oldham
College), CPAg,
Managing Director of MS & A
Churchill Fellow
Mrs Trish Taylor
selection committee
Mrs Kate Sharkey
Foundation Development Manager
Dip Agbus (Marcus Oldham College)
David to enrol, many of these students
were from country and rural areas.
David held a number of important
government and business appointments,
such as Director of the Australian
Trade Commission, a member of the
Australian – Japan Foundation and
the Australian – Japan Consultation
Committee, to name a few. He was a
Director of BHP, the Industrial Bank of
Japan, Australia Ltd, Wesfarmers Ltd,
Rural Press and Delta Electricity.
David Asimus made a significant
contribution in many ways to Australia
and we feel privileged he contributed
so much to Marcus Oldham. On behalf
of the Chairman of Marcus Oldham
Council, Bruce Wilson, and the Council
and Staff of Marcus Oldham College, we
thank him for the support and interest
he had for the College.
We also acknowledge the wonderful
support his wife, Jane, gave David, with
all his many important activities that he
engaged in during his life.
Obituary
David James Asimus AO
Awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship
in 1958 at the young age of 26, David
studied prime lambs and pig production
in the UK. Returning to his farming
property at Gundagai, David became
active in the grazing and wool industries
and was an executive member of the
Graziers Association of NSW until 1971.
D
avid Asimus was the
founding President of the
Marcus Oldham College
Foundation. David, together with
Nobby Clark of the National Australia
Bank, launched the Foundation
in Melbourne in 1989, and was
President for eleven years.
Keen to help the College in any way,
David Asimus would travel from Wagga
Wagga in New South Wales for any
Foundation activity, large or small.
In describing the College, he said it
was “Innovative, Independent and
Committed” and these are words we
still use today.
He was born at Tumut in 1932 and later
went to Barker College in Sydney where
he was Head Prefect. David attended
Sydney University, was Head Student
of St Paul’s College, and graduated
with a Bachelor of Economics. He
received his University Blue for rowing
and rowed in the 1953 and 1955 NSW
Kings Cup crew.
EI woke up Australia
continued from page 15
Here at Marcus Oldham College we
were fortunate, as Victoria remained
EI free. The minimal inconvenience
caused by bio-security protocol and
restricted competing for our students
was a blessing in contrast to having to
contend with a farm of very sick horses
and possible loss of income.
Across the country, hundreds of
equestrian events were cancelled and
in the lead up to an Olympics, this has
been a major blow for Olympic hopefuls.
This has not only impacted on Australian
combinations, but also on countries
such as New Zealand and Japan, who
were relying on qualifiers such as the
Australian Dressage Championships in
Sydney. Some riders, such as Stuart
Tinney, have had to head to the Northern
Hemisphere to ensure they get the best
chance to qualify for Beijing.
Heath Ryan, writing in ‘The Horse
Magazine’, concluded that Olympic
He was elected a Director of the
Australian Wool Corporation (AWC) in
1973 and Chairman from 1979–1988, and
was Chairman of the International Wool
Secretariat (IWS) at the same time.
David Asimus was Australian of the Year
in 1987, Awarded the Ronald Anderson
Memorial Man of the Year for Agriculture
in 1986, and awarded an AO in 1984
(Officer in the Order of Australia).
He was elected the founding Chancellor
of the Charles Sturt University (CSU) in
1989, a position he held for 13 years.
In 1997, CSU was awarded University
of the Year for commitment to first
generation students, a cause which
David championed.
W Robert R Beggs AM
Immediate Past President
Robert
Riordan
David Asimus was awarded three
honorary doctorates – Doctor of Science
in 1985 by the University of NSW,
Doctor of Agricultural Economics in
1997 by the University of Sydney, and
in 2001, CSU awarded David the degree
of Doctor of the University.
During David’s eleven years as
Chancellor, the CSU grew from 10,000
students to 40,000. Encouraged by
disciplines were losing $631,000 a day
and that the proposed $25 million
dollars offered in assistance to the nonTB sector will most certainly not cover
all those who come under the banner of
the pleasure horse industry.
R
obert Riordan of Newtown,
Geelong was recently
elected as Deputy Chairman
of the Marcus Oldham College
Council.
We must not forget that auxiliary industries
that help support Olympic riders and
hobby owners suffered too - riding
schools, farriers, transport companies,
saddleries, and even veterinarians. We
would think that vets’ businesses would
increase with sick horses, but don’t
forget that people were loathe to have
visitors on their property due to risk of
cross contamination, so many vets found
their phone ringing less, not more.
Robert is Managing Director of
Riordan Fuels, a wholesale and retail
Petroleum Distributor across regional
Victoria, and of Strantex private
investment company. Additionally,
Robert is on the Board of Riordan
Grains. He has held a number of
Directorships including Boundary
Bend Estate Olive Grove investors,
Colac-Otway Water Board (Chair),
Victorian Groundwater Council
(Chair), Barwon Water and Monivae
College Hamilton. Robert and his wife
Elizabeth have four adult children,
three of whom are Marcus Oldham
graduates, James (93) and Paul (95)
of the Farm Management course,
and Louise (94) of the Agribusiness
course.
The effect of this EI outbreak has certainly
made everyone within the industry realise
that we are not immune to epidemic
threats despite our apparent isolation.
Terms like bio-security have made it into
our equine lexicon and changed our
approach from ‘she’ll be right’ to ‘we’d
better get it right’ or face financial ruin
and heartbreak all over again.
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19
The
Network
Reception was held in the Geelong
Grammar School Dining Hall, and the
couple live in Canberra ACT.
MARRIAGES
Ric Nelson FM 95 married Catherine
Mills on 6 October 2007 at St. Fergal’s
Church in Hay NSW. The reception was
at ‘Westhaven House’ in Hay, the home of
family friends Ian and Lynne Curtayne.
Luke Fitzgerald BB(AgMgt) 05 married
Erin Richards HBM 04 this year. The
wedding and reception were held at the
St Aloysuis Catholic Church, Sevenhill
Winery, Sevenhill, Clare Valley, SA, on
the 15th March (at the end of a 20 day
+35C heatwave, 38C on the day).
Back Row (L-R): Kim McMahon BBus
05, Erin Fitzgerald Richards, HBM
04, Luke Fitzgerald BBus 05, Stuart
Johnston RBM 02, Sophie Kennedy
BBus 08, Alexander Keach BBus 05,
Nicholas Mills BBus 05, Crosby Youl,
best-man, RBM 04.
Front Row (L-R): Glenn Aldridge Agri
02, Timothy Gubbins RMB 04, Jade
Freeburn BBus 05.
Erin is currently working as a Business
Development Manager for Bendigo &
Adelaide Bank in Adelaide and Luke
is Operations & Business Development
Manager for the Lloyd Ag. Group. based
in the Adelaide Hills.
Kate Monty Gaffney HBM 97 married
Rob Monty at the Royal Botanical
Gardens in Hobart in November 2007.
Kate and Rob have a little son, Jay.
[email protected]
Katrina Swift Watson FBM 02,
B.Bus(AgMgt) 03 and Mark Swift,
FBM 05 and currently studying for
BBus(AgMgt), married on 12 April this
year and honeymooned on Lord Howe
Island.
Lachlan Stewart FM 96 married
Amanda in January this year.
Kate Turner HBM 02 wed Albert
Achanfuo-Yeboah in the Chapel of All
Saints at the Geelong Grammar School
on Saturday 29 March 2008.
The
20
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Michael, Danny, Ric and Bruce at the
recovery next day.
Graduates at the wedding were
Michael Wallis, Danny Colla and
Bruce Crouch all FM 95, and the
photographer was Margie McCelland,
wife of Chris McCelland FM 66 who
lives at Hay. Ric and Catherine are a
success story from a leading women’s
magazine, which ran an article about
farmers searching for a wife.
BABIES
Mark Inglis FM 92 and Fiona have a
little daughter, Matilda, born 8 December
2007 and is a sister for Molly. Molly and
Matilda are the granddaughters of Sam
FM 66 and Cheryl.
Peter Stephens FM 83 and Ali Murphy
have two little people – Charley Peter
James and Lucy Veronica Grace, born
3 February 2008 at Geelong, to keep
them busy.
Andrew Kettlewell FBM 02 and
Amanda are delighted with the arrival
of Poppy May born 28 November 2007,
7lbs 14 oz, at the Northampton Hospital
UK. Andrew and Amanda have rented
an 11 acre block of land and have 23
ewes which were lambing, at the time
of writing (March) and Andrew says
the lambing percentage was currently
running at 200%.
So, from 5.30am till 7am he’s in the
old work cloths, and from 8am to 6pm
in the full suit and tie. He’s busy, but
happy selling IT and as March was the
last month of the financial year, Andrew
was on the way to being, ‘sales person
of the year’ after doing two million
pounds worth of sales. Hope he made
it! They live at Long Buckby, Northants.
[email protected].
Ben Erwin FM 94 and his wife,
Sandrine, welcomed their second child,
Amelie Josephine, 8lb 11oz into their
family on 13 August 2007. A little sister
for Isabelle Rose.
Bridget Pern Green Agri 96 and
husband Daker’s third child, Oliver, was
born just before last Christmas. They
live at Willatook, Vic.
Jane Boys Bowman Agri 92 & 02 and
her husband, Malcolm are proud to
announce the safe arrival of their little
daughter, Isabella Mae born Wednesday
February 3 2008 and weighing 7lb
14oz. Son, Neil loves having a little
sister. They live at Nanneella Vic where
they operate their Pleasant Park Jersey
Stud & Kallam Brahmans. Jane is the
daughter of Anthony Bowman FM 68.
[email protected].
Danny Colla FM 95 and Daniella
recently welcomed Jordan Xavier to
their family. A brother for, Nathan,
Alannah, Gabriella and Samuel (dec).
Tom Murphy FM 03 and wife, Fiona
live at Jimbour Qld, and have one little
daughter.
MARCUS ALL OVER
Chloe Armstrong HBM 07 is currently
employed as Stud Secretary for a boutique
broodmare property called Reavill Farm
owned by John and Shenna Rippon.
Due to the small size of the farm (40
mares) Chloe has the opportunity to be
involved in all facets of the business.
Chloe has been to the recent Inglis
and Magic Millon sales and was very
excited that one of their yearlings by
Redoute sold for $1.8 million. Chloe
said her employers are looking after her
very well and providing her with great
opportunities.
Peter Stevenson RBM 01 and Anna
Cockerill HBM 98 have moved to
Walcha, near Tamworth, NSW. Peter
is working with Clyde Agriculture as
Livestock Overseer and Anna will work
part time with AQHA. Her interest is to
develop an equine massage operation
around the busy program of raising
Abby and new baby, Riley 9lb 12oz,
born 27 March in Tamworth (he shares
a birthday with his Dad).
[email protected].
Craig Hamilton FM 82 works
in Warrnambool Vic as a Business
Development Manager, Corporate &
Business Division with Bankwest.
Helen Monie Malone Agri 98 lives in
Moree NSW and is working at Westpac
Bank as one of the Agri Managers.
Keeping Helen busy is the study required
for her Bachelor of Business majoring in
Agribusiness. [email protected]
Lucy Hall Agri 98 previously with AWB
in Perth, is now working with Price
Waterhouse Cooper in Melbourne.
Ben McTaggart Agri 06 enjoyed
working as an Investment Analyst Agribusiness with Lonsec Limited in
Collins Street, Melbourne, but has been
drawn back to the open skies and a
rural lifestyle and can be found living
near Moora, WA.
[email protected].
Georgina Greig Spry HBM 86 and her
husband farm near the Hamilton Hwy at
Caramut, Vic.
[email protected].
Joanne Park King HBM 89 and Cam,
own Winchelsea Trading – hardware
and farm supplies, and live at Inverleigh
Vic, with children Harrison, Cameron
and Kealy. After leaving College,
Joanne worked on Thoroughbred studs
for ten years.
Jennifer Douglas-Haby-Milne HBM 98
lives with husband, Stuart and children
Rachael and Vienna, near Nichols
Point, Vic. Jennifer was Competition
Manager for the inaugural Equitana
Asia Pacific Event 2000, Team Liaison
Officer Sydney Olympics, and in 2001
produced an Olympic Documentary.
Marrying her winemaker husband in
2003 she moved to Mildura. She set up
a horse property, and a local production
company and organises community
events.
The production company,
Sweet Pea Productions, is now servicing
clients nationally. Jennifer still finds time
to compete in Dressage.
[email protected].
Jason Frecklington FBM 93 along
with his wife, Deb and three daughters,
Isabella, Lucy and Elke, live in Kingaroy
Qld. [email protected].
Christopher Sloane FM 70 resides at
‘Edendale’ near Blayney NSW with his
wife, Rosemary. Christopher operated
two properties in the Forbes District,
before selling and moving to Orange in
2002, and is now employee/contractor
for orchards and farms in the region.
Andrew Perry FM 66 farmer and
grazier, and Anne live in Dubbo NSW.
Since leaving Marcus Andrew owned
and managed their property at Warren
NSW. [email protected].
Jock Campbell Agri 97 manages
Pooginook Merino Stud at Jerilderie
NSW where he lives with his wife,
Lou and children, Harriet and Jack.
[email protected].
Luke Wilkinson HBM 02 a Blood Stock
Agent and Thoroughbred Syndicator,
lives at Werribee Vic. Luke started
his own business in Luke Anthony
Bloodstock and has syndicated 15
horses with Caulfield trainer, Mick Price.
In 2007 they had 11 winners.
John Maggs FM 80 has enjoyed
property management in NSW and
Victoria before moving in to sales with
Phillips Farm Machinery, Hamilton Vic.
John and wife, Jenny, live at Byaduk
with children Scott and Ben.
[email protected].
Tim Clarke FM 69 is farming at Pranjip
Park, Wahring, Vic.
[email protected].
What DobeYr?ou
Remem
Colin Baldock FM 75 has a retail
grocery and café franchise in Adelaide
called ‘Jones The Grocer’. Call in for a
coffee and a chat. With his wife, Anne,
he operated family properties in Qld
and NSW until their sale over the last
two years. [email protected].
Marcus Berlyn HBM 91 owns
a medium earthmoving business in
Ballarat and also sells large water tanks.
He and his wife, Kimberley and young
Ryan live in Ballarat. Before making a
career change of direction, Marcus was
stallion manager/farrier/horse breaker
at Wyndham Park for seven years.
Greg Scanlon FM 91 spent 5 years
as Stud Overseer at Eidswold Station
Santa Gertrudis Stud, then became
Owner/Operator of G & R Scanlon Ag
Management – cattle breeding and ag
contracting, and is now Owner/Director
of ARB Bendigo, retail, fitting and
servicing of four wheel drive accessories.
With wife, Robyn and children, Emily
and Tully he lives at Kangaroo Flat Vic.
[email protected].
Michelle Napthine HBM 97 is General
Manager of Macedon Park (spelling,
breeding and racing.)
Michelle,
Raymond and daughter, Jessica born
on 2002, live in Gisborne. Michelle
worked as a safari guide, vet nurse and
in saddlery, before her current work.
Adam Hill FM 99 commenced in
February this year, the role of CEO
for the Northern Territory Livestock
Exporters Association, based in Darwin.
Michael Kingham FM 98 and wife
Margaret Lyons Agri 98 with children,
Meg, Bryce and Warwick, live on
Margaret’s family business – Allensleigh
Station at Charters Towers Qld, where
Michael is managing two family cattle
properties. [email protected].
Lucy Roberts Nelson HBM 87 is
Assistant Stud Secretary at Coolmore
Australia in Jerry’s Plains NSW. Lucy is
married to Martin, and since graduation
has worked at Coolmore Ireland,
Derringstown Stud, Ireland, Cambridge
Stud, NZ, and moved to Coolmore
Australia in 1997.
[email protected].
David Stewart FM 76 after leaving
Marcus spent 10 years as farm manager,
13 as Agricultural Trainer with TAFE,
and has been in the current position of
Senior Chemical Standards Officer with
the Victorian Department of Primary
Industries. David and Anna are based
at Balnarring Vic.
[email protected].
Because
Mike Stephens (FM 66)
wants to know.
Mike is authorised to write the history
of Marcus Oldham College to be
published in celebration of our 50th
Anniversary. Apart from the facts
and figures that require to be told, a
good read also includes stories with
a human interest element; stories that
show the heart and the colour of this
unique College.
So think hard and search the memory
bank for snippets, earth shattering
experiences, anecdotes, and perhaps
ring mates, or gather around for a few
beers and start reminiscing.
To unlock your mind here are some
thought starters:
• tours (remember some things that
happen on the bus, stay on the bus)
• humorous events
• harmless gossip
• lecturers’ faux pas
• lecturers’ wisdom
• Principals’ idiosyncrasies
• Principals’ leadership and good
advice
• rules good or bad
• punishments (fair or unfair)
• dining room stories
• staff – admin, hostel, maintenance
• hostel corridors
• sporting tales
• formal dinners
• B & S’s
• before girls (officially)
• tree planting
• Principal’s house
• first week at College
• graduation
• no kiss and tells (unless you really
have to)
• a good thing that you learned in
the lecture room or on tour that has
stood by you over the years.
This is your history. Please contact Mike
Stephens with your contributions.
[email protected]
P. 03 5341 7652 F. 03 53417630
M. 0418 508150
P.S. and anything nice about the
Principal’s wife 78-94!
Actually, I think the Principals’ wives
could tell a tale or two.
JCMcC Editor
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21
Editor’s Memo
Food: growing, marketing cooking, eating – a continuous cycle – well, we hope
It has to bheam!
Marcus Old
• Industry recognised courses
• Respected degree or
diploma qualifications
• Excellent employment
opportunities
• Expert guest lecturers
• Be equipped with knowledge
and skills to manage rural
properties
• National and international
study tours
• Small class sizes and
personalised tuition
• Develop strong business
management skills
• Gain invaluable industry
contacts
• Learn in a caring collegiate
environment
• Industry supported
scholarships on offer
• Develop horse husbandry
and practical skills
• Make friends for life from all
over the world
• International career
opportunities
• Full-time lecturers with
commercial experience who
can relate theory to practice
• Real World education
it will be continuous, even with the experts advising we will run out of it – food as
we know it anyway. I expect the substituting of three pills a day for our breakfast,
lunch and dinner is still sometime off! I just simply cannot imagine Marcus students
sitting in the dining room endeavouring to get the satisfying sensation of meat and
three veg out of one pill.
So, this brings me to the current discussion on food production. Having seen
properties battered by drought and the desperation of parents or neighbours,
the upcoming generation may unfavourably view the wisdom of staying on the
land, but for many it’s ‘in their blood’. Fortunately, generations of farmers have
survived and recovered from droughts, and each generation has the backing of new
scientific research in development of crops, new farming practices, education, water
management, agri-politicians, environmental issues, advising, transport, counselling,
and, also, a strong desire to maintain their way of life.
New agriculturalists emerging from Marcus and other institutions keenly recognise
the importance of their career choice and their role as caretakers of the land and as
producers of food to feed Australians and provide for the international markets.
When travelling around Australia attending field days, career expos and schools I
am greatly heartened by the show of faith in Australian agriculture, and to have our
own farm business management groups full or close to full capacity, augers well for
Australian agriculture.
Which brings me back to the first word – Food – seen on tables in the College dining
room – a room too small. The heart of any home is the kitchen-dining room, this is
no less for the Marcus dining room. Please take time to fill out the enclosed donation
form showing your financial support for the re-development of the dining room.
Your contribution will help make this room the centrepiece of the College.
Thank you.
FIELD DAYS – Call in for a chat.
June 12-14
August 4-5
August 12-14
August 17
‘Primex’ Casino NSW
‘Sheepvention’ Hamilton Vic
Eyre Peninsula SA
Victorian Country Thoroughbred
Festival Seymour, Vic
August 19-21
‘Agquip’ Gunnedah NSW
September 9-10
‘Westech’ Barcaldine Qld
September 23-25
Henty NSW
October 7-9
Elmore Vic
November 14-16
Adelaide 3-Day Event
November 20-23
Equitana Melbourne
If you know someone you think should be pointed in the direction of Marcus,
sit down and have a chat with them about the importance of a tertiary education
if they are serious about a career in farm management, horse management or
agribusiness.
Janet Craigie-McConnell
Editor
An awed hush rose…
• Be a success
A
Choose the College
described by many
as the leader in rural
and equine business
management.
Shares offering ten percent of ownership were auctioned and Robert and Harvey
purchased one share in the Thoroughbred filly, ‘Hush Rose’ sired by Hussonet,
which stands at Arrowfield Stud, NSW. Syndicated by Slade Bloodstock, the filly is
trained by champion trainer, Lee Freedman.
• Learn leadership skills
FREE CALL 1800 623 500
[email protected]
22
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revelation, second sight, vision, hunch, gut-feeling – call it what you
will – but at the 2007 Marcus Oldham Golf Day auction at Moonah
Links, Robert Riordan, Deputy Chairman, Marcus Oldham College
Council and Harvey Munday, long time friend, had it.
An awed hush rose from the crowd at the Sale Races, Vic, on May 6 this year, as
‘Hush Rose’, in her second start, burst from the gates and showing extraordinary spirit
fired by the all-consuming desire to win, triumphantly flashed first past the post.
Punters take note!
Need to contact someone?
College Staff
Principal:
Simon Livingstone
[email protected]
(03) 5243 3533
Deputy Principal
(Business and Development):
John Miles
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2903
Director of Agribusiness:
Andrew Baker
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2902
Director of
Farm Business Management:
Tony Hudson
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2920
Director of
Horse Business Management:
Emma Morel
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2909
Director of Corporate Training:
Sam Inglis
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2921
Lecturing Team:
Nigel Brown
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2923
Des Umbers
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2918
Jason Wheaton
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2908
Will Winter
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2922
Catering & Accommodation Manager:
Ken Whitehead
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2910
Computer Centre Coordinator:
Scott Vanderkley
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2906
Foundation Development Manager:
Kate Sharkey
[email protected]
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2919
Maintenance & Grounds:
David Bent
(03) 5247 2914
[email protected]
Ian Cook
(03) 5247 2914
[email protected]
Marketing Officer:
Janet Craigie-McConnell
[email protected]
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2926
MOCOSA Executive
President:
James Bufton FM 94
[email protected]
(03) 5284 1344
Student Services Officer:
Jenny Wotherspoon
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2911
Vice President:
Graeme Harvey FM 71
[email protected]
hm: 03 5265 1344
Secretary to Management:
Jennifer Jones
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2901
Secretary:
Sam Inglis FM 66
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2921
Administration Officer:
Rebecca Ross
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2900
Committee:
Peter Griffiths HBM 82
wk: (03) 9434 2133
mb: 0408 346 824
Mark Inglis FM 92
[email protected]
mb: 0402 011 229
Library Manager:
Janine Robertson
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2912
Anthony Mulcahy RBM 02
[email protected]
hm: (03) 5350 7537
Assistant Finance Manager:
Cathy Bent
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2905
Jennie Parker Agri 93
mb: 0407 840 558
[email protected]
Printing Room:
Anna Winstanley
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2913
Kate Sharkey Agri 96
[email protected]
(03) 5247 2919
Marcus Oldham College
Old Students Association
MOCOSA Magazine is published by:
Tie $25
Scarf $32
Life Membership $100
Marcus Oldham College
Private Bag 116
Geelong Mail Centre 3221
http://www.marcusoldham.vic.edu.au
Phone: 03 5243 3533 Fax: 03 5244 1263
Magazine Editor:
Janet Craigie-McConnell
[email protected]
Supported by:
All the team at Marcus Oldham College
Design By: Jakki Oakes - Dali Doo Art & Design
Printed By: Print Design Australia
Mail Preparation By: Shannon Park Industries
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23
Valued sponsors of the College
Woodlands Stud
RC & EC Webb Trust
Wa l l a c e L i v e s t o c k I n s u r a n c e
Innovative • Committed • Independent