As the highly anticipated Rabobank Beef Industry Awards approaches, previous recipients of the Queensland Country Life Red Meat Achiever of the Year award have reflected on how the prestigious title gained them increased industry recognition.
OBE Organic's managing director, Dalene Wray, was the first female to receive the award in 2018.
Describing it as a snowball effect for other awards and scholarships she went on to receive within the year, she attributes her success with these applications back to the award.
"I was the first female to receive the award and quite young at the time - I was 42, so it was certainly exciting to know that the people making the decisions recognised a woman could win such a coveted award," Ms Wray said.
Now based in Brisbane, but having grown up in the channel country at Birdsville where she still calls home, Ms Wray has dedicated her career to improving the sustainability of Australian agriculture.
Equipped with an understanding of international markets and having worked basically every role within OBE Organics from logistics to sales, Ms Wray has developed a strong relationship with state and federal government in a way that benefits western Queensland communities - something that she also attributes to the recognition she received from the award.
The award acknowledged not only her commitment to sustainability, but also her advocacy for indigenous reconciliation, diversity and inclusion within agriculture.
Ms Wray says that her winning has also helped other women in realising that they can achieve recognition for their roles in leadership.
"It is important that young women are reflected in these awards because there's not that many women in positions of leadership within Australian agriculture," she said.
Another Beef Achiever winner who claims the award enhanced his industry credibility is the 2010 recipient, David Foote.
Hailing from Sandy Creek in the south east corner, he now heads the board of Australian Country Choice, and occupies various other positions on the Red Meat Advisory Council and MLA, on top of running his own commercial Charbray operation.
"You're nominated by others so I was totally flabbergasted and unaware - in fact, I wasn't even going to the event so I was very much underprepared and underdressed," Mr Foote said.
"A few people such as Pip Courtney were encouraging me to go and lucky I did."
"At the time I was working for ACC in a leadership role and I'm still at ACC 14 years on. I progressed from chief executive to managing director and then in 2020, I stepped down from managing director into my current board role as chairman."
Whilst Mr Foote joked that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, he admitted that he could see how this award had gained him increased industry credibility.
"I still consider this award important enough to use in my biography fourteen years on," he said.
The winners of the 2024 Queensland Country Life Red Meat Achiever of the Year and the Rabobank Young Beef Ambassador awards will be announced at the prestigious Beef Industry Awards Dinner on May 6, an event hosted by Rabobank and Queensland Country Life.
The winner of the RW Vincent award, presented by the Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association, will also be announced at the dinner.
