Applications open for the 2024 Matthew George Youth Stockman Award
The Ballarat Foundation is proud to announce the opening of the Matthew George Young Stockman Award for 2024.
This annual Award is offered nationally in July with the winner being announced at the Royal Melbourne Show
The Award provides an opportunity for young breeders, aged 18 to 25 years, to undertake a study tour of beef cattle breeding programs, developments and practices. As well, they act as young ambassadors for the beef cattle industry in Australia.
This award is in memory of Matthew George. Matthew lived in the Stockyard Hill area in Victoria and at age 19 he purchased a property about 7 kilometres from his parents’ farm. Matthew died in November 2007, aged 21, as a result of a motor vehicle crash close to home.
From the time Matthew could walk he was his father’s shadow. Matthew embraced farm life from that point on. He was a natural at handling stock whether it be sheep or cattle but as he grew older, cattle (and Black Angus cattle in particular) became his passion. He loved
to prepare his animals for the show ring and the sale ring and provided the same service to other leading cattle studs in Victoria.
Matthew was like a sponge when it came to genetics. He would study every stud sale catalogue, American and Canadian Angus Journals and kept them as a ready reference. When Matthew went to a Stud cattle sale, he would already have chosen the cattle he would
like to purchase. He wasn’t successful in purchasing all the cattle he liked because the ones he had selected usually went for the highest prices.
Matthew’s dream was to travel to Canada on a working holiday. He wanted to stay at some of the Stud ranches where they welcomed the help and in exchange gave you a first-hand experience on how their operation worked. Matthew really wanted to see the Angus genetics in Canada as he believed this was where his own Angus Stud would benefit the most. His quest was to find the magic genetics that would elevate his Stud Stock to be the breeding stock that other cattle breeders wanted to place in their breeding herds.
Following Matthew’s death, the Angus cattle family of Australia rallied together, along with local business from Beaufort and Ballarat area in Victoria, to form The Matthew George Young Stockman Award in his memory.
Award recipients have used funds from the Award to participate in overseas study tours. Award criteria and information on how to enter are available HERE
APPLY HERE
CLICK HERE
