The Thomas Foods International Special Dinner Dance and Auction 2019

The Thomas Foods International Angus Youth Roundup once again was host to the crowd favourite Special Dinner Dance and Auction, held Saturday 12^th of January at the Armidale Services Club.

The event hosted 380 people, bringing together participants, parents, sponsors, committee and special guests for a night of awards, celebration and entertainment.

Proudly supported by the generous dinner sponsors Red Angus Society of Australia and Upper Murray Seeds, the dinner allowed guests to listen to various speakers throughout the night, with the MC of the night Hayley Robinson taking to the mic.

The live and silent auctions were a massive success on the night thanks to many generous donations, with a total of 22 lots in the live auction and 31 in the silent auction.  The auctions raised a total of $25,000, breaking previous records for the most proceeds raised from auctions at Angus Australia.  This success is thanks to the generous members of the audience who bought items in support of the event.

The funds raised from the evening will go towards future Roundups as well as various Angus Youth programs to assist in the development and support of the future generations within the Angus breed as well as the greater beef industry.

Without the support of those who purchased items in the auction, as well as those who generously donated auction items, the Special Dinner Dance would not have been the great success that it was.

Throughout the night, various presentations of special Roundup awards took place, recognising members of the Angus community.

The Stewart Award, Cornell Shield and Trans-Tasman Exchange Scholarship were all announced during the evening’s proceeds.

The Stewart Award is an award that has been an important part of the Roundup program since 2001.  The award (previously named the Angus Youth Helper of the Year Award) is named after Bruce and Pat Stewart of Dunlop Park Angus, Tasmania, in recognition of their tireless support to the Angus Youth program.  The award is presented to the recipient based on their outstanding contribution to the Angus Youth Program.  The 2019 recipient of the Stewart Award is John O’Reilly, whom was presented with award on the evening by committee member Murk Schoen.

The Cornell Shield is named in memory of David and Kathleen Cornell, whose tireless work was pivotal to the establishment of the Angus Youth Program.  Each year the Cornell Shield is presented to the Roundup Coordinator.   This year the shield was presented to Zac McInerney, the 2019 Roundup Coordinator.  The Roundup Committee was instrumental in the running this excellent event, with Zac at the helm.

The Trans-Tasman Exchange Scholarship was once again presented at the Special Dinner Dance, with Chloe Gould announced as the 2019 recipient.  Miss Gould was chosen out of a large number of keen applicants to be selected for the exchange, which is proudly sponsored by New England Travel.  The exchange will see Miss Gould have the opportunity to observe the Angus breed globally, as she travels to New Zealand to visit various Angus seedstock and commercial operations, feedlots, field days and sales.

Angus Youth and the Roundup Committee would like to thank all who contributed to the success of the evening.

Auction Items Results: