Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association
Background
The ARCBA Council has established the R.W. Vincent Award for outstanding services to the Australian Cattle Breeding industry. Dick Vincent was the inaugural President of ARCBA in its present form. In 1979 he took over a failing organisation, with low membership, no money and no program. Through his energy and foresight he restructured it into a true national voice for the registered cattle breeding sector which had 35 breed members within the first two years of his Presidency.
Criteria
Nomination Procedure
Selection Procedure
All nominations will be forwarded to the ARCBA Executive who will choose the successful nominee.
Presentation
The Award is presented at a major ARCBA event such as the Annual General Meeting or the Beef Awards Dinner at Beef Australia.
Frequency of Award
It is intended that the award be presented periodically rather than on a fixed cycle. It is a very high level and prestigious acknowledgement of services to cattle breeding.
Dick Vincent is one of the Australian cattle industry's most outstanding characters. Born in December 1924, he completed RAAF service and was granted a War Service land settlement grazing property ‑ "Tanga" Toodyay (1350 acres). Over the next 40 years he was involved in a number of cattle properties including, "Bonniefield" Dongar Hereford Stud and commercial cattle (13,000 acres); "Hamelin Pool" Station, Sharks Bay, running Brahman and Hereford (450,000 acres); "Matilda Downs", Mr. Barker, Hereford (5,000 acres); "Minilya Station", Carnarvon, Hereford and 30,000 Merinos (670,000 acres); "Hamelin Park", Williams, Simmental Stud and "De Grey Station" Port Hedland, which carries 20,000 Shorthorn cattle (1,000,000 acres). He now breeds Droughtmasters and race horses at Capel in Western Australia.
Dick has been unstinting in the time he has devoted to cattle industry organisations over 4 decades. This work includes: -
20 years Committee United Beef Breeders of WA ‑ President 3 terms
Vice‑President, Hereford Society WA Branch
Vice‑President, Brahman Society WA Branch
President, Midwest Cattleman's Association
Executive Committee, Pastoralists and Graziers Assoc. WA
Chairman, Cattle and Meat Committee
P. & G. Representative, Australian Cattle Council
Member, Murdoch University Foundation Veterinary Studies
Chairman, Cattle Committee, Rural and Allied Industries Council of WA
Member, N.B.R.S. Advisory Committee
Director Mid West Abattoir Geraldton
Board member CLASS (forerunner of CALM)
Council, Australian Simmental Breeders' Association of WA,18 years
Chairman, 7 Terms
Federal Council, Australian Simmental Breeders' Association, 16 years
Chairman, 6 Terms
Life Member, Australian Simmental Breeders' Association
Council, World Federation of Simmental Breeders, 12 years
President, World Federation of Simmental Breeders, 3 years
Life Member, World Federation of Simmental Breeders
Councillor, ARCBA, 10 years
President, ARCBA, 3 years
Dick has judged all major Beef Breeds (except Charolais, Shorthorn and Maine Anjou) in Australian Royal Shows. He has also judged in New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe. He is renowned as a cartoonist and raconteur. His great sense of humour and lateral thinking has been the salvation of many an industry meeting which could otherwise have bogged down on trivial issues.
In 2002, Dick and Jan Cornish undertook an amazing horse ride through the Pilbara region to mark the Year of the Outback. The story of this journey is published in ‘From Here to There – Story of Year of the Outback Ride’.
In 2015 Dick Vincent was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) medal in the Queen’s Birthday Awards for distinguished service to the beef cattle industry, including internationally and to thoroughbred horse breeding and racing.
David and Prue Bondfield were presented with the RW Vincent Award at a glittering Beef 2021 Awards Dinner in Rockhampton on Monday evening. The presentation was made by President of the Australian Registered Cattle Breed Association, Thomas George.
Included in the 500 attendees were Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, David Littleproud and Deputy leader of the Nationals , Matt Canavan and member for Capricornia Michelle Landry, and the “whos who” of the Australian beef industry.
David and Prue are best known for their highly successful Palgrove Charolais stud. They have also recognised the value of composite genetics by breeding Ultrablack cattle for use in northern beef herds.
Through their Palgrove operation they have been tremendous users and advocates of BREEDPLAN and the benefits of performance recording.
David and Prue have given freely of their time to present to agricultural education programs including many of the Beef industry youth events such as the South Australian Junior Heifer Expo and other similar junior events.
David and wife Prue have also regularly contributed to forums such as the Young Beef Producers Forum at Roma. Palgrove has been a great supporter of developing youth in the industry through their own operations and in 2017 teamed up to launch an online safety induction created specifically for livestock producers. This program was designed as a step to work towards safety compliance, a zero harm culture and aims to prevent incidents before they happen. www.ruralinduction.com
David has been a tremendous ambassador for the Australian beef industry judging many international events and has judged at nearly every Royal Show and breed National Show.
Prue has been actively involved in many beef industry bodies including as the chairperson of the task force which developed the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework for the Red Meat Industry.
“David and Prue share many of the attributes of Dick Vincent in being visionary, but also very approachable and happy to share their knowledge, especially with up and coming young cattle breeders and the RW Vincent award is recognition of their achievements” said ARCBA Executive Director, Alex McDonald.
Photo: David and Prue Bondfield with ARCBA President Thomas George