RW Vincent Award

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

• The award is intended to recognise outstanding contributions to the beef cattle breeding industry.
• Preference will be given, in selecting the successful nominee, to a person who has made a significant practical and commercial contribution to the cattle breeding industry over a sustained period of time. This contribution should go beyond that of the activities of a single breed i.e. it should include industry-wide components that are worthy of national recognition.

Nomination Procedure

• The ARCBA Executive decides when an award is to be made to fit in with ARCBA’s overall program of activities.
• The Executive Director of ARCBA writes to all breed societies who are members of ARCBA and invites them to put up a nominee by a stipulated closing date.
• Nominations should include a summary of the career of the nominee (not to exceed two pages) plus a covering letter (not to exceed two pages) from the nominating organisation describing the significance of the contributions made by the nominee to the cattle breeding industry.

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.

Who is Richard W. Vincent?

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.

Current Winner

Mr John Griffith