The Australian Beef Industry Foundation (ABIF) is very pleased to announce the endowment by Old Murroa Partnership of the Simon Gubbins Scholarship that is to be available in perpetuity to Australian applicants.
The Simon Gubbins Scholarship will provide annually an Australian student with financial support towards costs associated with one year of a Degree or Diploma of Agriculture course at the prestigious Lincoln University in New Zealand. The Scholarship will also be open to a student looking to undertake post graduate study.
In announcing the establishment of the Scholarship that will be sponsored by the Gubbins family Old Murroa Partnership, Hamilton, Victoria to be named after the late Simon Gubbins, Jenny and John Gubbins said “We feel this is something Simon would be very happy with”.
“It is entirely appropriate that this scholarship, aimed at producing industry leaders, should be named after such an outstanding agricultural leader as Simon Gubbins” Frank Archer, Chairman of ABIF said in making the announcement. “Simon, who died in 2003, became a preeminent industry leader and was an exceptional custodian of the land where he developed his property Old Murroa in Western Victoria into a model agricultural enterprise.”
Simon Gubbins studied agriculture at Lincoln College in New Zealand, was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 1997 and went on to serve on the selection panel for that scholarship. In addition he was a District Councillor of the Victorian Farmers Federation, President of the Grasslands Society of Victoria, President of the Hamilton Branch of the Beef Improvement Association, a director of the Australian Beef Association, Chairman of Rural Industries Skills Training, a member of the Melbourne University Faculty of Agriculture advisory group and a Member of the Prime Steer Committee of the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria.
“Simon was a very strong supporter of ABIF and its aims of inspiring beef industry careers, and was one of the first seedstock breeders in Australia to donate the proceeds from the sale of a bull at his annual sale to ABIF” Mr Archer said. “This generous sponsorship by the Gubbins family maintains the membership of ABIF that was commenced by Simon, and will see them join our coterie of Benefactor members.”
The Simon Gubbins Scholarship will be awarded by a selection panel to be chaired by a representative of the Gubbins family and applications for the 2013 Simon Gubbins Scholar will soon open.
“The naming of this scholarship after Simon Gubbins is a fitting way to honour an outstanding individual who contributed so much to both the business and social aspects of rural life in Australia” Mr Archer concluded.
