CLONCURRY-based beef extension officer Emma Hegarty was announced as the inaugural recipient of the Platinum Primary Producers Group’s Zanda McDonald Award in Darwin on Tuesday night.
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As well as receiving the Zanda McDonald Award trophy, Ms Hegarty has taken away a tailored sabbatical and mentoring package to assist with her current work and/or projects.
It’s a fitting reward for the Longreach-raised QDAF employee, whose motto has been “the more you learn, the more you learn”.
Ms Hegarty, 27, grew up at Colanya, a sheep property north-west of Longreach, and completed a degree in livestock science at the University of New England before starting work at Colemans Stock Feeds at Charters Towers, followed by a 10-month graduate program with Meat and Livestock Australia and Teys Australia at Rockhampton’s Lakes Creek abattoir.
Ms Hegarty is also known in the industry as the coach of the Australian national meat judging team.
The award was launched at the 2014 PPP conference in Queenstown, New Zealand, to recognise diligent individuals working in the primary industry sectors in Australia and New Zealand.
Cloncurry legend Zanda McDonald was a founding member of the PPP group, a network of 120 of Australasia’s leading agribusiness professionals. A dairy business manager from Christchurch, Athol New, and Landcorp Farming Southland farm manager Luke Wright were the other finalists.
