Hosted by DairyTas, the annual Tasmanian Dairy Awards were held on Friday 22 March at Paranaple Arts Centre in Devonport.
There were nine awards handed out over the course of the night. Attendees also heard from keynote speakers, Mike Rolls and Ben Pettingill – known as ‘Legless and Blind’. Mike and Ben have combined their own powerful experiences, and the lessons learned through them, to create Real Life Resilience. The pair shared their inspirational stories about overcoming adversity to a captivated audience.
DairyTas Regional Manager Deb Morice said the awards were an opportunity for attendees to get together and create valuable networks, while recognising the businesses and individuals who are excelling in their field.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to bring Tasmania's dairy industry together to honour its top performers, and collectively reflect on and celebrate the past year," Mrs Morice said.
"As we celebrate the wonderful success stories within our dairy farming community, we would also like to acknowledge the generous support and remarkable commitment of our dairy service industry.”
Sereya Spark received the 2024 Future of Dairy Scholarship, sponsored by the Lawrence Family (Janefield Dairy). The scholarship is in memory of Sophie Lawrence, and the recipient receives up to $3,000 towards building capability that will assist them to achieve their dairy goals.
Cheryl McCartie was a multiple award winner on the night, picking up the NRM North Dairy Environmental Award and Elphinstone Stevens Dairy Service Award. The Dairy Service Award recognises those who have provided 20-plus years of outstanding service to the dairy industry.
The 2024 awards followed the Tasmanian Dairy Conference, which was well-attended throughout the day. This was held at the same venue, with the theme Dairying for the future.
DairyTas would like to thank the conference and award sponsors, keynote speakers and everyone who attended over the course of the day.
Full list of 2024 Tasmanian Dairy Industry Awards winners:
ANZ Dairy Business of the Year Award: Dalmore Dairy, part of the BWB group and managed by Mahesh Gampala.
Fonterra Share Dairy Farmer of the Year Award: Terry and Catherine Viney.
Safe Farming Tasmania Dairy Farm Safety Award: Kooparoona Dairy Pty Ltd.
NRM North Dairy Environmental Award: Cheryl McCartie and Theo Van Brecht.
Blackley Pipelines & Irrigation Dairy Employee of the Year Award: Charlotte Jessop.
Aurora Energy Employer of Choice Award: Compass Agri.
Mondelez Young Dairy Farmer Encouragement Award: Brenton Adams.
Elphinstone Stevens Dairy Service Award: Cheryl McCartie.
Future of Dairy Scholarship (sponsored by the Lawrence family): Seraya Spark.
