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Past Winners of the Greenham Dairy Scholarship

2009: Simone Lee

The 2009 winner was about to start her third-year as a veterinary student at Wagga Wagga’s Charles Sturt University, with a goal to become a "veterinarian who can fit in with an innovative and changing dairy industry". Simone Lee from Mathoura is passionate about the dairy industry and participated in showing cattle at International Dairy Week for the three years leading up to her successful award year. She envisages that after graduation she will be able to provide a service that represents more of a partnership with her farmer clients. She says; "I would like to be involved in creating a total dairy services practice that takes a whole herd health approach, and specialises in areas such as nutrition, reproduction and product quality.” She has a particular focus on enabling the issue of mastitis, which is estimated to cost the industry 11% of production, to be managed better.

2008: Clancy Burn

A strong personal focus on taking care of people as being crucial to the future of the Australian dairy industry played a major part for 2008 winner, Clancy Burn of Mount Schank near Mount Gambier Clancy and her husband, Mike Hayes, manage a large scale dairy operation milking 2200 Holstein cows. Clancy was completing a Bachelor of Business (Agricultural Management) via distance learning at Marcus Oldham, majoring in human resource management. “Human resource management is of particular interest to me. I see it as an area which is crucial to the future of the dairy industry, but an area sometimes overlooked,” she said. “The skills and knowledge I will gain from a business degree may be the difference in whether our business succeeds and continues to grow, or withers and maybe fails. I am committed to the dairy industry and feel really excited that I can help shape what the industry looks like in years to come.”

2007: Ross Lister

When 25 year-old Ross Lister from Calivil was awarded the 2007 Greenham Dairy Scholarship, his aim to combine his on-farm knowledge with his engineering degree was given a helping hand. Currently studying a Bachelor of Engineering degree at University of Melbourne, his focus is on applying engineering knowhow to improve dairying systems for labour and time efficiencies. Early in 2007, Ross travelled to Africa to work on some irrigation and water management projects. The experience was invaluable, and would have been hard to do without the assistance of the Scholarship.

2006: Robert Bonanno

A veterinarian and Guernsey cattle breeder, Robert was the first "mature-age" applicant to be successful when he won the 2006 Greenham Dairy Scholarship. Robert headed off to the United States in July 2006 to undertake a 12-month Large Herds Dairy Internship through Michigan State University. The scholarship funds were invaluable in helping to cover expenses while he was away. As part of the internship he studied large herd issues and skills, new techniques in herd health protocols and programmes, forage and ration management, labour management issues and milk quality issues. The aim was to bring this learning back to the Goulburn Valley to assist with the development of the dairy industry. "I arranged this particular internship to further my skills and broaden my horizons in both veterinary practices and dairy herd management." Robert said. "It was a Masters level training program for veterinarians to sustain and advance the dairy industry by creating a cadre of highly-trained veterinarians who will become the next generation of leaders in dairy veterinary medicine."

2005: Benjamin Govett

A young farmer from Dingee, Benjamin was taking his first steps towards a career in dairy farming when he won the 2005 Greenham Dairy Scholarship. He is using the funds to complete a Bachelor of Animal Sciences and Management degree, which he started in 2004. His aim is to gain knowledge and experience that he can put into practice on his parents’ farm in northern Victoria and help to make a viable career for himself in dairying. "I believe education and experience are the keys to being successful in Australia’s volatile dairy industry," Ben said. "I want to learn to better manage and understand all aspects of farming, from the soil to the markets."

2004: Courtney Gronow

Courtney Gronow, who lives and works in the Yarrawalla district near Pyramid Hill, won the 2004 $10,000 Greenham Dairy Scholarship. Currently undertaking a degree in Agricultural Science at LaTrobe University, Courtney would like to take up employment in the dairy industry focussing on the field of soil science once his studies are completed. His goal is to eventually have a soil and pasture management business in the Goulburn region to help farmers get maximum production from their pastures for their cows.

2003: Lisa Thompson

Lisa Thompson was awarded the 2003 Greenham Dairy Scholarship. A self-confessed fanatic about showing and breeding dairy cattle, Lisa used the scholarship to help fund a three-year Bachelor of Agriculture degree at Melbourne University's renowned Dookie campus in northern Victoria. Her goal is to specialise in agricultural economics and gain valuable breeding experience from the university's on-campus herd.

2002: Matt McCready

Matt says the Greenham scholarship is a great support for the local dairy industry. "It's a great way to keep young people involved in the industry," he said. "There are a lot of young people who don't want to get involved [in dairying] anymore – they want to go to the big cities to make their money instead of staying at home.”

2001: Leo Phelan

The Inaugural Greenham Dairy Scholarship winner was Leo Phelan. The scholarship helped Leo achieve his ambitions of a career in dairy farm management by financially assisting him to undertake an Advanced diploma in Agriculture (Dairy) at the University of Melbourne’s McMillan campus (Warragul) in Gippsland.