Gary Turnham gets life membership nod after years of Melbourne Royal service
Red Angus breeder Gary Turnham is still celebrating his honorary lifetime membership award of the Melbourne Royal Show society.
Turnham and his wife Shelley, have run the Barregowa Red Angus stud, Gisborne, for 25 years and Mr Turnham had been a member of the Melbourne Royal Beef Cattle Committee for almost 20.
At the well-known show this year, he was acknowledged for his voluntary contribution and services to the beef cattle community.
Mr Turnham said he was honoured to get the nod and the award was pride of place in the couple's home.
"I was privileged enough to be awarded life membership this year at the Melbourne Royal which was a big surprise and a great honour," he said.
He was involved in the new youth exhibitor contest this year, run by the beef committee and the show staff, and supporting agriculture's young people was a huge passion.
"As a committee, we really focused on the youth at the show and one of the things we did this year, we didn't have a feature breed," he said.
"We ran a youth event and that was amazing.
"It was just so well supported and we had over 200 kids entered in the competition."
The youth beef exhibitor contest was split into three groups - bred and owned, owned, and borrowed - and the cattle had to be already entered in the beef show's ordinary classes.
Mr Turnham said the youth participants were judged on their handling techniques and their cattle were judged on how they were presented.
He said the contest pulled in in excess of $80,000 worth of prizes and it was a "fantastic event".
He said supporting young people in this way was important to continue encouraging young people in agriculture.
Mr Turnham was previously involved in the Stud Beef Victoria cattle handlers camp and ran the event for five years.
"Having brought our own children up through that, it's really, really important," he said.
"To continue to have youth in the industry, we do a lot of things at the show to support that.
"Our focus is on the exhibitors and then on the youth."
Ms Turnham explained how the couple's own sons, Glenn and Harry, had grown up around the cattle and how Harry was now working on a large commercial beef farm near Mortlake.
She said youth competitions at shows encouraged "longevity in the industry".
Mr Turnham said Harry wouldn't have got his start in the industry without coming up through the show scene.
While they hadn't had the opportunity to show themselves in a few years, showing was a big part of the Turnham's lives.
"We call it our cow family," Mr Turnham quipped.
"You go to the show and you know everyone in the shed."
He said often stud breeders were part-time farmers and they took holidays to go to the shows, exhibit their cattle and meet friends.
"To be amongst people that are as passionate about the same thing you're passionate about, it's a lot of fun," Ms Turnham said.
"We've made a lot of fantastic lifelong friendships out of the shows," Mr Turnham added.
"Some of our best friends now are people that we met through the cattle and they're all just fantastic genuine people."
He hoped to be involved for years to come as well.
"I love it, I feel like I've got something to give, and I reckon we really make a difference," he said.
"While I've got the energy to do it, while I've got the passion and Shelly is happy to support me, I'll keep doing it, and while they'll still have me."
Their Barregowa stud included 50 head of Red Angus cattle, run on approximately 80 hectares.
The couple sold 18-20 month old bulls each year and recently, some heifers.
"We keep the best bulls to sell as bulls and then we try to produce that top-end quality animal," Mr Turnham said.
He said they liked the Red Angus breed for its quality and "commercial viability as well".
"We just love the temperament of the Red Angus, the maternal traits and they're just black Angus but with a different coat so the quality of the meat is the same," he said.
"The reds are really good tempered cattle and we really like the style of the cows."
