'A real honour': former Rural Finance chief awarded ASBA life membership

The former chief executive of Rural Finance has been awarded an honorary life membership of the Australian Sheep Breeders Association.

ASBA director and treasurer Dugald Graham joined the executive committee to help steer its Australian Sheep & Wool Show through some challenging times financially.

Mr Graham's seven years of hard work and commitment saw the much-loved Bendigo event navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and more.

"I came on [the board] because of my financial expertise," he said.

He led the ASBA efforts to secure state funding after the ASWS was closed down the night before it was scheduled to take place in 2021.

"I was involved in negotiations with financial advisers to the government because we had our hand up for funding," he said.

"I had to work through a lot of finance and spreadsheets with them to show them that we could be successful, with a bit of assistance from the government.

"As a result of that, we got a very generous donation from the state government which got us through.

"We were able to put on the next show, and we've been going along okay since then."

He said without this assistance, the show "would have been in a lot of trouble".

"We just needed to be able to get through another show so that we could survive," he said.

Mr Graham's contribution of this nature was acknowledged with the life membership nod last weekend.

ASBA committee member and Terrick West Poll Merino stud principal Ross McGauchie, Prairie, thanked him for his service and everything he had achieved.

Mr Graham had been in agricultural finance since 1970, spending 40 years at Rural Finance, which culminated in eight years as chief executive from 2002-2010.

"I'd always been pretty interested in rural affairs and the finance associated with it," he said.

While he didn't come from a farming background, his late grandfather ran a fruit farm and later purchased a sheep property out of Tamworth, NSW.

Young Mr Graham got familiar with rural life from there.

"That sort of gave me my interest, and I thought, 'this isn't a bad office, this outdoor gig'," he said.

He then went on to study at Dookie Agricultural College for three years.

As ASBA treasurer, Mr Graham worked alongside outgoing chief executive Margot Falconer on the evolution of the ASWS from a solely sheep event to one which garnered significant trade interest.

"The important aspect of it is that without sponsorship, it would be very hard to put this event on," he said.

"The fact that we've got over 600 sites that pay a fair rate in comparison with other shows is good and helpful, but nowhere near enough to have the show be able to run a profit."

Mr Graham said while shocks like the Covid-19 pandemic could never be fully insulated from, the show was in a relatively better state financially.

The ASBA had recently expanded into helping some sheep associations with secretarial work, and this was also helping the bottom line.

Mr Graham said he was "absolutely" proud of the life membership award.

"It was a real shock when it was announced after the AGM," he said.

"I wasn't there, I was on holiday.

"I read the minutes and thought 'my God, I can't believe it'.

"Usually people who get this award have sort of done 20 years service and been president a couple of times.

"It's certainly unexpected and a real honour.

"I am filled with profound gratitude and humility."