Mulloorie stud principal recognised for giving back to Merino industry

For the two days of Merino judging at the Royal Adelaide Show, Peter Meyer was kept busy as the ring announcer - a job he has been doing for close to two decades.

But, there was something not on his running sheet.

As the best Merino of the Show was about to be announced, Merino SA president Rob Sullivan took the microphone and presented the Mulloorie Merino and Poll Merino stud principal with a life membership of the association.

He noted that he had given more than 20 years of outstanding service to the management committee, including 2012 to 2014 as Merino SA president.

"Peter has worked on many subcommittees for Merino SA and is nearly always the first one to put his hand up to volunteer when needed," he said.

"His valued input at meetings is appreciated by all."

Mr Meyer was emotional about being recognised and said everything he had done had been out of love for the Merino industry.

"It was a big shock because generally they don't give out life memberships until you have finished your term, perhaps they are trying to tell me something," he laughed.

"I set my stud up (in 1981) and worked on that and I gradually got interested in being on the committee and after a few years I asked how you went about it - there was a vacancy come up so I grabbed it with both hands.

Mr Meyer also spent nearly a decade as a director for the Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders from 2012 to 2018, including president from 2018 to 2021 until his retirement.

In the same year he was appointed as an official Australian Association volunteer on the AWI Breeding Leadership committee, which oversees the program to develop the leadership and professional skills of young people in the wool industry.

"The Merino is a unique animal because it grows meat and wool, you can eat anything meat off a Merino at any age whereas a lot of the other sheep when they get 5.5 year old you don't want to eat them," he said.

"The fibre they grow and what they go through to grow that fibre is outstanding."

Mr Meyer says one of the highlights of his time on the federal board was chairing the organising committee for the successful World Merino Insight held in Adelaide in 2016.

"Being on the Australian organisation was a real eye opener because you went to different places and met different people from Uruguay, where I lucky enough to speak there and then I went to New Zealand to an Insight thing they had too."

He paid tribute to his wife Julie and sons Paul and Brett and their families for their support and enabling him to step off farm and take on roles with Merino SA.

"Whether it is volunteering for the cricket, footy or some community group - what you put in is what you get out in return," he said.