Recipients.

“I applied for a Peter Westblade scholarship because I believe it will benefit me and my career aspirations as it will provide further education, guidance and mentoring in professionally developing my career in the industry” - Austin Grace

2021 Recipients

  • Rachel Pritchard

    2021 RECIPIENT

    Third generation on the family farm, Ms Pritchard is currently studying wool classing at Cowra TAFE and has also recently attended a shearing school at Dubbo, to hone her skills with a handpiece.

    “I love all aspects of the Merino sheep”

    “The Peter Westblade Scholarship is a great opportunity for me to spend time with people in the wool and sheep industry who are pushing the edge of production.”

  • Austin Grace

    2021 RECIPIENT

    Austin Grace is passionate about the Merino industry inspired through his family connection to the Demondrille Merino stud at Harden, and furthered during a two-year traineeship at Egelabra Merino stud, Warren.

    “I applied for a Peter Westblade scholarship because I believe it will benefit me and my career aspirations as it will provide further education, guidance and mentoring in professionally developing my career in the industry.”

2020 Recipients

  • Brodie Carpenter

    2020 RECIPIENT

    Brodie Carpenter hails from Swansea, Tasmania, and has been a full-time shearer for the past three years.

    He has been inspired by his father, a farm manager and shearing contractor for 25 years.

    Brodie leases a superfine Merino and prime lamb property, and has an ambition to operate the largest shearing contracting business in Tasmania.

  • Murray Smith

    2020 RECIPIENT

    Murray Smith, of Harden, grew up on a small family farm, finished Year 12 in 2010 and now works with Merino and composite sheep, and cattle at Romani Pastoral Company.

    Murray completed a stock and station traineeship working through Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory. In 2014, Murray began work at a Poll Dorset stud at Coolac, NSW, helping with embryo transfer programs, artificial insemination, stud sales, breed selection and general sheep husbandry.

    Murray intends to use his scholarship win to learn new skills and increase his knowledge of sheep and wool.

2019 Recipients

  • Chloe Dutschke

    2019 RECIPIENT I PWS Committee Member

    Chloe is a self-employed contract musterer- across NSW & South Australia, with a Bachelor of Animal Science at the University of Adelaide. Chloe would use the scholarship to gain experience consulting companies, to understand how they work collaboratively with farmers and other companies to achieve on-property results, build a network within the industry and further develop ideas of a collaborate technology platform.

  • Brett Stockings

    2019 RECIPIENT I PWS Vice-Chairman

    Brett Stockings manages sales and marketing of sheep meat for the Middle East and North Africa on behalf of Fletcher International Exports in Dubbo NSW. Brett would use the scholarship to travel and speak and spend time with marketing companies to learn different ideas/techniques of how we can market meat and wool as well as target our audience better through understanding differences in cultures between countries. Brett is keen to strengthen his knowledge in understanding value adding/meal preparation and how catering companies & retailers do there meal, plate costings.

2018 Recipients

  • Anna Cotton

    2018 RECIPIENT I PWS Secretary

    Anna Cotton, works is assistant manager on the family farm, Kelvedan Estate, in Tasmania. Anna has a Bachelor of Business (Farm Management) at Marcus Oldham College.

    Anna used the 12 months to educate herself further through learning from a range of wool enterprises and attending industry events.

    Anna followed her wool clip around the world to the woollen mills in Italy which was a fantastic insight through out the whole post farm gate procedure.

  • Joe Walden

    2018 RECIPIENT I PWS Committee Member

    Joe Walden, works at Cavan Station, home of Bogo Merinos, Yass, and is particularly interested in the use of technology to capture data for analysis.

    Originally from Braidwood, Joe completed a Certificate IV in Agriculture and wool handling at Tocal Agricultural College. “The scholarship will provide an opportunity to drive my career in the Merino industry, make new connections and gain experience.

2017 Recipients

  • Rachael Gawne

    2017 RECIPIENT I PWS Executive Officer

    Rachael Gawne, has an Animal Science degree from Charles Sturt University, Wagga, and aspires to empowering producers to make management decisions to benefit flocks and increase returns.

    She currently works with sheep industry consultant Sally Martin.

    “I am not off a farm but have always had a love for agriculture and when I discovered the sheep industry, that was for me.’’

    Rachael said the scholarship would enable her to “soak up’’ information on the sheep and wool industry.

  • Harrison Mulquiny

    2017 RECIPIENT

    Harrison Mulquiny, from Wooroonook, Vic, is interested in how different Merino bloodlines perform in varying environmental conditions.

    He works on the family farm and helps manage the 500 Merino commercial ewe flock, with a micron average of 19.5 and average fleeceweight of 5.5kg.

    “This will give me the opportunity to travel and network with industry members, and investigate new technology on pedigree tracking and genetics.’’

2016 Recipients

  • Emily Anderson

    2016 RECIPIENT

    Emily Anderson, graduated from the University of New England in 2012 and has worked in the family’s sheep and wool enterprise at Binda. She also works part-time for a local contract shearing team.

    Miss Anderson’s career goal is to participate in industry networks and groups, and identify and implement improvements to the family farm business.

    “I would like to take advantage of the opportunities this scholarship provides to expand my skill set and to gain a better understanding of the many facets of the sheep and wool industry.”

  • Josh Molloy

    2016 RECIPIENT I PWS Vice-Chairman

    Josh Molloy has worked both on and off-farm in the sheep and wool industry since leaving school.

    He applied for the scholarship with the expectation of meeting industry leaders and young people with a passion for sheep and wool.

    “I would like to learn more about genetics, explore new technology and study the wool processing pipeline from farm to final product’’.

  • Manning Doughty

    2016 RUNNER UP

    Runner-up was Manning Doughty, a manager in a commercial livestock operation at Hay and Hillston.

2015 Recipients

  • Jayden Harris

    2015 RECIPIENT

    Jayden works for Cousins Merino Services as well as operating Brimanna Poll Merino Stud.

  • Casey Annetts

    2015 RECIPIENT

    Casey is currently working for the Commonwealth bank of Australia as a Commercial and Agricultural Analyst. Her team within Regional Agribusiness Banking is responsible for NSW and QLD, and work closely with a team in Parramatta that mirrors our work in other Australian states.

    Casey found the scholarship invaluable in terms of being recognised as a young industry leader in the Sheep and Wool Industry, having individuals/ growers/ companies approaching me for my view and input on industry issues.

  • Ben Patrick

    2014 RECIPIENT I PWS CHAIRMAN

    Ben is the General Manager at Yarrawonga Merino Stud and the Chairman of the PWS Committee. Ben has an Agricultural Business Degree.

    The PWS scholarship gave Ben fantastic exposure to the Merino industry whilst building a network.

    Ben also gained insight from breeding values and education he gained through the experience of the scholarship.

  • Annabel Lugsdin

    2013 RECIPIENT

    Annabel is now working on her family property at Hay NSW.

    Building networks and exposure to innovation were her key advantages from gaining the scholarship.

  • Jo Newton

    2012 RECIPIENT

“The Peter Westblade Scholarship is a great opportunity for me to spend time with people in the wool and sheep industry who are pushing the edge of production.”