At its annual general meeting in Launceston today, the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association awarded its highest honour, life membership, to three outstanding Tasmanian farmers who have led by example: Ian Dickenson, David McEwan and Graham McKenna.

Ian Dickenson
Ian Dickenson, of Elverton at Blessington, has transformed farming and private forestry in Tasmania. He is a member of the TFGA’s forestry reference group, vice-chairman of Tamar Natural Resource Reform Group and recently stepped down as chairman of Private Forests Tasmania.
His legacies include the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA), the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement and decades of negotiations through such bodies as the Forests and Forest Industry Council. He is widely regarded as the godfather of private forestry in Tasmania. He was awarded an Order of Australia for his efforts on behalf of Tasmanian foresters.
Elverton is a diverse farming enterprise that produces beef and prime lamb ewes, canning peas, grass seeds, barley and managed native and plantation forests. Ian has developed the property into a template of how to develop a modern, diversified farm in Tasmania in the 21st century.

David McEwan
David McEwan, of Kilrae, Ross, was awarded life membership in recognition of his life-long contribution to Tasmanian agriculture and to the Australian wool industry.
In 1985, the Tasmanian Rural Promotions Committee named David as Tasmania’s outstanding farmer. Ever the leader and forward thinker, he became deeply involved in research and development, particularly in the wool industry. He held a number of senior positions with the Australian Wool Corporation and was a board member at the Australian Wool Testing Authority, representing woolgrowers.
In 1990, David was awarded the Medal of Agriculture by the Tasmanian Division of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, the first Tasmanian farmer to gain this award.
In recognition of his service to the Australian wool industry, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours in 1992.

Graham McKenna
Graham has represented Tasmanian farmers on more than 30 committees and representative bodies over several decades. These included the Australian Vegetable Growers Federation, of which he was president, and the Australian Horticultural Growers Council. He was also instrumental in farmers having their own newspaper, now in the form of Tasmanian Country
His days of representing farmers go back to the Tasmanian Farmers’ Federation when he was an active office bearer at branch level. His membership and chairing of the Vegetable Council brought him on to the General Council and Executive of the TFGA. He continues to represent the Vegetable Council on the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group.
With wife Joscelyn, Graham has spent his whole farming career working with his brothers and sons on family farming enterprises. Today, with two of his sons, Graham runs family farms at Gawler that produce mixed crops, sheep, beef, potatoes, carrots, beans, peas, onions, broccoli, poppies, pyrethrum and green fodder crops.
“Ian, David and Graham, in their own ways, have worked tirelessly to make the TFGA the influential body it is today, while at the same time pursuing their own enterprises and representing the interests of their sectors of the industry,” TFGA president David Gatenby said.
“The work they have done has paved the way for a positive outlook for Tasmanian agriculture in an otherwise troubled economic horizon.”

AND,

David Gatenby re-elected TFGA president
The board of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) has re-elected David Gatenby as its president for a third term.

Meander farmer Wayne Johnston is its new vice-president after incumbent Dianne Fowler decided against seeking a third term.

Mr Gatenby, the newly-elected director for the 63 telephone district, has been involved in agriculture and forestry all his life. He runs a mixed enterprise at Campbell Town.

Wayne Johnston is a third generation farmer in the Meander Valley. He and his wife, Lisa, produce fat lambs, beef, poppies, potatoes and cereals on about 400 ha. Their latest venture is hazelnuts. Mr Johnston has been a driving force in the move to expand the network of irrigation schemes in Tasmania.

Dianne Fowler is the appointed director from the Wool Council. She is a partner in the family farming business, Bendeveron, at Bothwell.

At today’s TFGA annual general meeting in Launceston Mr Gatenby paid tribute to outgoing director for the 64 telephone district Yvonne Bowling of King Island, saying she had been an outstanding contributor to the TFGA over six years.
David Gatenby, Jan Davis http://www.tfga.com.au/