Jesse Gauci wins prestigious award from NSW Angus Committee

Winner Jesse Gauci is congratulated on the 2020 Norman Lethbridge Award by Andrew Bickford, Elders Bathurst

Jesse Gauci has been announced as the winner of the prestigious 2020 Norman Lethbridge Award presented by the NSW Committee of Angus Australia.

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Sydney Royal Easter Show, the Norman Lethbridge Award could not be presented to winners at the Angus judging.

This year prizes and awards were mailed to winners.

The winner Jesse Gauci, of Bathurst, was nominated by Elders Bathurst while the runner-up, Andrew Scarsbrook, Beaumont Hills, was nominated by Oakhill College.

Andrew also won the Gary Roberts Encouragement Award.

Beth Simmonds, Bligh Park, was nominated by Colo High School, was in third place and also won the Wendy and Des Stubbs Encouragement Award.

Breanna Smith, Barry, NSW, was in fourth place and was nominated by Blayney High School.

Felicity Webb, Oberon, was nominated by Scots All Saints College and was in fourth place.

The Norman Lethbridge Award is sponsored by the Munro family, Booroomooka Angus Stud, Bingara; Christine and Jon Erby, Forres Angus Stud, Dungog; the family of the late Norman Lethbridge; Wendy and Des Stubbs, Albion Park and Gary Roberts, Potts Point.

The award began in 2002 and was named in honour of the New South Wales State Committee’s past secretary Norman Lethbridge.

He was a stock and station agent for most of his working life, with the majority of his clients in the County of Cumberland in Sydney.

A large number of his clients were located in the County of Cumberland and within 200 kilometres of Sydney.

The award is open to students and cadets over 16 years and under 25 years of age, studying agriculture, livestock auctioneering or stock and station work.

The applicant must reside within 200km of Sydney.

The same committee formed at the inception of the Norman Lethbridge Award, comprising Christine Erby, Mark Lucas, Simon Hennings and Richard Buck, have interviewed applicants and adjudicated for the past 18 years.

Past winners of the award are succeeding in the agriculture industry and include 2002 winner Rachael Parkes, who along with her husband Ged Mullins, runs the largest dairy farm in Queensland.

The 2003 winner Stuart Moeck, runs Valley Creek Simmentals at Bowral.

The 2018 joint winner Darcy Howard, Young, is now a trainee stock and station agent with J J Dresser & Co, Woodstock.

Throughout the award’s eighteen years, schools and businesses who have nominated winning applicants include: Bede Polding College, Caroline Chisholm College, Chevalier College, Colo High School, Elders, Goulburn, Elders, Bathurst, Gosford High School, Knox Grammar, Lisarow High School, Marian College, Northholm Grammar, Picton High School, Richmond High School, Richmond Tafe, The Scots School, St Catherines Catholic College, Tocal Agriculture College, Tuggerah Lakes Secondary High School.

Nominations for the 2021 Norman Lethbridge Award will close on November 20.

For more information contact Richard Buck on richardbuckstockmaster@hotmail.comor mobile 0417 077 387