Life Membership Awarded to Graham White

Diana Wood, Marketing & Communications Manager

In recognition of his service to The Angus Society of Australia and the development of the Angus breed, New South Wales Angus breeder, Mr Graham White was recently presented with prestigious honour of a Life Membership of Angus Australia.

Mr Graham H White being presented with Life Membership of Angus Australia, by his nephew and current Angus Australia President, Sam White at the Eastern Plains Angus Bull Sale. Image: Billy Jupp, The Land

The presentation was made by Mr White’s nephew and current Angus Australia President, Mr Sam White, at the recent annual Eastern Plains Angus Bull sale. The White name is synonymous with the Angus breed and its development having been involved since the very beginning, with Bald Blair Pastoral Co, one of the founding studs of the Angus Society of Australia. Mr White has been involved in breeding both registered and commercial Angus cattle for over 60 years and while retired still maintains an avid interest in the breed and its developments. He began his work in the family business, Bald Blair Pastoral Co. from the time he left school in the late 1940’s alongside his father the late Col Harold F White (President 1927 – 1937) and his brother the late Richard White (President 1967-1969). Bald Blair Pastoral Co ran merino sheep and prime lambs, Bald Blair Angus Stud and a commercial Angus herd. In 1971 after the death of their father Mr White and Richard ran Bald Blair Pastoral Co in partnership, until the mid-1980’s when an amicable partnership split of the Bald Blair Angus stud and commercial Angus herd, saw Mr White, wife Mary and sons Frank and Andrew focus on the development of the Eastern Plains Angus Stud and commercial herd. During this time Mr White dedicated a significant amount of his time to the Angus Society of Australia with an impressive record of service over 30 plus years for the betterment of Angus cattle in Australia. With a progressive group of breeders, Mr White was also involved in the early steps to formalise performance recording in beef cattle and Angus in the early 1970’s, helping to lay the foundations for the TransTasman Angus Cattle Evaluation as we know it today. Mr White’s roles included: · New England Angus Breeders Committee Member in the 1970’s and early 1980’s with a term as Chairman · Founding member of New England Performance Plus (a multi breed benchmarking style group for seedstock producers) in the 1980’s · NSW State Committee member from the mid 1980’s until the late 1990’s, including 2 years as Chaiman · Founding member of Northern Tablelands Angus Inc. and a committee member during the 1990’s, which organised

Angus weaner circuit sales in Guyra and Armidale · Federal Council of the Angus Society of Australia, representing NSW from 1990 1999, including the

Vice President role in 1994-1995 and President from 1996 – 1997 · Angus Society of Australia ARCBA Representative 1990’s · Member of Official Judges panel of the Angus Society of Australia · Judging in New Zealand and at most Australian

Royal Shows While on the Angus Society of Australia’s Federal Council Mr White was an integral part of the team that instigated and oversaw the move of the Society from Sydney to Armidale in 1994. A significant achievement for Mr White during his time as President was when Australia hosted the World Angus Forum in 1997 in Sydney. Mr White also had an impressive record of service within the Guyra Community. Of the Life Membership presentation, Mr White’s daughterin-law Sally White said that, ‘Frank and family, and Andrew and I were especially pleased that Graham’s nephew Sam White, made this presentation as it was very fitting for the occasion’.