2006 BCU Bill Ussher Agricultural Scholarship winner announcedDesmae Harrison of Megan, near Dorrigo is the 2006 winner of the BCU Bill Ussher Agricultural Scholarship, currently worth $5,500. Runner-up finalist was The Big Oyster in Port Macquarie, a family-run aquaculture business run by Steve Manton, a third-generation oyster farmer. Desmae and husband, Richard and sons, Haydn and Robert have been building up their 40-hectare farm for the last nine years, running a herd of organically raised cattle and cropping giant Russian garlic and pumpkin varieties. The scholarship will help Robert complete his Masters in sustainable agriculture at UNE. ‘He’ll bring that expert knowledge back to our farm and to others in the region,’ explained Desmae. ‘The benefits will multiply when applied to the whole north-coast organic farming community.’ The BCU Bill Ussher Agricultural Scholarship, now in its second year, is designed to fund educational and professional development opportunities for BCU members operating family-run farms, and honours founding director and first member, the late Bill Ussher, a banana grower from Macksville. Application forms for 2007 BCU Bill Ussher Agricultural Scholarship will be available in mid-2007. For a transcript of Desmae's acceptance speech, please click here.
(L–R) Richard, Claire, Haydn, Desmae and Robert Harrison; Carmel Ussher; BCU Director, Michael Spear; BCU Chairman, Gerry Regan; and the Hon Luke Hartsuyker, MP for Cowper.
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