Queensland Rural Industry Training Awards  dinner and presentation

The Queensland Rural Industry Training Council (QRITC) celebrated outstanding training achievement at its Inaugural Rural Industry Training Achievement Awards, in a gala atmosphere 160 guests attended a dinner and awards presentation ceremony at the Chelsea Ballroom, Mercure Hotel Brisbane last Thursday evening, 1 December 2011.

The awards are intended to promote rural industry skills training and further education across rural and remote Queensland, with the focus on up-skilling our rural workforce and better preparing them to further their education and skills knowledge to meet the demands of an increasing need for recognized qualifications across the many and varied industry sectors.

The MC for the evening, QRITC’s Executive Officer Barbara Bishop said the Training Awards provided an opportunity for rural and remote Queenslanders to be recognised for their achievements in training and working in their industries. Barb Bishop said that the finalists demonstrated the excellent value to rural and regional Queensland of Vocational Education and Training. The finalists, aged from 16-74 years and represented a wide range of industries including beef cattle, cropping and grains, horse breeding, pig production, dairy, bees and honey production, park ranger, fruit and vegetable research, waterwatch, natural area management and park management. Finalists and their families, training providers and employers travelled from as far away as Weipa and Coen in Cape York to attend the event.

The category nominations awarded this year were in Agriculture, Production Horticulture, Amenity Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management as well as the Young Achievers Award and Chairman’s Award. With eighteen finalists chosen, Mr Brent Finlay President of AgForce presented the finalists certificates.

The winners from each category were: Wendy Hiscoe for Agriculture Production; Jericho Storey-Robinson for Production Horticulture; Phillip Sharp for Amenity /Lifestyle Horticulture; Jennifer Creek for Conservation and Land Management; and Fraser McIntyre for the Young Achiever Award; there was also a special category for Chairman’s Award which went to Joseph Allport. The winner’s certificates and cash prizes were presented by Mr Robert Setter, Associate Director General, Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation, responsible for Science, Agriculture, Food and Regional Services.

The winner’s presentation was then followed with the major award for the evening, the Yvon Wigley Scholarship, which was awarded to Wendy Hiscoe for Agriculture Production. The scholarship is awarded in honour of former Executive Officer with Queensland Rural Industry Training Council, Yvon Wigley, in recognition of her passion and contribution in raising the profile of QRITC as an industry voice for rural and remote Queensland.

Chairman of the QRITC Board, John Fraser, said the quality of the finalists was outstanding. In addition to the Young Achiever Award he presented a special Chairman’s Award to Joseph Allport a School Based Trainee from Scotts College in Warwick.

The QRITC Chairman John Fraser, the Board and its CEO Barbara Bishop and team would like to thank all the finalists, families and guests, presenters, sponsors, training organisations, industry and government representatives and a special thank you to Yvon Wigley and her family for their amazing support and truly making the evening a night to remember. We would also like to thank the team from the Mercure hotel for their hard work and great service.

We look forward to your continued support in 2012 and wish you all the very best for the festive season and a successful and prosperous new year.